Free Note-Taking Apps Worth Using Into the New Year

Free note-taking apps worth using into the new year are Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, Google Keep, Apple Notes, Joplin, and Standard Notes. Each costs $0 for core notes, with paid tiers reserved for extra storage, sync, or editors. In this guide, a note-taking app means software that saves quick lists, long pages, and shared checklists across phone and computer.

Pick based on storage caps, device limits, and offline access, not on extra features you may not use.

Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 06, 2026.

Need room for a large fresh archive?

Notion's Free plan gives individuals unlimited pages and blocks for $0, plus trial AI access, basic forms, sites, and Calendar. According to Notion, the same plan includes 5MB file uploads, seven-day history, and 10 guests before the $10 Plus tier Notion's current pricing details. That structure suits school notes, lists, and project pages with many small entries.

Obsidian takes a different approach. Its core app is free without note limits and requires no sign-up, which helps readers who want local files first. Paid Sync and Publish add cloud sync and web publishing for separate monthly fees.

Heavy archivists should also look at OneNote, Keep, or Obsidian instead of stretching a tight free tier. Evernote's current plan comparison caps Evernote Free at 50 notes, one notebook, one connected device, and about 1GB storage, according to Evernote Evernote's plan comparison. Start January in an app that can hold the full year.

Already using Apple, Google, or Microsoft?

Microsoft OneNote is included free with a Microsoft account and syncs notebooks through OneDrive. According to Microsoft, the free OneDrive tier provides 5GB of shared cloud storage across OneDrive, Word, Excel, and OneNote Microsoft's OneDrive storage information. Watch that shared pool if you also store photos and documents.

Google Keep is Google's free notes and lists app for capturing, editing, and collaborating across devices. It works on the web, Android, iOS, and as a Chrome extension with a Google account. It fits quick reminders, shared grocery lists, and short checklists.

Apple Notes ships free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac and syncs through iCloud. Every Apple ID gets 5GB of free storage shared across Notes, photos, backups, and Drive before paid iCloud+. Stay under that shared cap if you save many scanned pages and photos.

Want offline and private-by-default notes?

Joplin's note-taking apps are free and open-source, with local Markdown notes, offline access, and end-to-end encryption. Markdown means plain-text formatting with simple symbols for headings and lists. Paid Joplin Cloud sync starts around €2.99 per month for hosted sync and sharing.

Standard Notes offers a Free plan with end-to-end encryption, unlimited-device sync, offline access, tags, and two-factor authentication. Rich text editors, folders, and longer history stay in the $90-$120 per year tiers. That split matters if you want plain secure notes now and may pay for formatting later.

Obsidian also keeps notes local by default, without forcing an account for the core app. Use one of these three when you want access on a plane, in a basement, or during an outage.

Which limits should you check before January?

Limits fall into four groups: note counts, storage size, devices, and history. A cap in any group can force a move midyear, so check your current totals first. Count your notes, notebooks, connected phones, and large attachments before you commit.

Move scanned PDFs, photos, and year-long archives to an app with headroom, and keep quick lists where you will actually open them.

• Notes and notebooks: Evernote Free allows about 50 notes and one notebook.
• Storage: OneNote and Apple Notes share their 5GB free cloud pools with other files.
• Devices: Evernote Free allows one connected device; Standard Notes allows unlimited-device sync on Free.
• History and uploads: Notion Free includes seven-day history and 5MB uploads.