Apple Notes ships with every Mac and most iPhones, which is exactly why it gets compared against every paid note app on the market. XDA’s recent piece on the “underrated note app that solved what Notion and OneNote could not” sent a fresh wave of Apple Notes users looking around — most often because they need something that runs on Windows or Linux. We tested seven Apple Notes alternatives for desktop in 2026, with an eye on cross-platform support and the things Apple Notes still does badly.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | Local markdown vault | Yes | $10/mo Sync | Plugin and graph view |
| Notion | Database-driven team workspaces | Generous | $11.50/mo Plus | Inline databases and AI |
| Bear | Markdown notes on Apple devices | Yes | $2.99/mo Pro | Hierarchical tags |
| Joplin | Open-source local notes | Yes | $2.40/mo Joplin Cloud | OneNote and Evernote import |
| Craft | Block-styled long-form writing | Yes | $5/mo | Polished export to PDF |
| Microsoft OneNote | Free-form notebook with handwriting | Yes | $6.99/mo Microsoft 365 | Pen and ink layout |
| Standard Notes | Encrypted lightweight notes | Yes | $90/year Productivity | End-to-end encryption |
Why Apple Notes users are looking around
The pattern from r/Apple, Mastodon, and Mac Power Users:
- No Windows or Android client. iCloud for Windows is partial and slow
- Tags help, but folder hierarchy is shallow
- Markdown shortcuts are not native; the editor is rich-text only
- Export to PDF or Word per note works, but bulk export is missing
- Notes scale to thousands of items, but search lags compared to Spotlight
Each pick below tackles one of those gaps.
The 7 best Apple Notes alternatives
Obsidian, the local-markdown pick
Obsidian is the most popular open file-format note app. Notes are plain markdown files on disk. Available on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android. The plugin ecosystem closes the gaps Apple Notes leaves: Dataview for structured queries, Templater for templates, Bases for property-driven databases.
Where it falls short: more configuration than Apple Notes out of the box. Sync is a paid add-on if you avoid iCloud or Dropbox.
Pricing: Free for personal use. Sync at $4/month annual. Publish at $8/month annual.
vs Apple Notes: open files, fully cross-platform, vastly more extensible. Less polished default look.
Migrating from Apple Notes: export per note as PDF or use the Exporter Shortcut. Bulk migration tools exist on GitHub for Apple Notes to markdown.
Download: obsidian.md
Bottom line: the first pick if you need a Windows or Linux client and own your notes.
Notion, the team-database pick
Notion is the workspace tool of choice when notes need structure beyond folders. Databases turn notes into rows with columns, the AI Q&A layer summarises and searches across the workspace, and team permissions make it the easy choice when multiple people own content.
Where it falls short: offline access is partial. The block editor pulls plain-text users away from a markdown feel.
Pricing: free with a 1,000-block limit per team workspace. Plus is $11.50/user/month annual. Notion AI is $10/user/month on top.
vs Apple Notes: more structured and collaborative. Less of a private quick-capture tool.
Migrating from Apple Notes: Notion’s import tool is partial for Apple Notes. Best path is Apple Notes → Markdown (via Shortcut) → Notion import per page.
Download: notion.so
Bottom line: the pick if more than one person needs to write inside the same document.
Bear, the Apple-ecosystem markdown pick
Bear stays inside Apple’s ecosystem but gives you markdown editing, hierarchical tags, and an aesthetic that Apple Notes does not match. The 2026 release added the Windows client in beta.
Where it falls short: no Linux client. Windows still in beta. Subscription required for sync.
Pricing: free with sync gated. Pro is $2.99/month or $29.99/year.
vs Apple Notes: stronger markdown editing and tag hierarchy. Subscription cost is the trade.
Migrating from Apple Notes: Bear has a built-in “Import from Apple Notes” tool that handles attachments well.
Download: bear.app
Bottom line: the pick if you want markdown plus the Apple feel.
Joplin, the open-source pick
Joplin is the free open-source notebook app with a strong import path from Evernote and OneNote. Cross-platform on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Joplin Cloud or your own Nextcloud / WebDAV server handles sync. End-to-end encryption is built in.
Where it falls short: the UI is older than its competitors. Mobile editor is functional but not fast.
Pricing: Free local. Joplin Cloud Basic at $2.40/month annual.
vs Apple Notes: free, open-source, end-to-end encrypted, runs on every desktop OS. Less polished editor.
Migrating from Apple Notes: export Apple Notes to ENEX via Apple Shortcuts, then import into Joplin. Handles attachments per note.
Download: joplinapp.org
Bottom line: the pick if open-source ownership matters more than a clean default theme.
Craft, the long-form pick
Craft is the block-based writing app aimed at polished output. Documents export to PDF and Word cleanly, share links look professional, and the block editor handles long documents better than Apple Notes does.
Where it falls short: structured organisation is less folder-friendly than Apple Notes. Subscription is needed for sync beyond one device.
Pricing: free for personal use with limits. Personal Pro at $5/month annual. Business at $8/seat.
vs Apple Notes: stronger document polish and team sharing. Less of a quick-capture tool.
Migrating from Apple Notes: Craft accepts markdown import per document. Apple Notes export to markdown via Shortcut.
Download: craft.do
Bottom line: the pick if your Apple Notes are mostly client-facing documents.
Microsoft OneNote, the free-form pick
Microsoft OneNote is the free notebook from Microsoft 365 with the best handwriting and pen-input layout in the category. Notebook → Section → Page hierarchy mirrors a paper notebook, and the canvas places text and images anywhere on the page.
Where it falls short: sync runs on OneDrive only. The canvas-style layout is the opposite of markdown.
Pricing: free with a Microsoft account. Microsoft 365 Personal at $6.99/month adds 1 TB OneDrive.
vs Apple Notes: stronger pen handwriting, free-form canvas. Less native to Apple.
Migrating from Apple Notes: OneNote does not import Apple Notes directly. Copy-paste per note or use third-party tools.
Download: onenote.com
Bottom line: the pick if you want Apple Pencil or Surface Pen-style handwriting at the centre.
Standard Notes, the encrypted pick
Standard Notes is the privacy-first note app with end-to-end encryption on by default. The free tier is plain markdown. The Productivity plan unlocks rich text, editors for code and spreadsheets, and more theming.
Where it falls short: the free tier is bare. Productivity plan pricing has moved up.
Pricing: free for unlimited plain markdown. Productivity at $90/year. Professional at $120/year for collaboration and additional storage.
vs Apple Notes: stronger encryption guarantees. Less rich editing in the free tier.
Migrating from Apple Notes: import per note via the dashboard. Plain text first, then add encryption.
Download: standardnotes.com
Bottom line: the pick if encryption on every note is the trade-off you want.
How to choose
- Want a free open file-format vault on every OS: Obsidian
- Want a team workspace with databases: Notion
- Want Apple Notes feel plus markdown: Bear
- Want open source with strong import: Joplin
- Want polished long-form documents: Craft
- Want handwriting and free-form canvas: OneNote
- Want end-to-end encryption out of the box: Standard Notes
- Stay on Apple Notes if you only use Apple devices and the rich-text editor covers your day-to-day capture.
FAQ
What is the best free Apple Notes alternative? Obsidian (personal use), Joplin (local), OneNote (Microsoft account), and Standard Notes (plain markdown) are the strongest free options.
Can I export my Apple Notes to another app? Yes, but it takes effort. Apple Notes export per note as PDF, or use the third-party Exporter Shortcut for bulk markdown. Joplin has an Apple Notes import path via ENEX.
Does Apple Notes work on Windows? Partially. iCloud for Windows installs an Apple Notes web shortcut, but the desktop app is Mac-only. Bear’s Windows beta and Obsidian are the best cross-platform paths.
Which Apple Notes alternative supports the Apple Pencil? OneNote, Notability (not in this list), and Craft handle Apple Pencil well. Apple Notes itself has improved handwriting in 2026.
Is there an encrypted Apple Notes alternative? Standard Notes is the strongest encrypted note app. Joplin supports end-to-end encryption with the Joplin Cloud sync option.
