Top Note-Taking Apps for Grad Students in 2025 (Free & Paid Options)

ByJenny Hill, PhD

Taking notes in grad school isn’t just about jotting things down — it’s about organizing your mind, managing overwhelming information, and saving time when you need it most.

Whether you’re in lectures, reading dense academic articles, or working through your own research, the right note-taking app can totally change how you study, write, and stay sane.

There are so many apps out there claiming to be the best, but not all of them work for the way you think. That’s why I’ve pulled together this guide to the top note-taking apps for grad students — with real features that matter to someone knee-deep in thesis chapters and journal deadlines.

Let’s walk through the best options available in 2025 and figure out which one fits your brain and your workflow best.

Notion: The Ultimate All-in-One Workspace

  • Create linked databases, wikis, and project boards for research and coursework
  • Ideal for organizing complex thesis projects
  • Collaborate with advisors or classmates using shared pages
  • Markdown support and easy embedding for PDFs, videos, and links
  • Syncs across devices with web and mobile apps

If you’re someone who loves having everything in one place, Notion might become your second brain. It’s more than a note-taking app — it’s an entire system for managing your grad school life.

You can set up pages for each course, link reading lists to your research database, and even track your thesis progress with Kanban boards or Gantt charts (yep, they’ve got those now).

The learning curve can be a little steep, especially if you’re not into customizing things, but once you get your layout sorted, it saves you hours. I used Notion to organize my lit review, and it helped me connect ideas I’d totally forgotten about.

You’ll love the flexibility if you’re juggling coursework, research, and teaching duties.

👉 Try Notion here

OneNote: Best for Handwritten and Typed Notes Combo

  • Syncs seamlessly with Microsoft Office suite
  • Tag notes, draw, and insert multimedia
  • Organize by notebooks, sections, and pages
  • Great for touchscreen devices and stylus use
  • Built-in OCR (optical character recognition) to search handwritten notes

If you’re more of a tactile learner or someone who still likes to write by hand sometimes, OneNote is your friend. It’s super intuitive if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem, and the way it mimics a physical notebook just makes sense.

You can draw diagrams, annotate lecture slides, and record voice notes — all in one spot. I used to draw concept maps by hand, and OneNote let me do that while still keeping things searchable.

Plus, if you’re managing multiple projects or have a different notebook for each course or semester, OneNote’s layout keeps it neat without being overwhelming.

👉 Try OneNote here

Evernote: The Classic with Smart Features

  • Web clipper lets you save articles, PDFs, and webpages
  • Advanced search and tagging for quick retrieval
  • Templates for meeting notes, research, and daily logs
  • Cross-platform syncing with a clean, simple interface
  • Calendar integration and task management features

Evernote’s been around forever, and honestly, it still earns its spot on the list. If you’re someone who loves grabbing resources on the fly — like journal articles, conference notes, or even random inspiration from a blog post — Evernote’s Web Clipper is magic.

You can organize notes with tags and notebooks, and the search function even pulls up words from within images and scanned docs. That means if you’re working through a pile of readings and forgot where that one quote was, Evernote can dig it up for you in seconds.

If you like things simple, reliable, and powerful, this might be your go-to.

👉 Check out Evernote here

Obsidian: Best for Research and Linking Ideas

  • Uses local Markdown files for privacy and speed
  • Link notes bi-directionally to build a knowledge graph
  • Ideal for building a personal Zettelkasten or second brain
  • Lightweight but powerful with a huge plugin ecosystem
  • Works offline and syncs with optional paid add-ons

Obsidian is the app you didn’t know you needed — until you try it. It’s designed for people who want to see how ideas connect. You create individual notes, and then link them together using double brackets, which helps you form a literal map of your thoughts.

This is incredible for a thesis project or literature review. I used Obsidian to break down each paper into its main arguments, then linked similar themes together. Eventually, I could “see” gaps in my research just by following the network of notes.

It’s not as visual as Notion unless you dive into plugins, but if you like deep thinking and structured chaos, this is for you.

👉 Check out Obsidian here

GoodNotes: Best for Annotating PDFs and Lecture Slides

  • Perfect for iPad and stylus users
  • Import and mark up PDFs and lecture notes
  • Use handwriting to text feature for searchable notes
  • Organize notebooks by subject or semester
  • Gorgeous, minimal interface with color-coded folders

If you’ve got an iPad and love handwriting your notes, GoodNotes will feel like home. You can upload your reading materials — journal articles, scanned book chapters, or even slides from your professor — and annotate them directly.

I used to print out tons of articles just to highlight and write in the margins, but GoodNotes replaced all of that. The handwriting recognition is solid, so your scribbled notes are still searchable.

It’s perfect for active reading and deep comprehension, especially when you’re prepping for comps or trying to make sense of a dense theoretical framework.

👉 Check out GoodNotes here

Google Keep: Best for Quick Notes and Voice Memos

  • Simple and fast for capturing ideas on the go
  • Syncs with Google Drive and integrates with Google Docs
  • Color-coded notes for easy categorization
  • Record voice memos and convert to text
  • Great for brainstorming or task management

Sometimes you don’t need a full-blown system — you just need to jot something down before you forget. Google Keep is perfect for those moments. Think of it as sticky notes for your brain.

I used to brainstorm dissertation ideas during walks or while commuting. With Keep, I’d record a voice memo or type out a quick idea, then organize it later. It’s also helpful for keeping track of to-dos, upcoming deadlines, or sudden bursts of inspiration when you don’t have time to open a “real” app.

👉 Try Google Keep here

Craft: Beautiful, Distraction-Free Note Taking

  • Stunning design with intuitive formatting
  • Easy to embed media, code, and databases
  • Markdown support and cross-platform syncing
  • Share notes as websites or PDFs
  • Ideal for polished, presentation-ready notes

Craft is one of the newer kids on the block, but wow, it’s pretty. If you’re someone who gets inspired by beautiful design — and let’s face it, when you’re knee-deep in boring documents, a little beauty helps — then Craft might be a breath of fresh air.

It’s great for organizing study notes or even drafting thesis chapters. You can publish your notes as simple websites, which makes it easy to share with your advisor or study group.

And while it doesn’t have quite the same complexity as Notion or Obsidian, that’s actually a win if you want simplicity with style.

👉 Check out Craft here

Simplenote: Lightweight, Fast, and Focused

  • Minimalist interface for distraction-free writing
  • Tag notes for easy retrieval
  • Great for quick ideas, draft writing, and code snippets
  • Syncs seamlessly across all devices
  • Free and open-source

Last but not least, if you’re overwhelmed by apps with too many features, Simplenote might be your best friend. It’s as straightforward as it gets — just write, tag, and move on. You won’t get fancy formatting or embedded media, but if you just need a clean space to write, it’s perfect.

I used Simplenote during my comps prep when I just needed a no-frills way to jot down answers to practice questions. It’s also great if you’re writing drafts of blog posts, abstracts, or even thesis intros and just need to get words out without getting distracted by formatting.

👉 Try Simplenote here

Final Thoughts: Which App Should You Choose?

There’s no one-size-fits-all note-taking app, especially in grad school. Your best option depends on how your brain works, what kind of research you’re doing, and how much mental energy you want to spend managing your notes.

  • Use Notion if you love building systems and need an all-in-one research dashboard.
  • Choose OneNote if you like mixing handwritten and typed notes.
  • Go for Evernote if you collect a lot of web resources and PDFs.
  • Try Obsidian if you’re deep into writing and want to connect ideas.
  • Pick GoodNotes if you’re an iPad user who loves annotating PDFs.
  • Stick with Google Keep if you’re capturing fast ideas or tasks.
  • Explore Craft if design matters and you need polished presentation.
  • Use Simplenote if you just want a fast, focused place to write.

Whatever you choose, make sure it fits your workflow. The best app is the one you’ll actually use. Test a few, experiment, and don’t be afraid to mix and match — I often used Notion for big projects and Keep for quick notes at the same time.

Now go ahead, install one (or three) of these apps, and start building the kind of note system that actually helps you feel in control. Trust me — your future self drowning in thesis edits will thank you.