Free picks · Android
Best free note-taking apps for Android (2026)
Every pick is listed under Note-Taking in our directory, runs on Android and is completely free or has a free plan. We rank them by our rating and popularity, then favour tools made mainly for note-taking and apps built for Android.
Short answer
The best free note-taking apps for Android are Notion, Obsidian and Logseq, the top three of 18 matches in our directory. 6 of the 10 picks are completely free and the other 4 have a free plan; 4 are open source.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
At a glance
Counted from the top 10 picks, except the total.
- Matching tools
- 18
- Completely free
- 6
- Open source
- 4
- Work offline
- 5
- Native apps
- 1
Comparison table
“Free plan” means a free tier with paid upgrades. A dash in Licence means our directory does not list the tool as open source.
| # | Name | Pricing | Platforms | Licence | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notion | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows | — | One workspace for notes, docs, projects and wikis. |
| 2 | Obsidian | Free plan | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | — | Local-first markdown notes with a powerful link graph. |
| 3 | Logseq | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Open source | A privacy-first, open-source knowledge base that works on local files. |
| 4 | Joplin | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Open source | Free, open-source notes and to-dos with end-to-end encrypted sync and Evernote import. |
| 5 | Matter | Free | iOS, Android, Web | — | A powerful read-it-later app for curious minds. |
| 6 | Supernotes | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux | — | The notetaking app for connected thoughts. |
| 7 | AppFlowy | Free plan | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Open source | The open-source alternative to Notion, with docs, databases and AI you control. |
| 8 | Anytype | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | — | The local-first, privacy-focused alternative to Notion. |
| 9 | Simplenote | Free | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source | Completely free, fast notes that sync everywhere, from the makers of WordPress.com. |
| 10 | Google Keep | Free | Web, Android, iOS, Chrome | — | Instant capture for fleeting thoughts. |
Why each pick made the list
Every reason is taken from the tool's own listing: its categories, platforms, features, rating and pricing.
Our top Android pick, rated 4.7/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on Web, iOS, macOS and Windows. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud and has AI features. On our iPhone list it is number 1.
Watch out for: Can get slow with large databases
Number 2 of 10 for Android, rated 4.8/5, the highest here. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. Its listing says it works offline, syncs through the cloud and is privacy-focused. On our iPhone list it is number 2.
Watch out for: Sync costs extra
Number 3 of 10 for Android, rated 4.6/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it works offline and is privacy-focused. On our iPhone list it is number 4.
Watch out for: Steep learning curve for users unfamiliar with graph databases or block-based note-taking
Number 4 of 10 for Android, rated 4.5/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on Windows, macOS, Linux and iOS. Its listing says it works offline, syncs through the cloud and is privacy-focused. On our iPhone list it is number 6.
Watch out for: Interface is plainer than Evernote's
Number 5 of 10 for Android, rated 4.7/5. Listed mainly under Reading, it also covers note-taking. A mobile app that runs on Android, and also on iOS and Web. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud, has AI features and is easy to pick up. On our iPhone list it is number 7.
Watch out for: Discovery features can sometimes be overwhelming.
Number 6 of 10 for Android, rated 4.5/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on Web, iOS, macOS, Windows and 1 more platform. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud and is easy to pick up. On our iPhone list it is number 9.
Watch out for: May require adjustment for users accustomed to hierarchical note structures.
Number 7 of 10 for Android, rated 4.4/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it works offline, is privacy-focused and has AI features. On our iPhone list it is number 10.
Watch out for: Free cloud plan has 100 MB of storage
Number 8 of 10 for Android, rated 4.4/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. Its listing says it works offline and is privacy-focused. It is not in the iPhone top 10 (11th for iPhone).
Watch out for: Steeper learning curve due to its unique data model and flexibility
Number 9 of 10 for Android, rated 4.4/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on Web, iOS, macOS, Windows and 1 more platform. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud and is easy to pick up. It is not in the iPhone top 10 (12th for iPhone).
Watch out for: Plain text only, no rich attachments or web clipper
Number 10 of 10 for Android, rated 4.2/5. Note-Taking is its main purpose in our directory. Runs on Android, and also on Web, iOS and Chrome. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud and is easy to pick up. It is not in the iPhone top 10 (13th for iPhone).
Watch out for: Weak organisation at scale
Running these on Android
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 Android picks are 5 desktop apps (Obsidian, Logseq, Joplin, AppFlowy and 1 other), 4 web apps (Notion, Supernotes, Simplenote and Google Keep) and 1 mobile app (Matter).
- 1 of 10 are apps you install on Android; the other 9 are web or cloud tools listed for Android.
- Every Android pick here also runs somewhere else. AppFlowy reaches furthest, on 5 other platforms besides Android.
- 8 of 10 also run on a Windows PC, so the same tool can follow you between Android and Windows; Matter and Google Keep do not.
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms. Only the differences are named.
- Free note-taking apps for iPhone
7 of these 10 Android picks also make the iPhone top 10. 3 are on this list only: Anytype (11th for iPhone), Simplenote (12th for iPhone) and Google Keep (13th for iPhone). In their place the iPhone list has Bear, Mem.ai and MindNode; none of them is listed for Android.
- Free note-taking apps for Windows
8 of these 10 Android picks also make the Windows top 10; the 2 that do not are Matter and Google Keep.
- Free note-taking apps for Mac
7 of these 10 Android picks also make the Mac top 10; the 3 that do not are Matter, Simplenote and Google Keep.
More matches
8 more free note-taking apps for Android in our directory, in ranked order.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free note-taking app for Android?
- Notion is our first pick. One workspace for notes, docs, projects and wikis. Notion has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features or usage.
- Are these note-taking apps really free?
- Yes, every pick is free to start. Logseq, Joplin, Matter, Anytype and 2 others are completely free. Notion, Obsidian, Supernotes and AppFlowy have free plans with paid upgrades.
- Which of these note-taking apps are open source?
- Logseq, Joplin, AppFlowy and Simplenote are tagged open source in our directory, so you can read the code of each and, depending on the licence, self-host or modify it.
- Which ones work offline on Android?
- Obsidian, Logseq, Joplin, AppFlowy and Anytype are listed as working offline. The others need an internet connection for at least some features.
- Which are easiest for beginners?
- Matter, Supernotes and Simplenote are rated beginner-friendly, along with 1 other pick. 6 picks take more time to learn.
- How many free note-taking apps for Android are in the directory?
- 18 match: listed under Note-Taking, available on Android and free to start. This page ranks the top 10 and names up to 20 more under More matches. The Note-Taking category page has every listing, paid ones included.
Keep exploring
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