Taking notes and notes with paper and pen is increasingly forgotten. Thanks to our computer, we have at our disposal a large number of applications with which we can take note quickly and easily, without thinking about where to store it or lose us around the house. One of the most popular notes apps is Microsoft‘s OneNote, but we can also find other equally valid alternatives.
OneNote, Microsoft’s free notes app
Microsoft OneNote is an application that is part of the Office program package, and allows us to take all kinds of notes, create lists, or write down anything that we want to avoid being lost if we write it down on paper. We can download it from any device and consult it whenever we want in the cloud.
This application develops its function through the creation of a Notepad, where it can host a large number of notes, which we can keep organized in different sections, putting at our disposal a careful editor on which we can add labels, links, lists and images. The notes can be taken using the keyboard, touch or a pen (in case we have a touch screen) and change them from one side to the other.
Despite the fact that OneNote is available for a large number of devices, in some cases not all of its functions are available, limiting its use. That is why, today we are going to talk about some of the alternatives on the market.
Alternatives to OneNote
Simplenote
It is an application for taking notes, which is characterized by being multiplatform . In this way, it is compatible with Windows Mac Os and Linux computers, and mobile devices with Android and iOS, being synchronized between all of them automatically. With this application we can organize all our notes by tags, which, together with its instant search, allows us to locate any note that we write quickly. Simplenote is compatible with Markdown , so we can preview and publish notes in this format. Both backups, synchronization, and their sharing is completely free, and can be downloaded from their website.
Google Keep
It is a notes application developed by Google with which we can organize all our personal information. This simple tool has a large number of functions that make it a serious alternative to OneNote. On the one hand, it enables us to scan text , simply by taking a photo. It also gives us the possibility of saving notes by voice , as well as activating reminders so that we do not miss the most important pending tasks. In addition, we can assign notes to the labels, so that we can search for them quickly and easily.
Google Keep is a tool to manage our notes completely free and it will be enough to access your website with our Gmail account.
Evernote
With this tool we can take notes, save documents or links to have all the information at hand always available. It has a complete integration through multiple platforms since it is based on the cloud , which allows us to write freehand to use OCR technology , with which it is possible to edit all kinds of documents by scanning them. Evernote is an alternative to OneNote due to its great capacity to have all our notes, lists, ideas and reminders hosted in one place.
Evernote has a free Basic Plan for taking notes that we can access or download from its official website . With this plan we obtain a maximum of 60 MB of monthly uploads and a maximum size of each note of 25 MB, synchronizing a maximum of 2 devices. It also has a Premium version at a cost of 3 euros per month. This version allows unlimited synchronization of devices, monthly loads of up to 10 GB and a maximum size of each note of 200 MB. Finally, for the most demanding, it has a Business plan for 11.67 euros per month that allows a maximum load of 24 GB per month.
ColorNote
It is a simple but powerful application for taking notes, ideal both as a working tool or simply to have all our tasks organized, so that we can save addresses, the weekly shopping list or any note that we need to remember, without can lose us. In addition, it allows the synchronization of the mobile so that we have all our notes at hand and anywhere. It has a checklist that allows us to cross out elements of a list , as well as sorting the notes by color by naming a color group and checking how many notes it has in a color group.
NotesManager
It is an application for taking notes in a very simple way, which is also portable, so we can run it from any computer and transport it on any storage unit. Each note is saved in its own text file. It also has a text editor to use it as Notepad. In addition, we will have a search bar to locate any content through its title and the possibility of converting links to URLs or creating keyboard shortcuts to create notes.
NotesManager is a completely free program that we can download from its website .
Simple Sticky Notes
With this simple application we can take notes quickly and efficiently, being also completely free. This tool will allow us to take notes without complications, which makes it a great alternative to OneNote. It is compatible with Windows Ink, so we can use it to create reminders , scribble or create quick notes. It is also compatible with Cortana, it allows adding images to notes and it has the possibility of using colors in the text.
Simple Sticky Notes is a completely free tool that we can download from the developer’s website .
NeverNote
It is an open source application with which we will have the possibility to create all kinds of notes, add labels to find them easily, create books, edit and format notes and synchronize them with the server quickly. It has a great similarity as Evernote, but in this case we are dealing with a free program, which we can download from its website .
Windows Quick Notes
This simple application is installed by default in Windows 10. It is a very agile and fast tool with which you can write any note in a matter of seconds. In addition, we will have the notes on the desktop of our computer as if it were a post-it, always being available without the need to navigate through menus. It is as simple and effective as opening the application and writing what we need. Quick Notes allows us to change the background color of each note, with various colors to choose from, so that we can organize them by categories. To access the application we only have to write Quick Notes in the Windows search engine.
My notes
With this simple application we can not only create notes, but also make all kinds of task lists, events, shopping lists quickly and easily. In this way we can create, delete, edit and have access to all the notes quickly and easily. It also allows us to keep track of all important dates, so we don’t forget, like a birthday or wedding anniversary. It also allows us to put passwords to our notes so that they are safe and secure, and best of all, it is completely free.
