The Journey of Searching for the Best Notes App

For over a decade, I've been in the habit of documenting almost everything digitally. From spontaneous ideas, daily to-do lists, interesting quotes, to project plans. Like many others, I’ve gone through a long journey trying various note-taking apps before finally feeling like I’ve come home with one app that now becomes my absolute favorite: Obsidian.

My journey began with Evernote, which I started using back in 2010. At the time, Evernote felt like the complete solution: it supported text, images, documents, even web clipping. Its fast search feature was extremely useful. I could jot things down on my laptop and access them on my phone while on the go—and everything stayed in sync. But over time, Evernote became sluggish. The performance on mobile devices worsened, and opening notes began to take too long. Additionally, the storage limit started to become a real issue, especially for someone like me who records a lot of things daily.

Around 2019, I turned to Google Keep as an alternative. I was quite satisfied with Keep, especially for quick note-taking needs. Its interface is simple, it's instantly accessible, and very practical on mobile. In fact, I continued using Google Keep as my primary note app until 2024, thanks to its speed in capturing sudden ideas. However, over time I realized Keep isn't meant for long-term, structured note-taking. Its organizational features are very minimal—there’s no folder system or hierarchy—and overall, Keep feels more like a digital sticky note than a proper notebook. That said, I still rely on it for quick notes and as a backup for important information.

I also tried Microsoft OneNote, which offers a different approach to note-taking. The structure is designed to mimic physical notebooks with pages and sections. But overall, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Maybe it’s the interface, or perhaps the navigation that didn’t feel intuitive enough, but using OneNote just wasn’t efficient or enjoyable for me.

Then I discovered Notion, and for the first time, I was genuinely impressed. Notion offers incredible flexibility. I could create notes, task lists, mini-databases, and personal pages filled with multimedia elements. The organization system is well-designed and allows for complex structures with a professional look. However, like Evernote, Notion comes with its own challenges. As the number of notes grows, the app starts to slow down. Its advanced features rely heavily on a stable internet connection, since Notion is cloud-based. Also, while the free version is generous, there are still storage and usage limits that make it feel a bit restrictive.

Finally, I found Obsidian. This app completely changed how I take notes. Obsidian offers an experience that almost rivals Notion, but with one major advantage: everything is stored locally on my computer or phone. There are no storage limits, no login accounts required, and it’s completely free and open-source. Obsidian uses Markdown format, which means my notes remain readable even if I stop using the app someday. This gives me peace of mind and a sense of full ownership over my digital notes. On top of that, Obsidian is incredibly fast—even with hundreds of notes. I can also link notes contextually, building a “network of thoughts” that interconnect in a meaningful way.

What’s even more exciting is that even though it’s a local-first app, Obsidian can still be synced across multiple devices. They do offer a paid sync service, but in my next post, I’ll share a free and practical method for syncing Obsidian between your computer and phone without spending a dime.

For me, Obsidian is more than just a note-taking app. It’s a personal digital space—flexible, fast, limitless, and completely under my control. After years of experimenting with different apps, I finally feel like I’ve found my last stop in the world of digital note-taking.