Apple Notes vs. Google Keep vs. OneNote 2025

What's your flavor?

TL;DR

Apple Notes is sleek but ecosystem-locked, Google Keep is the sticky-note champion for quick thoughts, and OneNote is the Swiss Army knife that does everything but dishes.

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You've probably lost countless brilliant ideas to the abyss of your terrible memory. Me too.

That's why note-taking apps aren't just productivity tools—they’re one of the few truly helpful apps on our daily devices.

But with so many options, how do you choose?

I've spent quite some times testing the water, from simple tools to complex powerhouses, from Apple Notes to Notion.

But today, I’ll go over the free most popular free options out there to go with every operating system.

1. Apple Notes:

“The Sophisticated Minimalist”

Remember when Apple Notes was basically digital notepaper where you could jot down grocery lists and nothing else?

Those days are long gone.

Apple Notes has evolved from the app you accidentally opened to a powerful contender that might make you consider buying a $1,200 phone just to use it.

Pros

Apple Notes excels at feeling like it was built into your device rather than tacked on as an afterthought. And it works pretty flawlessly.

The interface is clean without being barren. You can:

• Quickly jot down notes with different formatting options, highlights, links, and much more

• Scan documents that look like actual scans rather than drunken photography

• Create checklists that satisfy that dopamine hit when you check items off

• Add hand-drawn sketches if you're blessed with an Apple Pencil and artistic ability

• Lock notes with Face ID

But the real magic happens when you're fully committed to the Apple ecosystem. Start a note on your iPhone, continue on your MacBook, review on your iPad, and even check it on your Apple Watch if you hate your eyesight.

Cons

If you're not locked into Apple's walled garden, Apple Notes might get you there. Cross-platform functionality is basically non-existent, which is Apple's way of saying, "Buy our other products or keep your thoughts elsewhere, peasant."

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2. Google Keep:

“The Colorful Sticky-Note Champion”

Using Google Keep feels like walking into an office where someone went wild with Post-it notes, except they're all magically searchable and you'll never find one stuck to the bottom of your shoe.

Pros

Keep is the embodiment of Google's design philosophy: simple, accessible, and slightly addictive. It's the note app for people who think "folders" sound too complicated.

Instead of rigid organization, Keep gives you:

• Color-coding that turns your note collection into a digital rainbow

• The ability to add collaborators

• Voice notes that actually transcribe what you said, not what the AI thought it heard

• Location-based reminders that ping you when you're near a place

The best part is how it syncs across anything with a screen and an internet connection. You could probably access Keep on your smart fridge if you were so inclined.

Cons

It’s not complex at all.

Try to write anything longer than a few paragraphs, and the experience becomes about as comfortable as wearing wet jeans.

And if you need serious structure or organization? Keep looks at you blankly and says, "Have you tried using different colors?"

3. Microsoft OneNote:

“The Kitchen Sink Approach”

OneNote is what happens when Microsoft looks at minimalism and says, "No thanks, we'll take ALL the features." Classic Microsoft move.

It's the note app equivalent of bringing a flamethrower to toast marshmallows—excessive but impressive.

Pros

OneNote doesn't just want to be your note app. The feature list reads like a productivity wishlist:

• Notebooks, sections, and pages that can be organized with the precision of a librarian with OCD

• A canvas approach where you can place text, images, and drawings anywhere you want

• The ability to embed practically anything—spreadsheets, PDFs, audio recordings, your existential dread

• Handwriting recognition that sometimes feels like witchcraft

• Cross-platform availability that works equally well on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and probably some platforms that haven't been invented yet

For students and researchers, OneNote is digital nirvana. You can take notes during a lecture, record the audio simultaneously, and later click on your written notes to hear exactly what was being said when you wrote them.

Cons

Learning OneNote's full capabilities requires about the same time commitment as learning Notion, but Notion does offer some unique things.

The interface can feel overwhelming, like walking into a cockpit and being told, "Just fly the plane, it's intuitive."

Let’s be real, Microsoft has never been “good” at design.

OneNote can feel as bloated.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Who Should Use What

Choose Apple Notes if:

• You're more committed to Apple than most people are to their marriages

• You appreciate thoughtful design and an interface that doesn't shout

• You need something powerful but not overwhelming

• Your idea of cross-platform is moving from iPhone to iPad

Choose Google Keep if:

• Your attention span matches that of a caffeinated squirrel

• You need quick capture more than deep organization

• You love color-coding everything in your life

• You share notes with people who would be confused by anything more complex

Choose Microsoft OneNote if:

• You have information management needs that border on professional

• Your brain works in an organized, hierarchical way

• You teach, study, or research, and need your notes to work as hard as you do

• You enjoy spending time learning software (no shade, I'm one of you)

The Bottom Line

After spending way too much time testing notes apps, I've concluded that there's no perfect note app—just the perfect note app for you. Duh…

I've ended up using a combination based on my needs. I mainly use Notion for my complex project organization. But I still use Apple Notes for my personal stuff.

The beauty of digital note-taking is that switching costs are low. Try them all, see which one makes your brain happy.