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Best free note taking app: Evernote vs OneNote Desktop vs OneNote Metro vs Google Keep

AlTech
By AlTech
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When it comes down to taking notes and keeping organized in the 21st Century, there are quite a few apps/programs or services to choose from.

 

Today i will be comparing apps/programs or services which have a free version since i can imagine people who take notes usually wouldn't want to pay for it.

 

I'll be comparing: OneNote Desktop app, the Metro OneNote app, Evernote Free plan and Google Keep.

 

Side Note - All documents shown will be available as download.

 

Beginning

Note taking apps have recently become more popular and taking physical handwritten notes have become less popular.

And so i wanted to compare my experience with all 4 Note taking solutions tested and ultimately advise you on which to get if you're interested in note taking apps.

 

For this comparison I came up with a list of things i would want to be able to do with a note taking app.

 

 

Pricing

 

OneNote has a free desktop version. The modern Metro OneNote app is free. Google Keep is Free. Evernote on the other hand has a free plan with Plus and Premium subscriptions.

 

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Annotating PDFs and Documents

This is where the experience of Microsoft and Evernote really starts to show as not only does both OneNote metro and OneNote desktop have it but also Evernote Basic. This feels like a missed opportunity but i have a feeling that Google didn't use this because they focus on quick jotting notes down and thus don't care too much about features.

 

Sorry about my terrible drawing and annotating skills using a Mouse. :(

post-89336-0-22274300-1454133629_thumb.p

(This is a part of my C# Beginner's guide that I annotated using OneNote).

 

Type of Service

Now it's time to talk about what type of service each platform is and Cross platform support.

 

Google Keep is a website primarily with a Chrome Extension with IOS And Android apps as well.

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OneNote Metro is a Universal Windows App and is also on IOS and Android. This means it's compatible with Windows 10, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10 Mobile, IOS and Android.

That's a lot of support for a note taking app!

 

FYI - The last tab i've hidden is a secret project (No not the diversion)

post-89336-0-92485700-1454137582_thumb.p

 

OneNote Desktop is a Classic C++/Objective C program and is available for Windows and Mac OS X.

 

post-89336-0-63668400-1454134792_thumb.p

 

Evernote comes in all shapes and forms. From a Win32 desktop app all the way to a IOS App. This supports IOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows, Mac and web browsers (through their website).

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Other important Stuff

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Conclusion

In conclusion, these services are designed for different people with different use case scenarios and different goals.

 

So who is each for then? Well......

 

post-89336-0-38970600-1454136369.png

 

It depends. Evernote is more geared to those who take notes from Websites or existing content.

 

OneNote is geared towards those who create original notes. While Google Keep is that "Quick, let me write something down ASAP before i forget" service.

 

 

Personally after this i will continue to use OneNote for personal use (both desktop and metro).

 

I will try out Google Keep for school stuff since i already need to use Google Drive for School work (Cos my school loves Google Products even though i'm not a huge fan of them).

 

Files shown:

Ultimate C sharp beginner guide.pdf

 

Where to get/use the Note taking apps:

http://www.evernote.com - Evernote

https://keep.google.com - Google Keep

https://www.onenote.com/download - OneNote Desktop or Metro.

post-89336-0-90563900-1454137223.png

Judge a product on its own merits AND the company that made it.

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Google keep is meant more for getting someone's address or getting a time for a meeting or even shopping lists.

The other two are meant more for taking notes in class.

Thats that. If you need to get in touch chances are you can find someone that knows me that can get in touch.

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Google keep is meant more for getting someone's address or getting a time for a meeting or even shopping lists.

The other two are meant more for taking notes in class.

Oh really? Cos i've seen people use it more extensively than that.

Judge a product on its own merits AND the company that made it.

How to setup MSI Afterburner OSD | How to make your AMD Radeon GPU more efficient with Radeon Chill | (Probably) Why LMG Merch shipping to the EU is expensive

Oneplus 6 (Early 2023 to present) | HP Envy 15" x360 R7 5700U (Mid 2021 to present) | Steam Deck (Late 2022 to present)

 

Mid 2023 AlTech Desktop Refresh - AMD R7 5800X (Mid 2023), XFX Radeon RX 6700XT MBA (Mid 2021), MSI X370 Gaming Pro Carbon (Early 2018), 32GB DDR4-3200 (16GB x2) (Mid 2022

Noctua NH-D15 (Early 2021), Corsair MP510 1.92TB NVMe SSD (Mid 2020), beQuiet Pure Wings 2 140mm x2 & 120mm x1 (Mid 2023),

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Google keep is meant more for getting someone's address or getting a time for a meeting or even shopping lists.

The other two are meant more for taking notes in class.

 

This does seem to be the case for me.

 

Quick, easy, dirty - keep.

 

Thought out, taking time, clean and organized - OneNote. 

D3SL91 | Ethan | Gaming+Work System | NAS System | Photo: Nikon D750 + D5200

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Other important Stuff

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You can record audio and do handwritten notes in the Android version of Google Keep. And the Chrome app runs offline.

I own and use, sorted from newest to oldest: SteelSeries 6Gv2. Microsoft SideWinder X4. Mionix Naos 7000. Zowie EC1 Evo. Microsoft SideWinder X8. Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. Dell U2414H. Samsung P2270H. AKG K273 Pro. Sennheiser HD555. Razer Goliathus Speed Medium. Func 1030 L. Qpad CT Medium.

I used to own: Razer DeathAdder 3G. Razer Krait. IntelliMouse Optical 1.1. SteelSeries QcK.

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