Free Note Taking Apps
Which note taking apps a founder can keep notes, ideas and meeting notes in for free today, how far the free plan goes on notes, devices and sync, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Note taking apps change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Note taking apps a founder can use for free today include Obsidian (Free without limits, no sign-up required), AFFiNE (Unlimited local workspaces, 10 GB cloud), Capacities (Unlimited spaces, objects and blocks), Standard Notes (Free: encrypted notes and unlimited sync), and Simplenote (Free: apps, backups, sync and sharing). Each of the 11 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its sync and device limits, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Ideas, customer calls, investor meetings and to-dos pile up fast, and a good notes app keeps them searchable in one place. Several note apps are free without limits, and open-source note apps keep your notes in files you control.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans can cap notes, notebooks or devices, keep sync or publishing as paid add-ons, and leave markdown or AI for paid plans. Each app below shows what is free, its main limit, its sync and device limits, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which apps we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which apps are listed or where.
Note taking apps with a free plan
Take and sync notes in a hosted app, free to start.
- 1
Obsidian
Anyone who wants a free notes app with no limits
Obsidian's app is free without limits and needs no sign-up. Sync and Publish are optional paid add-ons, and Sync costs $4 a month per user billed annually.
- 2
Capacities
Object-based notes and knowledge bases, synced for free
Capacities' free plan includes unlimited spaces, objects and blocks, with sync across all devices. Media uploads are capped at 5 GB in total, then 100 MB a month, and Pro is $9.99 a month.
- Sync and devices
- Sync across all devices, free (source: capacities.io)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $9.99 a month (USD) (source: capacities.io)
Start free at CapacitiesTerms read on capacities.io on Capacities: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Simplenote
A simple notes app that syncs to every device
Simplenote's apps, backups, syncing and sharing are all free, and all your notes sync to every device you use.
- Sync and devices
- Synced across all your devices (source: simplenote.com)
Start free at SimplenoteTerms read on simplenote.com on Simplenote: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Bear
Mac, iPhone and iPad users who want local notes at no cost
Bear's free version gives local access to your notes, document scanning and export. Search inside PDFs and iCloud sync need Bear Pro, which costs $2.99 a month after a 7-day trial.
- First paid plan
- Pro: $2.99 a month after a 7-day trial (source: bear.app)
- 5
Craft
Trying Craft's documents and notes on a small block limit
Craft's Starter plan gives 1,500 blocks in one personal space, with real-time sync across devices and about 20 AI sessions over its lifetime.
- Sync and devices
- Real-time sync across devices (source: craft.do)
- 6
Evernote
Light personal notes that stay under 50 notes
Evernote's Free plan allows 50 notes, 1 notebook and 1 device, with 1 GB of monthly uploads. Starter is the first paid plan, at $8.25 a month or $99 a year.
- Sync and devices
- 1 device on Free, 3 on Starter (source: evernote.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $8.25 a month, $99 a year (source: evernote.com)
Free and open-source note taking apps
Keep notes in free, open-source software.
- 1
AFFiNE
Documents and whiteboards in one free workspace
AFFiNE's Cloud Free plan includes unlimited local workspaces and 10 GB of cloud storage, with up to 3 members per workspace. Pro is $6.75 a month for family and small teams.
- Sync and devices
- Up to 3 login devices (source: affine.pro)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $6.75 a month (source: affine.pro)
- 2
Standard Notes
Encrypted notes on every device, at no cost
Standard Notes' Standard Free plan has end-to-end encryption and unlimited device sync on web, desktop and mobile. Markdown and rich text need Productivity, the first paid plan, at $90 a year.
- First paid plan
- Productivity: $90 a year (source: standardnotes.com)
Start free at Standard NotesTerms read on standardnotes.com on Standard Notes: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Joplin
Open source notes kept on your own cloud storage
Joplin is a free, open source note-taking app. Its notes can be synchronised end-to-end encrypted through Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or Joplin Cloud.
- 4
Logseq
Personal notes and research, open source
Logseq is open source and free forever for personal use, so a personal knowledge base costs nothing to start. The page gives no price for Logseq Sync, which is in beta.
- 5
Anytype
Trying a notes and knowledge app at no cost
Anytype's Free plan includes 100 MB of remote storage and 10 shared channels, with unlimited private channels. Plus costs $4 a month.
- First paid plan
- Plus: $4 a month (source: anytype.io)
Also useful for team productivity
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers note taking apps a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each app's terms. Every term comes from the app's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on notes, devices or storage, sync or sharing kept for paid plans, AI features on paid plans can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these apps pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a app appears, and no app pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free note taking app?
By the terms each provider states, Obsidian is free without limits and needs no sign-up, Capacities gives unlimited spaces, objects and blocks, Simplenote includes apps, backups, sync and sharing free, and Joplin and Logseq are free.
Is Obsidian free?
Yes. Obsidian is free without limits and needs no sign-up; Sync and Publish are optional paid add-ons, with Sync at $4 a month per user billed yearly.
What are Evernote's free plan limits?
Evernote's free plan includes 50 notes, 1 notebook and 1 device, with 1 GB of monthly uploads. Starter is $8.25 a month, or $99 a year.
Which free note apps sync across devices?
Simplenote syncs across all your devices, Capacities syncs across devices for free, Standard Notes offers unlimited device sync, and AFFiNE allows up to 3 login devices.
More best-of guides
New startup perks, in your inbox
Get an email when a new credit, discount, or deal for founders is added. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.