Ask HN: Is there a note taking app you're 100% happy with?

No. They all have flaws of some sort.

These days I am finding that nothing beats just pulling out my Mac and putting files in folders. For notes I use TextEdit. I can save PDFs of webpages in the folder, or go into Mail and save emails into the folder. iCloud syncs them between the various Macs well.

I have used Org Mode because it combined notes and task tracking but I found this to be increasingly unwieldy so I separated note taking and task tracking.

I do use the iPhone Notes app for basic things I need while on the go but not for anything fancy.

Good luck sifting through all the various apps but I'm tired of dealing with them.

Just sharing my flow for those looking to build note taking apps:

I use whatsapp for note taking. It solves a similar problem for notes as drop box did for files.

My notes are usually pointers. I don't track tasks in there. Tasks go into a separate app. I use apple mac reminders for task tracking. The way I use it is - I ask siri to set a reminder with task desc.

My tasks are reminders that I extend if they are not done by the expected time.

Depends on what you actually want. I use a mix of Obsidian and Joplin.

Joplin is very similar to Evernote, but much more pleasant. It is open source and is actively developed. You own you data and you can us ethe ap on any device. I wrote a small intro about Joplin -> https://rasulkireev.com/joplin/ .

I use Joplin as a storage for some of my thoughts on different topics. I organized my library with the PARA method. It works like a charm.

I use Obsidian as my Zettelkasten. I don't try to use it as my productivity driver. As a simple storage and connector for my thoughts it is perfect.

Not really. I think every person takes note differently and trying to cater to everyone is just impossible.

For example, right now I'm taking notes for customer validation process following the The Mom Test[1] book and existing note taking app is too general for my use case.

That is why I'm also in the mist of developing an app[2] that is solely focus on that particular use case.

[1]http://momtestbook.com [2]https://www.getfluorite.com

100% satisfied? No, but I'm very happy with just a plain old text editor. The editor and workflow depends on what kind of notes.

Class notes = Vim/VSCode + Markdown + Git

To-do list = Vim + Plain text (usually 'O' and 'X' to mark done or not.

Software notes = Vim + Markdown or paper for thinking out a problem and diagrams

It's not for everyone, but I've become very comfortable with plain text and it always works wherever I go.

I tried rolling my own system using Markdown, where I create a note every day with the following headings:

  - Tasks/Agenda
  - Meetings
  - Work Sessions

I used plain Markdown files, one for each day, but later discovered NotePlan[1] and it seemed to be the perfect organization tool for my system.

[1]: https://noteplan.co/

org-mode

It's the most flexible software I know. It was a pain getting used to Emacs. I used it for a decade now and it was probably the best decision I ever made. I believe it is worth some effort to find a way to organize yourself and with Emacs + org-mode I feel save that I won't ever need to adapt to something new.

Text editor with Markdown support with a Git repo for sync.

Remnote. Previously Zettlr and Markor. My markdown files with their links imported and worked straight away. That, plus the spaced repetition was perfect for me. Also the export to markdown (which does then work in Zettlr) is good. I like the whizziness, similar to Dynalist.

Bear Notes is almost there at 99%.

Good:

- Elegant

- Fast

- Excellent sync

- Excellent export abilities

- Excellent markup and code markup support

- Good automation possibilities (iOS Shortcuts, x-callback-url, AppleScript)

Bad:

- iOS/macOS only. There's a web version in the works, but I would not count on that ever seeing the light of day.

https://bear.app/

I’ve been using Ulysses for about two years and I’m addicted now. However, it’s not the the whole solution I’m looking for; ideally I would like a Muse + Ulysses + Gladys app, so I probably will just make it myself this year.

How about Obsidian?

I combine Obsidian with PARA and the Johnny File System. Both are methodologies to organize notes and files & folders.

Knowledge graphs are cool. :)

Edit: Oh sorry my bad, you were looking for smartphone apps, weren't you?

- For knowledge-base organisation - Obsidian. It's a nice program and it works with markdown files with some nice features like a graph view and support for LaTeX equations. I don't need to access these notes on my phone/tablet.

- Anything else i.e. shorter form notes that I want to sync across devices and which don't require fancy formatting or organisation - Apple Notes.

Perfectly happy with both of these for their respective use cases.

Another Obsidian user here. Pretty happy, but they have some rough edges to overcome still.

Surprised nobody's mentioned Craft[0]. Pretty amazing what they've managed to do in such a short time. Doesn't replace Obsidian for me, but I think for the "need a replacement for Evernote" crowd, there isn't a finer choice.

[0]: https://www.craft.do

I use and like Typora, with the notes stored in Nextcloud.

Apple notes works pretty well for me

Just the main notes iOS/Mac app but my notes are mostly just lists.

I use Joplin with Dropbox to sync between desktop and mobile

just got myself a remarKable. I love it!! https://remarkable.com/

Keep-It from Reinvented Software. I love it!

Evernote

Standard Notes.

notepad.exe

Gitbook

MarginNote

roam