The best note-taking apps for iPhone and Android in 2026
Notion, Obsidian and Todoist cover three different ways of thinking. Here is how to choose between them.
Note-taking apps fall into three camps: workspaces that hold everything, personal knowledge bases that reward linking, and task managers that only want your to-dos. Picking the wrong camp is why most people abandon their system within a month.
If you want one app for everything: Notion
Notion's blocks and databases can model a reading list, a travel plan and a team wiki in the same workspace. The mobile app has caught up with the desktop one, and the free plan has no meaningful limits for a single person.
Choose it if you like structure and templates. Skip it if you mostly write long documents on your phone, where the editor can feel cramped.
If you want your notes to be yours: Obsidian
Obsidian keeps every note as a Markdown file on your device. Links between notes build a graph that makes old ideas resurface. It is free, works fully offline, and plugins add almost anything.
Choose it if privacy and longevity matter. Budget for Obsidian Sync or use your own cloud folder to move notes between devices.
If you only need tasks: Todoist
Todoist is not a notes app, and that is the point. Its natural-language capture is the fastest way to get a task out of your head on a phone. Projects, labels and filters keep it tidy.
Choose it if a notes app keeps turning into an unmanaged to-do list. Pair it with either app above for reference material.
Our pick
For most people: Notion for projects and Todoist for tasks. For writers and researchers: Obsidian alone.