Apple Notes and Google Keep have changed how we organize our thoughts, tasks, and ideas. From quick reminders to detailed lists and even photos or voice memos, they easily store everything in one spot.
With syncing across all your devices, your notes are always just a tap away—no more losing track of important details.
Apple Notes shines with its seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem, while Google Keep is loved for its simplicity and colorful design.
But choosing the right one among these or other note-taking apps? That’s where it gets tricky. Here’s a detailed Google Keep vs. Apple Notes breakdown to help you find your perfect digital notebook.
As a bonus, we’ll also introduce you to ClickUp’s AI Notetaker. Add it to your meetings and enjoy auto-generated transcripts, summaries, and detailed insights from your most important meetings!
Now, let’s dive into the Google Keep vs. Apple Notes faceoff! ⬇️
Apple Notes vs. Google Keep: Which Note-Taking App Wins?
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Google Keep?
Google Keep is Google’s way of making note-taking as simple and efficient as writing on a sticky note—but with more perks. You can collaborate with others on your notes, and the app also lets you add color coding, drawings, and even voice memos that you can convert to text to all your notes.
Google Keep is a handy, free notes app that is accessible through a web app or mobile device. Love doodling? The drawing tool is perfect for quick sketches or letting creativity flow.
Organize your notes by color, filter them easily, and never worry about losing them with features like archiving and recovery. It’s cloud-powered, making your notes accessible from an Android phone, iPhone, tablet, or desktop.
🧠 Fun Fact: Research has found that note-taking helps you remember things better. Instead of passively taking in information, you can be active and store information in your long-term memory.
Google Keep features
Let’s take a look at the Google Keep features that make it a great Apple Notes alternative:
Feature #1: Multiple note-taking options
Google Keep takes the boring out of note-taking with its multiple note-taking methods. From simple text entries for detailed thoughts to checklists that help you track tasks effortlessly, it adapts to your needs.
Sketch ideas on plain, ruled, or grid backgrounds, or draw over uploaded images for brainstorming. Make your doodles searchable with Keep’s AI. Snap a photo of handwritten notes, and Keep’s OCR feature will transform them into searchable text.
Record voice memos with automatic transcriptions to keep your ideas at your fingertips.
Feature #2: Organization and customization
Keep makes your Google notes neat, colorful, and easy to find. Its color-coded system lets you organize your notes visually—think red for urgent to-dos and blue for weekend plans.
Labels act like tags, grouping notes into categories such as ‘high priority’ or ‘personal,’ all notes under a label appear in one workspace.
Set colorful backgrounds or pin important notes to keep them front and center.
Feature #3: Collaboration and sharing
Google Keep makes teamwork effortless by allowing you to share notes and collaborate in real time. Add collaborators via email, and everyone gets instant access to view or edit the note, with updates syncing seamlessly for all participants.
You can also create separate lists for work and personal groups to keep everything organized and accessible.
➡️ Read More: Best Document Collaboration Software Tools
Feature #4: Search feature
Google Keep’s search feature ensures you never lose track of a note. Find all your notes, including audio memos, lists, or doodles, in seconds by filtering notes by color, keyword, label, or note type.
It’s like having a personal assistant for your ideas—type what you remember, and Keep will pull it up instantly.
Feature #5: Smart reminders
Google Keep takes reminders to the next level with smart features that ensure you never miss a beat. Whether it’s a meeting, productivity journaling, or a creative idea, Keep syncs reminders to your Google account, making them accessible in other apps across devices.
Set time-based reminders for specific deadlines or pick location-based reminders (using maps) that notify you when you arrive at a chosen spot. Creating a reminder is as simple as tapping ‘Remind Me’ and customizing it to your needs.
Feature #6: Integration with Google services
Google Keep integrates effortlessly with Google Workspace, making it easy to access notes in Gmail accounts, Google Docs, and Google Calendar.
Export notes to Google Docs with a click or set reminders that sync directly to your calendar. Need transcriptions? Keep automatically converting your audio notes into text. Plus, with the sidebar in almost all Google apps, your notes are always just a click away.
Google Keep pricing
- Free
💡 Quick Hacks: Here are some hacks for smarter note-taking:
- Keep each note focused on a single topic. It’s easier to find later and prevents info overload
- Break down long paragraphs into bullet points. It keeps things short and sweet and makes reading faster
- Don’t overcomplicate your notes with unnecessary details
- When an idea strikes, don’t wait to type. Record a voice memo and transcribe it later
- Use note-taking templates to make the process faster and more efficient
➡️ Read More: Guide to Knowledge Management System [Types & Use Cases]
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Apple Notes?
Apple Notes is your all-in-one digital notebook, seamlessly integrated into every iOS device. It’s perfect for capturing quick ideas, creating detailed to-do lists, or sketching plans.
With effortless syncing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, start a note on one device and pick it up on another without losing momentum. Your notes are also secured through a device PIN code, a custom password, a Face ID, or a Touch ID.
Organizing your notes and keeping track of tasks is simple, thanks to folders, tags, and smart search features. Plus, you can attach photos, save scanned PDFs, or write down text in your notes easily on Apple Notes.
Collaboration is a breeze, too, allowing real-time sharing and editing with up to 100 people—perfect for team projects or trip planning. 🤝
Apple Notes features
Apple Notes offers impressive features, making it a good alternative to Google Keep. Let’s take a look:
Feature #1: Smart search
With its advanced search capabilities, Apple Notes makes finding your previously created or recent notes a breeze. The app dives deep into your text, attachments, scanned documents, and doodles to bring up accurate results in seconds.
Have an image-heavy note? No problem—Apple Notes also recognizes image content, making locating specific visuals easy. The ‘Find in Note’ option takes things further, pinpointing exact words or phrases within individual notes.
Feature #2: Enrich notes with attachments
Apple Notes’ attachment feature transforms simple notes into dynamic information hubs. Add photos, videos, scanned documents, or even your location to provide deeper context to your ideas.
For a hands-free touch, record and transcribe audio directly in the app.
Feature #3: Organize with smart folders
Apple Notes’ intelligent folders automatically group your notes based on tags, making it easy to find everything in one place without manual sorting.
Add tags like #work, #recipes, or #ideas directly in your notes, and watch them neatly sort themselves into their respective folders.
Feature #4: Draw, scribble, solve
Apple Notes turns note-taking into an art form—literally. Sketch out your ideas using pencils, markers, or a palette of colors. Adjust thickness and opacity to perfect every detail.
Use Apple Pencil to write handwritten notes that flow seamlessly into the app, with the Scribble feature instantly converting them into clear, typed text. For math whizzes, Apple Notes is a handy tool for solving equations, plotting graphs, assigning variables, and even accessing a history of calculations.
Feature #5: Link to other notes
Apple Notes allows you to weave your ideas together with its note-linking feature. Seamlessly link one note to another using the Add Link option and enter the note’s title, creating an interconnected web of your thoughts, references, or projects.
Apple Notes pricing
- Free
🔍 Did You Know? Adding sketches to your notes significantly impacts your learning, says research. Drawing improves your memory and helps you remember information better.
➡️ Read More: How to Use the Mind Map Note-Taking Method
Summarize this article for me pleaseGoogle Keep vs. Apple Notes: Features Compared
Let’s see which tool wins in the face-off of Apple Notes vs. Google Keep.
Feature #1: Note-taking
How an app handles notes makes all the difference in your note-taking experience. Let’s see which app does it better.
Google Keep
Google Keep is all about simplicity. It supports plain text, checklists, voice memos, and quick doodles. Text formatting, such as bold, italics, underline, and heading style, is available only on Android devices.
Notes feel like sticky notes you’d slap on your fridge—straightforward, functional, and easy to manage. It’s perfect for jotting down quick thoughts or to-dos on the go.
Apple Notes
Apple Notes is a powerhouse for note-taking. It supports tables, bullet points, headings, and rich text formatting like bold, italics, and highlights. It lets you create checklists, embed links, draw sketches, and even scan documents with the app.
The Scribble feature transforms handwritten notes into typed text, and Apple Intelligence adds an extra layer by proofreading, summarizing, or rephrasing text. Plus, it syncs seamlessly across your Apple devices for anytime access.
🏅 Winner: Apple Notes wins this round for its advanced formatting tools and features.
Feature #2: Search feature
A good search feature ensures you never lose track of important notes, no matter how many you’ve created.
Google Keep
Google Keep’s search is simple yet effective. It filters notes by keywords, labels, colors, and note types like images, lists, or audio. Besides, the interface is clean, and it’s easy to locate specific content.
Apple Notes
Apple Notes goes a step further with its powerful search. It scans keywords, images, attachments, scanned documents, and even handwriting or scribbles. The ‘Find in Note’ option helps you dig through longer notes.
🏅 Winner: Apple Notes reigns this round here due to its ability to search across diverse content, including handwritten notes and images.
Feature #3: Organization and customization
Staying organized and personalizing your notes is key to a stress-free note-taking experience. Let’s check which tools provide a better option.
Google Keep
Google Keep focuses on simplicity with its color-coded notes and labels. Colors help visually separate tasks, while labels group related notes together for easy retrieval. However, customization options are limited to these features, making the app basic.
Apple Notes
The Apple Notes app offers more depth in organization and customization. Folders and Smart Folders allow automatic categorization using tags. Customization includes formatting tools like bold, italics, and highlights, checklist options, doodles, and syncing across devices for extra convenience.
🏅 Winner: Apple Notes is the winner for offering richer organization tools. It also provides a higher level of customization that caters to more detailed note-taking needs.
Feature #4: Ability to add attachments
Adding attachments helps transform all the notes into a comprehensive resource.
Google Keep
Google Keep enhances your personal or meeting notes by adding images, drawings, and voice memos. While simple and effective, its attachment options are fairly basic.
Apple Notes
Apple Notes goes the extra mile by supporting a wide variety of attachments. It allows you to add photos, videos, scanned documents, links, locations, and your signature. The app also allows you to scan directly from the Notes interface, making it incredibly convenient. For audio lovers, it includes transcription alongside recording.
🏅 Winner: The crown goes to Apple Notes, thanks to its expansive attachment options.
Feature #5: Accessibility
A great note-taking app isn’t just functional—it should be accessible and easy to use for everyone, regardless of their device or situation.
Google Keep
Google Keep shines with its cross-platform availability. Your notes are always within reach whether you’re on iOS, Android, or a web browser.
Apple Notes
The Notes app excels within the Apple ecosystem, offering seamless syncing between iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. However, it’s limited to Apple devices.
🏅 Winner: Google Keep leads with its wider accessibility across different devices and operating systems.
Feature #6: Collaboration and sharing
Sharing and collaborating on notes in real-time is essential for productivity, especially when working with teams or family members.
Google Keep
Google Keep allows users to share notes with others via email, enabling real-time collaboration on tasks, lists, and ideas.
Apple Notes
The Apple Notes app also supports collaborative sharing, allowing users to invite others to view or edit notes. The app supports real-time updates, making it perfect for team efforts or sharing grocery lists with family.
🏅 Winner: Though Apple Notes deserves special mention for better integration within the Apple ecosystem, Google Keep wins for broader collaboration across multiple platforms.
➡️ Read More: Free Task Management Templates in ClickUp & Excel
Summarize this article for me pleaseGoogle Keep vs. Apple Notes on Reddit
We visited Reddit to see what people think of the debate on Apple Notes vs. Google Keep. Many agreed that while both apps are good for quick note-taking, the Notes app offers more options and depth.
One user said,
Another user mentioned that using Google Keep with Google Docs may do the trick.
Some users agree that Google Keep’s integration with Google services and accessibility across platforms makes it a strong contender.
One user says,
➡️ Read More: Best Free Project Management Software: Tools to Try
Summarize this article for me pleaseMeet ClickUp—The Best Alternative to Google Keep vs. Apple Notes
Looking for a more comprehensive note-taking and task-management solution? ClickUp is your answer.
Unlike Google Keep and Apple Notes, which focus mainly on basic note-taking, ClickUp brings a wealth of features to the table. It’s the everything app for work: from project management to note-taking, is why it’s also called the second brain.
Besides, ClickUp’s collaboration tools and 1,000+ integrations make it ideal for teams, allowing you to share notes, assign tasks, and track progress in real-time. With features like ClickUp Knowledge Management, you can capture, organize, and retrieve information efficiently.
Let’s explore how ClickUp enhances your note-taking experience:
ClickUp’s One Up #1: ClickUp Docs
ClickUp Docs brings your digital note-taking to the next level. Docs has it all, whether you’re crafting wikis, creating task-linked notes, or designing project plans.
Need tables? Check. Formatting options galore? Absolutely. Plus, with nested pages and the ability to embed bookmarks, organize your content exactly how you need it. ClickUp Docs doesn’t stop at organization—it excels at collaboration. Real-time teamwork helps you leave comments, tag team members, and assign action items without missing a beat.
Its Focus Mode ensures you stay undisturbed while working on your tasks. And when it’s time to share, managing privacy is easy with shareable links and access control. 🔒
ClickUp’s One Up #2: ClickUp Brain
ClickUp Brain brings AI-driven efficiency to your note-taking. Writing assistance with built-in spell check to transcribe audio into text makes the process faster and more accurate.
Edit, proofread, and summarize directly in Docs for a smoother experience. Pre-structured tables, headers, and other formatting options easily organize your notes.
For those who need to manage notes in multiple languages, ClickUp Brain translates your content in seconds. And if you’re attending meetings, it has got you covered for efficient note-taking.
➡️ Read More: Ditch the Pen & Paper: How to Use AI for Meeting Notes
ClickUp’s One Up #3: ClickUp Notepad
ClickUp Notepad is the ultimate tool for jotting down quick thoughts, ideas, and to-dos in a flash. With an easy-to-use interface, it’s designed for fast, on-the-go note-taking.
You don’t have to worry about losing your notes; Docs save and sync notes automatically across all your devices. Notepad also integrates with ClickUp’s task management system, so turning your notes into actionable items is as simple as clicking a button.
ClickUp’s One Up #4: ClickUp AI Notetaker
That’s not all. Note-taking becomes 10X more powerful with ClickUp’s AI Notetaker—a tool built to turn the mess after meetings into clear, actionable insights.
Here’s how it helps:
- Ensures that every decision made is captured and can be shared easily with anyone—whether they were in the room or not
- Captures action items and assigns them to the right people
- Connects every discussion to relevant tasks, and files while providing full context—so your team can move forward without needing to rehash the past
ClickUp’s One Up #5: ClickUp MindMaps
With ClickUp Mind Maps, you can visually organize ideas and information in a creative, easy-to-understand format, perfect for brainstorming and note-taking.
Here’s all that you can do with it:
- Quickly create, edit, and delete tasks (and subtasks) in Task Mode
- Create in Blank mode where nodes don’t have to connect to any task structure—freeform mind mapping at its best
- Drag branches to adjust where nodes are located and organize them into logical paths
- Share your Mind Maps with anyone outside your Workspace to keep everyone up to date on how your project is progressing and more
Finally, the ClickUp Tasks feature helps you turn your notes into actionable to-dos, ensuring you never miss a step.
Summarize this article for me pleaseElevating Your Notes With ClickUp
Google Keep and Apple Notes both serve their purpose for quick note-taking and simple organization.
Keep’s straightforward design and Apple Notes’ seamless integration within the Apple ecosystem are ideal for basic, individual use.
However, ClickUp elevates note-taking with its comprehensive features.
From task management integration to advanced collaboration tools and AI-powered note assistance, ClickUp helps you write ideas and transform them into actionable plans.
Sign up for free today!
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
