Alternatives to Google Keep
A note service from Google for quick notes, checklists and reminders that sync across devices. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Google Keep
A note service from Google for quick notes, checklists and reminders that sync across devices.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Google Keep.
Apple Notes
Apple's built-in notes app with sync, sketches, and text recognition.
Apple Notes comes preinstalled and free on Apple devices, adds sketches and text recognition in images, but has no native Windows or Android app.
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft's freeform digital notebook with sections, pages, web clipping and cloud sync.
Microsoft OneNote offers freeform notebooks with sections, pages and web clipping in the browser for free, storing notes in Microsoft's cloud rather than Google's.
Zoho Notebook
A note-taking app from Zoho with card-style notes, checklists, audio, sketches and cross-device sync.
Zoho Notebook uses card-style notes with checklists, audio and sketches, syncs across Android, iOS and web, and requires a Zoho account instead of a Google account.
Simplenote
Minimal note app that syncs plain-text and Markdown notes across devices.
Simplenote is open source and syncs plain-text and Markdown notes free across Windows, macOS, Linux and Android with version history, but lacks reminders, attachments and encryption of note contents.
Evernote
A long-running note-taking app with notebooks, tasks, calendar links, search and web clipping.
Evernote offers notebooks, templates, tasks linked to a calendar and a web clipper for longer notes, but many features sit behind paid plans and an Evernote account.
UpNote
A cross-platform notes app with rich text, Markdown support, nested notebooks and automatic sync.
UpNote provides native apps for all major desktop and mobile systems, a rich editor with Markdown and attachments, and offline use, with the full feature set on a paid plan.
Memos
A self-hosted, open-source note-taking service that keeps quick Markdown notes in a private timeline.
Memos is an open-source, self-hosted service for quick Markdown notes in a timeline, so notes stay on your own server, which you must run and maintain.
Standard Notes
Encrypted notes built for the long term, where sync is free on unlimited devices and you can host the server.
Standard Notes adds end-to-end encryption with free sync on unlimited devices and optional self-hosting, though the free tier is plain text only and an account is required.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Google Keep as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Drafts
An Apple-platform app for capturing text quickly and sending it elsewhere with actions.
Google Keep captures quick notes and checklists with reminders through a Google account on the web, moving notes onto Google's servers.
SideNotes
A Mac note-taking app that slides in from the side of the screen for quick notes.
Google Keep is a free web note service for quick notes, checklists and reminders that syncs through a Google account and stores notes on Google's servers.
Tot
A small text scratchpad for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch that syncs through iCloud.
Google Keep is a free web service for quick notes, checklists and reminders synced through a Google account, with notes stored on Google's servers.
Twos
An app for quickly writing down notes, to-dos, reminders and events organised by day.
Google Keep offers free quick notes, checklists and reminders through the web with a Google account, without the daily view tying items to dates.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Superlist
A task and notes app from the creators of Wunderlist, combining to-do lists, notes and projects.
