What Are The Best Free iPad Note Taking Apps In 2021?
- Microsoft One Note
- Collanote
- Zoho
- Loose Leaf
- Apple Notes
- Evernote
- Bear
Notes taking apps are the utility apps that everyone requires to scribble important things. Note taking apps are quite useful tools for teachers, students, lawyers, doctors, writers, and any professional that need to do lots of jotting down things of use.
Note taking apps are available for devices be it Android mobiles, iPhone, or iPad. For iPad note taking apps are so handy because as iPad is paired with an Apple Pencil the duo is best suited for note taking. Not all note taking apps are not free and you need to pay for them. Also, there are though many free ones too at app stores. Here are the best free iPad note taking apps that you will love to use and have installed on your iPad. Note that these free apps may have some in-app purchases and if you want you can pay few bucks ultimately that’s your choice.
1. Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft One Note is Microsoft’s note taking app that is free. You can capture your thoughts, discoveries, and ideas and simplify overwhelming planning moments in your life with your very own digital notepad. With OneNote, you can plan that big event, seize that moment of inspiration to create something new, and track that list of errands that are too important to forget. Write memos, make a digital sketchbook and save notes right on your phone.
With all the features this app has, it will meet the productivity needs of most people. It’s also a great app for students who want to annotate PDFs and want to take a good combination of typed and handwritten notes.
You can sync your notes via OneDrive to access them anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the go, your notes are available to you across all of your devices. Once you download the app you sign in with your Microsoft Account.
2. CollaNote
CollaNote is an app designed and built on the side by a student in Hamburg University for everyone who loves working with digital paper. The pencil tool is supported and mimic physical pencil, make CollaNote not only good for note-taking, but also great for drawing and sketching
You can also record Audio, sync with your handwriting, and playback like Karaoke. Also, import PDF, annotate and sign them and export your notes in PDF. Whiteboard for online teaching, learning together, doing homework together, and support many paper designs & variety of beautiful templates. Add multimedia to your notes: insert image, text, sticker, PDF to your notes. All notes are exposed in the System Files app, it’s never been easier to store/backup your notes. The only drawback about CollaNote is that its text tool is not as easy to use. Adding text takes you to a separate screen to first type out all your text, or by default, write it out with your Apple Pencil.
After you’re done, it will appear on the note page for you to adjust. It’s not the most fluid process, but the rest of the app’s features make up for it.
Also, create your own community by making your note public and let other people join in. This app has image Tracing which is fully supported.
3. Zoho Notebook
This note taking app comes from Zoho where you can besides taking notes, add files, create checklists and sketches, record audio, and capture moments using Notebook. All your notes are instantly synced across your devices and to the cloud. Notebook is 100% free and ad-free. Web and Mac apps, plus a Web Clipper for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are also available.
This Notebook provides different ways to take notes and capture your thoughts. You can start with the text, add images and sketches, checklists, or audio, all in the same note. Add PDFs, word documents, spreadsheets, and more with the dedicated file note card. Create and mark checklists to get stuff done with the dedicated checklist note card. Even scan business cards, documents, and more. Sketch ideas and take handwritten notes using your finger or Apple Pencil with the sketch note card.
You will find smart cards categorized according to your taste and content. Recipe Card automatically pulls the recipe photo and description, creates a checklist for ingredients, and provides step-by-step cooking instructions. See zoho.com/notebook for supported sites. Video Card automatically pulls video preview and, once opened, plays in a distraction-free space. Works for YouTube and Vimeo. Link Card pulls headline or page title, along with the main image, creating a beautiful note card.
Synchronize all your notes and notebooks across devices and to the cloud. Take a note on one device, add to it from another. You can also customize your note cards as you want and share notes with friends and colleagues through iMessage. Also, use Siri to dictate text and checklist notes and search for photo notes.
4. Loose Leaf
Loose Leaf is an open-source note-taking app for iPad launched by Milestone. There are unlimited pages to this note taking app. The app is designed to really feel like you’re working on loose pieces of paper.
The iPad has a lot of features that require two-finger gestures, such as closing loose-leaf stacks, flipping pages, and deleting notes, especially when the device already has so many gestures. Once you get the hang of it, the movements will feel like second nature. The pen and marker tools are completely pressure-sensitive with no manual way to adjust the thickness. Unfortunately, you only get five choices of primary colors, but that could be more than enough depending on your needs.
Some unique features about this app are the Scissor tool in place of the Lasso tool and an asymmetry tool to have your drawings mirrored. It also comes with useful page styles, including a blank music score and a blank to-do list.
5. Apple Notes
This default app for note-taking is packed with hidden features. With this note-taking app, you can take notes and handwrite them, sync them across multiple devices, and even use the Apple Pencil to handwrite with.
The Notes app has all the basic tools such as the pen, highlighter, pencil, and eraser available through Markup. It also comes with a lasso tool and an adjustable ruler, and the ability to customize your own colors. It also has an Auto-Minimize option, which moves the toolbar out of sight when you start writing. You can even change the paper style from a few different options.
Also, Apple Notes has the ability to scan documents. You can even use your phone camera to do it and have it immediately added to the note on your iPad. The scanned documents on a note are kept as attachments, so you won’t be able to mark them up with the pen, but it’s still handy to have your information in one place.
6. Bear
Bear note taking app comes from Shiny Frog company. Bear is a focused, flexible notes app used by writers, lawyers, chefs, teachers, engineers, students, parents and more! Bear has quick organization, editing tools, and export options to help you write quickly and share anywhere and preserve your privacy with encryption.
You can write in portable Markdown, encrypt your notes, sync notes, organize notes with nested tags, add sketches, pick a beautiful theme, export to a variety of formats.
Bear uses rich Markdown for editing, so you can insert links into documents without having to display the full URLs. It allows you to insert images directly into notes, which could make it a far more valuable app overall if images are a big part of your workflow.
The latest features include Tag autocomplete, light and dark themes, annotation of PDFs, encryption, and app lock. Most of Bear’s features are free to use on any iOS device, but there is a paid-for pro-version with additional themes, export options, which are available with a small monthly or annual subscription.
7. Evernote
Evernote is a popular free iPad note taking app for iPad. One of its best features for gathering research is the Web Clipper extension (supported in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari), which lets you save entire web pages – including text, images, and PDFs – with a single click. Notes can be accessed on laptops, mobile devices, and the web, so you’re rarely left with a situation where you can’t retrieve what you’ve saved. Other features include the ability to set reminders, present notes in PowerPoint-style, and merge them together.
Recent additions include new tables and a Siri integration for those using the iOS edition. While there’s a free plan with some limited features, there are also two paid plans, the Evernote Premium plan for individual users, and the Evernote Business plan for business.
You can write, collect, and capture ideas as searchable notes, notebooks, and to-do lists. You can clip interesting articles and web pages to read or use later. Add different types of content to your notes: text, docs, PDFs, sketches, photos, audio, web clippings, and more. Use your camera to scan and organize paper documents, business cards, whiteboards, and handwritten notes.
You can manage your to-do list with Tasks—set due dates and reminders, so you never miss a deadline. Also, connect Evernote and Google Calendar to bring your schedule and your notes together. See your most relevant information instantly on the Home dashboard. Create separate notebooks to organize receipts, bills, and invoices. Sync your notes and notebooks automatically across any computer, phone, or tablet. Keep track of lecture notes, exams, and assignments so you don’t miss important details.
Now explore the features of the above free note taking apps on iPad and install the one you want. Like to play free pokies, click here.