Apple Notes serves as the default note-taking app on the iPhone, it boasts simplicity and can even scan your documents. However, its formatting capabilities are somewhat limited, and it lacks template options. Luckily, if Apple Notes falls short of your needs, there are some cool alternatives you can try.

Stashpad

If you often have "lightbulb" moments or need to note things down as they come to you, Stashpad's design is the perfect choice.

Stashpad prides itself in being an articulate, organized, and thorough note-taking app that caters to busy, heavy-thinkers who love to keep notes.

While Apple Notes does a decent job handling basic note-taking needs, Stashpad emerges as the best alternative for developers and other technical professionals. It has a chat-like interface, so it simulates sending messages to yourself but in a more organized way and features a robust Search function that can quickly find anything you have previously entered into your notes.

Stashpad offers free and paid subscriptions available on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. It's worth noting that to sync your account across multiple devices, you'll need to opt for the paid subscription priced at $8/month. And while the free subscription caps your usage at 50 notes, the paid plan guarantees you unlimited notes.

Craft

Similar to Apple Notes, Craft is available on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac and will sync between these devices seamlessly. In fact, right off the bat, you'll notice that Craft's UI appears deceptively simple, another similarity it shares with Apple Notes. But feature-wise, Craft is miles ahead of Apple Notes. This and its simple UI make it a personal favorite on this list.

Craft gives you access to customizable templates, and you can import or create images and tables. A particularly unique feature is that you can create notes within notes and link them for seamless access. It also has a feature called Spaces that lets you collaborate with others in real-time and export notes in several formats, including Word (DOCX), PDF, and Markdown.

Craft offers a free and paid subscription. The free plan covers most Craft features and works well for individual use. However, you're limited to 1 GB of space on the free plan. So, if you need more space, you'll need to upgrade to the pro version, which costs $4.99 monthly.

Notion

Notion is known for being more than just a note-taking app. You can create notes, documents, databases, to-do lists, and more within a single workspace. This unparalleled versatility is what makes it a great alternative to Apple Notes.

With Notion, you have a lot of flexibility to customize your space to suit your needs. You can easily embed multimedia in your notes and share documents and databases with others.

Additionally, you can mention teammates, assign tasks, leave feedback, and collaborate on projects in real time. To improve your workflow, you can even sync Notion with various third-party apps and services, like Google Drive and Slack.

On Notion's free plan, you get unlimited pages and all the basic functions. But if you want unlimited file uploads, unlimited guests, and access to your version history past 30 days, you'll need to upgrade to personal pro, which costs $10/month for a subscription.

Evernote

Evernote stands out as a widely favored app for taking notes. With Evernote, you can craft and systematically arrange notes, including everything from images and attachments to audio recordings and handwritten scribbles. But what really sets it apart from Apple Notes is its smooth transition feature, easily transforming your notes into a slick presentation.

Additionally, Evernote features a handy web clipper browser extension that can swiftly capture and save various web content, such as articles, images, and entire web pages, directly into your Evernote account for later use. The app's robust search functionality makes it easy to locate notes swiftly by searching through keywords, tags, dates, or even text embedded within images and scanned documents.

Other notable features include access to your notes offline, seamless synchronization across different platforms, document scanning capabilities, and integrations with third-party applications. Evernote also enhances teamwork with its real-time collaboration feature, making it incredibly simple to share your notes and collaborate with your team members effortlessly.

It's worth mentioning that though Evernote is a great alternative to Apple Notes, it's not without its drawbacks. The free version of the note-taking app is quite limiting. You can only sync Evernote on two devices, including the web version. This means if you have synced Evernote on your iPhone and Mac, you won't be able to sync with your tablet or even the web version. Also, there's no offline access, so if you have no service, you won't be able to access your notes. That's why many users seek out Evernote alternatives.

Finally, Evernote's paid subscription is also the most expensive on this list at $14.99/month. For some note-takers, it may be difficult to justify spending $180 a year just to unlock features like offline access to notes, 10GB worth of uploads, custom templates, and more.

Google Keep

Google Keep is the popular choice for Android, but unlike Apple's Notes, it is not exclusive to any device. The application is an all-rounder that does not particularly excel in one area as other alternatives on this list do. Its appeal is that it is a part of Google's Workspace, which allows you to sync it with other G-Suite apps seamlessly.

For instance, you can link Google Keep with Google Calendar to set reminders for your notes that relate to specific dates and times. You can also set location-based reminders that pop up once you get there and automatically transcribe voice memos to text.

Google Keep accommodates all sorts of media you may want to add. Its customization features can also give your notes a more exciting outlook with its rich text formatting.

As part of Google's Workspace, the application uses your account's free storage space to ensure your notes are saved on the cloud. The Google Keep application is available on both Android and iOS devices. However, the app's availability does not extend to macOS. This means if you use a Mac, you can only access it via a web browser.

The best part is Google Keep remains completely free. However, due to Google's habit of discontinuing some of its products, it's worth thinking about before choosing it as your primary note-taking app.

Bear

Bear stands out as an elegantly designed note-taking application, boasting a sleek and minimalist interface that is a joy to use. It features Markdown formatting, a feature missing in Apple Notes, that seamlessly integrates into your writing.

The application enables a seamless connection between your notes, allowing you to link and reference related pieces of content effortlessly. Additionally, Bear offers integration with Siri, providing the convenience of voice commands and the ability to automate various note-taking tasks.

Also adding to its appeal is its customization options, letting you tailor the app's appearance to suit your preferences with a variety of themes. It is readily available across different Apple devices, such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs, ensuring a smooth and continuous experience as you sync your notes across platforms.

It's worth noting, however, that to unlock the full potential of Bear and access most of its features, a subscription is required at a cost of $3.49 per month. Investing in this premium version of the app ensures that you can take full advantage of all it has to offer.

Choose the Right Note-Taking App for Your Needs

Depending on your specific needs, one of these apps or a combination of a couple of different ones can give you all the features of your Apple Notes with more productivity and efficiency. So feel free to explore beyond what many will describe as Apple's limited note-taking app.