A notes or reference app is a dedicated place for all of your notes, ideas, references, files, and more.

There are a lot of notes apps out there. Each has different features and limitations.

We recommend Apple Notes as a default notes app for most people. If you use Apple devices, Notes is a simple, tried and true note-taking app that is fast, easy to use, and syncs between your devices. It doesn’t have any fancy features like backlinks or a Web Clipper, but that’s the point - it’s just the things you absolutely need for a simple notes app.

If you don’t use Apple devices, or want something different, here are some alternatives:

• **Obsidian:** Obsidian uses local Markdown files, allows you to connect your notes to each other, and is free for personal use (although syncing your notes costs $48/year). It also has an active community with an abundance of plugins and themes. The main downside of Obsidian is that using it has a bit of a learning curve, and it could be complicated for some people.
• **Microsoft OneNote:** OneNote is free. In addition to letting you write or clip notes, it also has good support for drawing your notes.
• **Notion:** You can use Notion to take notes like other apps, but where it really shines is in structuring information, and collaborating with others.
• Tana: If you prefer to take notes in an outliner style, you may enjoy Tana. Tana has some powerful features that allow you to structure notes into multiple views and organize information in a more ad-hoc manner. Tana has a fairly steep learning curve. There is a free plan available.

Action:

• [ ] Pick a note-taking app you’d like to use.
• [ ] Download it to your computer and/or your smartphone.

Resources:

The Case for Digital Notes - Forte Labs

How to choose the right note-taking app

Use The Right Tool For The Job: the false dichotomy of Evernote vs Roam