Disclosure: Jotter is ours, and it is listed first. It gets the same four fields as every other app, including its drawbacks.
Short answer
For fast everyday notes, our pick is Jotter — open it and type; it saves as you go and syncs through your own iCloud, free. For linked notes you own as files, Obsidian.
Notion is brilliant for team wikis, databases and projects — its listing calls it an “AI-powered all-in-one workspace”. It is also a lot of app to open when you just want to write down a phone number.
This guide is for the second job: capture, fast, with nothing to set up.
Switch to Jotter if
- You mostly write quick notes and lists
- Notion feels slow to open on your phone
- You don’t need databases
Stay with Notion if
- Your team wiki lives in Notion
- You use databases and linked views
- You use Notion AI across your workspace
At a glance
| App | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Jotter (ours) | Opening the app and typing — with checklists, handwriting, scans and voice notes in the same note | Free, no subscription — an optional tip unlocks nothing |
| Notion | Teams and planners who want notes, tasks and databases in one workspace | Free plan plus paid plans and AI add-ons |
| Apple Notes | People who want the fastest free notes on Apple devices | Included with Apple devices at no extra cost |
| Obsidian | People who want linked notes as plain files | Free app; optional paid Sync |
| Bear | Writers who want a beautiful Markdown editor | Free on one device; Bear Pro for sync |
| Simplenote | People who want plain notes synced free everywhere | Free |
The apps in detail
Jotter
Ours
- Best for
- Opening the app and typing — with checklists, handwriting, scans and voice notes in the same note
- Highlights
- No title, no folder, no save button — the first line names the note
- Checklists, Apple Pencil handwriting, scans and voice notes
- Search reads handwriting and text in photos, on the device
- Syncs through your own iCloud; exports as Markdown
- Pricing
- Free, no subscription — an optional tip unlocks nothing
- Watch out
- iPhone and iPad only, on iOS 18 or later: no Mac app yet, no Android or web version, and no shared notes.
Notion
- Best for
- Teams and planners who want notes, tasks and databases in one workspace
- Highlights
- Pages, databases and projects
- Notion AI for writing and questions
- Shared team workspaces
- Pricing
- Free plan plus paid plans and AI add-ons
- Watch out
- Heavy for quick capture, and it needs an account.
Apple Notes
- Best for
- People who want the fastest free notes on Apple devices
- Highlights
- Opens instantly from Control Center
- Checklists, scans and Pencil
- iCloud sync
- Pricing
- Included with Apple devices at no extra cost
- Watch out
- Apple-only, and bulk export is awkward.
Obsidian
- Best for
- People who want linked notes as plain files
- Highlights
- Markdown files in a folder you own
- Links and graph view
- Plugins and themes
- Pricing
- Free app; optional paid Sync
- Watch out
- Setup takes time.
Bear
- Best for
- Writers who want a beautiful Markdown editor
- Highlights
- No account to start
- Tags and linked notes
- Award-winning design
- Pricing
- Free on one device; Bear Pro for sync
- Watch out
- Sync between devices is Pro.
Simplenote
- Best for
- People who want plain notes synced free everywhere
- Highlights
- Free sync on every platform
- Tags and instant search
- Publish a note to the web
- Pricing
- Free
- Watch out
- Plain text only.
Workspace vs notepad
The honest answer for many people is both: Notion for the team, and a fast notepad for everything that happens on the way to a meeting.
Jotter is built for that second job — no title to invent, no folder to pick, no save button — and exports as Markdown if you later move notes into Notion.
Common questions
Is Notion good for quick notes?
It can be, but it is built as a workspace; many people use a lighter app for capture.
What is a simpler alternative to Notion?
Jotter or Apple Notes for quick notes; Obsidian for linked notes as files.
Can I move notes from Jotter to Notion?
Jotter exports your notes as Markdown, which Notion can import.
App Store listings checked on 27 September 2026. Prices change — each entry describes how an app is paid for rather than a number that goes stale.
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