The tools ChatGPT names most when people ask “Best note taking apps”, plus the sources it cites to back them up. Based on 40 real ChatGPT answers tracked over time.
Ranked by how often each tool appears in ChatGPT's answers about note taking apps.
| # | Tool | How often AI names it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple Notes | 100% of answers | |
| 2 | Obsidian | 100% of answers | |
| 3 | OneNote | 100% of answers | |
| 4 | Notion | 100% of answers | |
| 5 | Google Keep | 82% of answers | |
| 6 | Bear | 70% of answers | |
| 7 | Evernote | 70% of answers | |
| 8 | Microsoft OneNote | 48% of answers | |
| 9 | Students | 42% of answers | |
| 10 | Craft | 22% of answers |
The pages ChatGPT pulls from, i.e. where you need to be mentioned to influence the answer. Click any to see what it gets cited for.
| # | Source | Type | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | appstested.com | Editorial | 39 citations |
| 2 | notion.com | Editorial | 15 citations |
| 3 | support.microsoft.com | Editorial | 14 citations |
| 4 | consumertechwire.com | Editorial | 13 citations |
| 5 | itechguides.com | Editorial | 12 citations |
| 6 | dupple.com | Editorial | 10 citations |
| 7 | obsidian.md | Editorial | 9 citations |
| 8 | zapier.com | Editorial | 8 citations |
| 9 | templacity.com | Editorial | 6 citations |
| 10 | tech.yahoo.com | Editorial | 5 citations |
| 11 | softwarecomparison.net | Editorial | 5 citations |
| 12 | support.apple.com | Editorial | 4 citations |
| 13 | microsoft.com | Editorial | 4 citations |
| 14 | reddit.com | Community | 3 citations |
| 15 | unstar.app | Editorial | 3 citations |
Real ChatGPT responses to “Best note taking apps” (verbatim), most recent first.
Here are my top picks for note-taking apps in 2026—the best one depends heavily on how you take notes:
| App | Best for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | 🧠 Deep thinking / “second brain” | Local Markdown files, backlinks, powerful plugins |
| Notion | 📚 All-in-one organization | Notes + databases + tasks + wikis + collaboration |
| OneNote | ✍️ Students & handwriting | Very flexible pages, drawing, multimedia, excellent free option |
| Apple Notes | 🍎 Apple users | Extremely convenient, fast, good scanning/handwriting, built into Apple devices |
| Google Keep | ⚡ Quick notes | Super simple, great for lists, reminders, and quick capture |
| Bear | ✨ Beautiful writing experience | Clean interface, Markdown, excellent Apple integration |
| Joplin | 🔒 Open-source/privacy | Open-source, flexible, good Evernote alternative |
| RemNote | 🎓 Studying | Combines notes with flashcards and spaced repetition |
Recent 2026 comparisons generally put Obsidian, Notion, and Apple Notes near the top, while OneNote remains one of the strongest free choices. consumertechwire.com
If I had to pick just one: Obsidian for long-term personal knowledge; Notion if you want your notes integrated with tasks and projects. toolradar.com
If you tell me iPhone/Android + Mac/Windows + what you mainly take notes for (work, school, meetings, journaling, or “second brain”), I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 for you.
If you want the best note-taking app overall, my shortlist for 2026 is:
| App | Best for | Why I’d pick it |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Notion | Work, projects, organization | Notes + databases + tasks + wikis in one place |
| 🥈 Obsidian | Knowledge & deep thinking | Excellent linking between notes; great long-term knowledge base |
| 🥉 OneNote | School, work, handwritten notes | Flexible notebook structure, handwriting, attachments, search, collaboration support.microsoft.com |
| Apple Notes | iPhone/Mac users | Fast, simple, deeply integrated with Apple devices |
| Google Keep | Quick notes & lists | Extremely fast for reminders, ideas, and short notes |
| RemNote | Studying | Notes combined with flashcards and spaced repetition |
| Evernote | Document-heavy note taking | Strong organization and web clipping, though its free offering is more limited |
| Bear | Beautiful writing | Clean, distraction-free experience for Apple users |
One current community comparison also puts Notion ahead for structured organization, RemNote for retention/studying, and Obsidian for long-term knowledge management. www.reddit.com
If you tell me what you take notes for (work, school, meetings, journaling, Bible/book study, coding, etc.), I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 apps for you.
See exactly where you stand today, and which sources to win.