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

Is there any app you're happy with 100%? I just can't find anything that fully satisfies my note-taking experience.

1 - Evernote is too buggy, and it feels like every editor does different things, there is no consistency to it, and it seems so old and outdated

2 - Notions web clipper sucks, doesn't pull italics correctly or numbered lists and app takes too long to load up...

3 - OneNote has no sorting capabilities and can't clip .webp

massysett · 5 years ago

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.

mindhash · 5 years ago

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.

Tomte · 5 years ago

I use a Whatsapp group where I'm the only member. You cannot create such a group, but you can create a group with two people and then remove the other one.

rmelhem · 5 years ago

Lol, yep. I always use my gf for that purpose and vice-versa.

6510 · 5 years ago

that works on messenger too.

rasulkireev · 5 years ago

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.

valehelle · 5 years ago

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

jjice · 5 years ago

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.

rasulkireev · 5 years ago

How do you access/edit it on the phone?

sanjeetsuhag · 5 years ago

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/

joegahona · 5 years ago

Noteplan looks nice but kind of crappy that they don't allow you to try before you buy.

knowhy · 5 years ago

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.

factorialboy · 5 years ago

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

mmvs · 5 years ago

This was my exact high-level expectation for the note app, ended up using https://obsidian.md/

joshxyz · 5 years ago

This is why I use VSCode for notes lol, the built in markdown preview and built in markdown table of contents makes it so fucking awesome