Best Notes Apps for iPhone in 2026: Tested

Why look beyond Apple Notes?

Where the default app runs out of road

Apple Notes is fine. For a lot of people it's all they'll ever need. But more and more people are exploring tools outside of it, usually for one of two reasons: they want better AI on their iPhone, or they want note-taking that feels smoother and does more. The apps below do both. Here's where Apple Notes tends to run out of road.

1. It's basic by design

Apple Notes keeps things simple, which is the whole point. But "simple" turns into "limiting" the moment you want more. There's no real AI assistant baked in, no databases, no blocks to build a proper structure. If you've started bumping into those walls, that's your sign to look elsewhere.

2. The newer apps do more, natively

Some of these apps have just as much native polish as Apple Notes, and then go further. Craft gives you blocks and a workspace AI. Granola records and transcribes your meetings. You're not trading away the smooth iPhone feel to get extra power, you're getting both.

3. Sync is tied to iCloud

Apple Notes leans on iCloud to sync between devices. That's seamless if you live entirely in Apple's world. It's a problem the moment you want a note on a Windows machine, an Android phone, or the web. Most of the apps here sync on their own terms, so your notes follow you wherever you work.

If any of that rings true, you'll get on well with the note-taking apps below. They're the Apple Notes alternatives we'd actually recommend, and they sit among the best productivity apps for iPhone we've tested.

The most polished all-rounder on iPhone

One of the best native apps on iOS, full stop

Craft is one of the best-built native apps for iPhone and Mac, and not just in the note-taking category. The quality and speed are a cut above, and the gestures are so smooth you notice the difference within minutes. If a clunky app puts you off, this is the opposite end of that.

Blocks and customisation are the draw

The blocks and customisation are what make Craft special. It's easy to use and, honestly, fun to play with. It reminds a lot of people of Notion, but faster, more customisable, and better for creating a space that feels like yours. You're building a home for your notes, not just dumping text into a box.

The AI assistant pulls its weight

There's a good AI assistant baked into Craft, and it works well when you're chatting with your workspace. Ask it about what you've written and it answers from your own notes. That's the part most note apps are racing to copy, and Craft already does it cleanly.

It works for real work too

This isn't only a personal notes app. Craft scales up to proper work: docs, project notes, even a shared knowledge base. So if your personal notes and your work notes keep blurring together, one app can hold both.

Craft Pros & Cons

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Record the meeting, then chat with your notes

It cuts the noise and just records

More and more people are skipping note-taking by hand. Granola cuts the noise and just lets you record. If that's a meeting, it's perfect for sales calls, idea generation, even thinking sessions with other people. It's one of the better AI note-takers for in-person meetings too. You stay present in the conversation instead of scribbling.

It works solo too, not just for meetings

Granola isn't only for calls. It works for solo use, which is part of why it's caught on. You can transcribe and then search across your notes with its AI chat. Ask a question and it points you to the location and the context, so you find the bit you actually wanted.

It earns the iPhone spot on quality

The reason we recommend it here is the iOS app itself. Granola has been scoring highly on app quality, and from our own tests we found it fast and easy to use. You can even take notes offline. They won't be transcribed and searchable until you're back online, but for capturing on the go that's a small price.

Where note-taking is heading

If you want something very AI-centric, this is likely where voice and note-taking apps are going. We're seeing more of it across the category, with apps like Wispr Flow and Voicenotes doing well. Many people also love that they can bring their work meeting notes into their pocket, right alongside their personal notes. It sits nicely beside the other AI meeting apps we rate.

Granola Pros & Cons

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Markdown note-taking, done properly on mobile

Markdown done properly on mobile

Bear is really nice for markdown note-taking on mobile. Type your formatting as you go and it just works, no fiddly toolbars. If you write in markdown anywhere else, Bear on iPhone will feel like home straight away.

Simple, and that's the point

Many people say Bear is one of the better simple note-taking apps, and we'd agree. It doesn't try to be a database or a project tool. It's a clean, calm place to write. That focus is exactly why people stick with it.

Built by ShinyFrog, and it shows

Bear is built by an Italian company called ShinyFrog, and they've been working on it for over seven years now. That kind of patience shows in the details. It's also a regular Apple favourite, which tells you something about the craft.

Smooth on iOS, solid on Mac

It's buttery smooth on iPhone, and it works on Mac too, where it ranks among the best note-taking apps for Mac. Your notes follow you between the two. If you live across Apple devices, that pairing is hard to fault.

Bear Pros & Cons

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Notes plus databases, with AI you can add on

Notes plus databases for structure

Notion is a hugely popular option, and the note-taking works well precisely because it sits next to databases. That pairing gives your notes a structure most apps can't. It's less of a notepad and more of a place to organise your whole brain.

Customise it to your heart's content

You can customise your notes a lot. Database templates help create structure for routine notes, so your weekly review or reading log looks the same every time without the setup. Once you've built a system, it more or less runs itself.

One place for notes, tasks and projects

You could use Notion as a journal, a study hub, and more. It helps that your projects, notes and tasks can all live in one place. If you're tired of jumping between apps, that consolidation is the appeal. It's a short hop from here to a proper second brain.

The AI now lives in the Business plan

Heads up on the AI: it used to be a cheap add-on, but that's gone. Full Notion AI now comes with the Business plan, which is $20 per user a month on the annual plan, or $24 month to month. Free and Plus only get a limited AI trial. So Notion's AI is capable, just know that getting it properly means stepping up to Business, not a small extra on top, the way Craft bakes its AI in.

Notion Pros & Cons

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The bullet journal, with a calendar attached

The bullet journal, digitised

NotePlan is great for bullet note-taking: the bullet journal system, basically, on your iPhone. If you've ever kept a paper BuJo, this will click fast, with search and sync on top.

Notes, calendar and tasks in one

The app doesn't just take in notes. It does calendar, connecting to Apple Calendar, and then Apple Reminders too for tasks. So your notes sit next to the day they belong to, and your to-dos sit right alongside them.

It's a full productivity system

Put together, it's a productivity system: tasks, notes and calendar in one place, a bit like the best daily planner apps but built around your notes. There's a similar app called Agenda that's the closest comparison, but NotePlan leans harder into the daily planning side.

Well designed, and easy to live in

The app is well designed and easy to use. It's best for people who want a more traditional all-in-one system rather than a single-purpose notepad. Worth knowing: the team also makes a separate app called Memo AI that can take voice notes too, if that's your thing.

NotePlan Pros & Cons

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The veteran all-rounder, back in form

The comeback under Bending Spoons

Evernote is one of the more popular options, and it's having a moment again. Since being acquired by Bending Spoons, plenty of people have grown to love it once more, thanks to the more routine updates. After years of feeling stuck, it's moving again.

AI features keep landing

The app seems to be adding more and more AI: an AI meeting note-taker, AI summaries, AI search, and more. It helps to know the app is heading in the right direction rather than coasting. If you left Evernote a while back, it's worth another look. If it's still not for you, we've rounded up the best Evernote alternatives separately.

Still a strong all-rounder

Underneath the new features, it's still a really good all-round app. Notes, tasks, capture, search: the core that made it popular is intact, just modernised. For a big, mixed pile of notes, it doubles as a personal knowledge base.

Just know it's the pricey one

One honest caveat: it's one of the pricier options here. Evernote retired its old Personal and Professional plans, and the Advanced plan, the one with the AI features, is now $249.99 a year, about $21 a month. The value's there if you'll use the full toolkit. If you only want quick notes, you'll get that cheaper elsewhere on this page.

Evernote Pros & Cons

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