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7 Notability Alternatives for Mac, Ranked (2026)

Explore 7 alternatives to Notability — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

The top Notability alternatives, at a glance

Quick answer

Want the short version? The top Notability alternatives are Zoho Notebook, Milanote and Simplenote. Zoho Notebook leads with a SpotScore of 9.1 and a 4.54★ rating. See the full comparison of all 7 on score, rating, and price below.

When Notability stops earning its keep, you have options. These 7 note taking software alternatives are the ones we'd recommend first, ranked by SpotScore (real-user satisfaction and market presence combined), star ratings, and how each one prices. Editors check every entry. Skim the table, then read on for the detail.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
Zoho NotebookOrganize your thoughts effortlessly.9.1★★★★★ 4.54(45)FreeFreemiumteams of all sizes
MilanoteStreamline your note taking, effortlessly.8.9★★★★★ 4.67(36)Freefrom $9.99/mosmall & mid-size businesses
SimplenoteYour ideas, always at hand.8.7★★★★☆ 4.08(20)FreeFreemiumsmall & mid-size businesses
Microsoft OneNoteUnleash your productivity with OneNote.8.6★★★★☆ 4.47(1830)FreeFree Trial · One-time license · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
GoodNotesEffortless note-taking made simple.8.4★★★★★ 4.76(36)Freefrom $7.99teams of all sizes
AmanoteOrganize your thoughts, effortlessly.8.3★★★★★ 4.5(9)One-time license · Subscription · Quotation Basedsmall & mid-size businesses
UlyssesUnleash your creativity with distraction-free writing.—★★★★★ 4.54(23)FreeFree Trial · Freemiumsmall & mid-size businesses

9.1

SpotScore

Zoho Notebook - Note Taking Software

Zoho Notebook

Organize your thoughts effortlessly.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

4.5

45 verified reviews

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What is Zoho Notebook?

Zoho Notebook is a personal note-taking app best suited for individuals already within the Zoho ecosystem -- CRM, Mail, or Docs users -- who need a simple digital notebook for capturing ideas, lists, and tasks across devices. The free tier caps storage at 1 GB, while paid plans remove the ...

Read more about Zoho Notebook

8.9

SpotScore

Milanote - Note Taking Software

Milanote

Streamline your note taking, effortlessly.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

4.7

36 verified reviews

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What is Milanote?

Milanote is a visual workspace designed to help creative professionals organize ideas, projects, and content in an intuitive, flexible way. Built for designers, marketers, writers, agencies, and startups, it enables teams and individuals to brainstorm, plan, and collaborate visually. With ...

Read more about Milanote
Free TrialTry Free →·

Milanote offers custom pricing plan

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8.7

SpotScore

Simplenote - Note Taking Software

Simplenote

Your ideas, always at hand.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Try for Free

4.1

20 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Simplenote?

Simplenote is the easiest way to keep notes, lists, ideas and more. It's available on computers, phones and tablets.It's available wherever you are, so you can capture fleeting thoughts or write down your next big idea. With Simplenote, your notes are always with you—safe and synced across all ...

Read more about Simplenote

8.6

SpotScore

Microsoft OneNote - Note Taking Software

Microsoft OneNote

Unleash your productivity with OneNote.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

4.5

1830 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Microsoft OneNote?

Microsoft OneNote is a digital notebook used by individuals and teams in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem -- knowledge workers, students, and project teams -- who need to capture and organize notes that sync across devices and integrate with Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint. It supports free-form ...

Read more about Microsoft OneNote
Free TrialTry Free →

8.4

SpotScore

GoodNotes - Note Taking Software

GoodNotes

Effortless note-taking made simple.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

4.8

36 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is GoodNotes?

GoodNotes is the perfect app for taking hand-written notes on your iPad or iPhone. Our team created it to free users from the hassle of taking clear, legible, and reusable notes. It's helped millions of people, and Apple has even featured it in their iPad Pro videos and websites. Make GoodNotes ...

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8.3

SpotScore

Amanote - Note Taking Software

Amanote

Organize your thoughts, effortlessly.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Get Pricing Details

4.5

9 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Amanote?

Amanote is your personal note taking software. It makes it easy to capture ideas as they come to you. Amanote puts your notes in the cloud and synchronizes them across all of your devices, so you're always able to access them from anywhere.It assists making your notes neat and clear, without ...

Read more about Amanote

Amanote offers custom pricing plan

Ulysses - Note Taking Software

Ulysses

Unleash your creativity with distraction-free writing.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

4.5

23 verified reviews

Add to compare

What is Ulysses?

Introducing Ulysses - the must-have writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. This powerful tool offers a delightful writing experience, paired with efficient document management, lightning-fast syncing, and versatile export options. With Ulysses, writers of all kinds can immerse themselves in ...

Read more about Ulysses
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Notability vs its closest competitors

Across Note Taking Software, 7 products compete directly with Notability. The strongest overlap is with Zoho Notebook, Milanote and Simplenote. Each is compared against Notability on rating, pricing and feature coverage below.

Sites and apps like Notability

Searches for "sites like Notability" and "apps like Notability" land on the same shortlist as "Notability alternatives" — the 7 options below cover both, whether you want a like-for-like replacement or something lighter.

What earned each Notability alternative its spot

Zoho Notebook9.1Best for teams of all sizes

Easy to use and navigate, suitable for both personal and professional needs.

Watch for: Limited integration with external platforms like Google Drive, which could enhance file accessibility.

Milanote8.9Best for small & mid-size businesses

Milanote offers a highly visual and intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it ideal for organizing ideas, mood boards, and creative projects with ease.

Watch for: Milanote has limited integrations compared to some project management competitors, which can restrict workflow automation for larger enterprises.

Simplenote8.7Best for small & mid-size businesses

Very user-friendly with a straightforward interface, ideal for quick note-taking and sharing with collaborators.

Watch for: Lack of advanced features like template customization, reminder settings, and rich text formatting options.

Microsoft OneNote8.6Best for teams of all sizes

Integrates with Outlook and other Office 365 tools for centralized organization.

Watch for: Feature parity across platforms is inconsistent, affecting cross-device experience.

GoodNotes8.4Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface, suitable for individuals of various ages and levels of experience.

Watch for: Limited selection in the Marketplace for additional apps and connectors, restricting advanced functionalities.

Amanote8.3Best for small & mid-size businesses

Cloud synchronization across devices

Watch for: Limited advanced features

UlyssesBest for small & mid-size businesses

Distraction-free writing

Watch for: Mac/iOS only

Why teams look for a Notability alternative

Most teams that replace Notability do it to get past issues like these:

  • Limited to Apple devices
  • Subscription model may deter some
  • Can be resource-intensive

Key things to look for in a Notability alternative

Here's how these 7 note taking software alternatives stack up on the numbers: 6 offer a free tier; paid plans run $7.99–$9.99, with GoodNotes the cheapest entry point; and GoodNotes is the highest rated at 4.76★ across 36 reviews.

How we rank, in short.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Notability are GoodNotes (4.8★), Milanote (4.7★), Zoho Notebook (4.5★). Compare all 7 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Notability, prioritize: Share Link, File Sharing, Real-time Collaboration, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Notability is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend narrowing to 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

How to narrow down your Notability alternative

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — Zoho Notebook, Milanote and Simplenote let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: GoodNotes has the strongest star rating (4.76★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: Zoho Notebook has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.1) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Before you switch from Notability

To replace Notability smoothly, treat data first. Export it, confirm the new tool can import it, and check feature parity for the work you actually do. Pilot on a free tier before rolling out, and keep Notability running until everything has moved over cleanly.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].