The Best AI Note-Taking Apps in 2026
Mem is the only app picked by both Zapier and PCMag: it organizes your notes for you and has a great chatbot for asking questions about them. Evernote is best for editing with AI, and PCMag picks OneNote with Copilot for research.
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How this page was made: this is a research-based comparison built from official pricing pages, product documentation and vendor announcements. We haven’t tested these tools ourselves or run hands-on benchmarks for this page, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.
Quick answer
Mem is the only app picked by both Zapier and PCMag: it organizes your notes for you and has a great chatbot for asking questions about them. Evernote is best for editing with AI, and PCMag picks OneNote with Copilot for research. Best overall: Mem, from $12/mo. Best for editing with AI: Evernote, from $14.99/mo. Best for research: Microsoft OneNote.
Last updated Pricing checked Oct 2026
Key facts at a glance
| Pick | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Mem | a self-organizing “second brain” | Free; from $12/mo |
| Best for editing with AI | Evernote | editing with AI | Free; from $14.99/mo |
| Best for research | Microsoft OneNote | research | — |
| Best for voice notes | Reflect | voice notes and AI prompts | $10/mo (annual) |
Zapier[1] is itself an automation vendor. This page covers apps for your own notes; for apps that record and summarize meetings, see our best AI meeting note takers.
Which should you buy? Our quick picks
How do they compare?
| App | Paid from | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mem | $12/mo | Yes | A “second brain”; teams |
| Evernote | $14.99/mo | Yes | Editing with AI |
| Reflect | $10/mo billed annually | — | Voice-to-text notes; AI prompting |
| Notion | $12/mo; full AI from $24/user/mo | Yes, with a Notion AI trial | Building an AI assistant |
| Microsoft OneNote | — | — | Research with Copilot |
| Albus | $20/mo | Yes | Brainstorming |
The picks in detail
1. Mem
Best for: a self-organizing “second brain”Zapier’s[1] pick for creating a second brain and PCMag’s[2] pick for teams. Zapier praises its wide range of AI features, a great chatbot for asking questions about your notes and a proactive AI agent. PCMag notes it shows related information in a sidebar without prompting and makes sharing with teammates easy. Free plan; paid plans from $12/month. Zapier’s con: an expensive upgrade.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; from $12/mo Source
Pros
- Picked by Zapier and PCMag
- Chat with your notes
- Related info without prompting
Cons
- Expensive upgrade, per Zapier
2. Evernote
Best for: editing with AIZapier’s[1] pick for editing with AI: a good fit for anything from short notes to full documents, with plenty of views for navigating and searching and “AI that just works.” Its con: Evernote is going through a lot of changes. Free plan; paid plans from $14.99/month.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; from $14.99/mo Source
Pros
- AI that just works
- Short notes to full documents
Cons
- Going through a lot of changes
3. Microsoft OneNote
Best for: researchPCMag’s[2] pick for research. Copilot, which PCMag describes as ChatGPT-based, is built into OneNote and is most useful for information discovery, such as generating notes on a topic. Zapier[1] tested OneNote but left it off its list.
Pricing (Oct 2026): — Source
Pros
- PCMag’s pick for research
- Copilot built in
Cons
- Left off Zapier’s list
4. Reflect
Best for: voice notes and AI promptsZapier’s[1] pick for voice-to-text notes and PCMag’s[2] pick for AI prompting: Reflect is minimalist but feature-rich, with customizable prompts like “write a summary” you can save. Zapier likes that it’s very keyboard-driven, with easy backlinking and a strong privacy focus, but says its “chat with notes” feature isn’t as strong as some. $10/month billed annually.
Pricing (Oct 2026): $10/mo (annual) Source
Pros
- Voice-to-text notes
- Saved custom prompts
- Privacy and security focus
Cons
- Weaker “chat with notes”
5. Notion
Best for: building an AI assistantZapier’s[1] pick for building an AI assistant with Notion’s databases and AI features, citing flexible organization and great collaboration tools, though it may take too much work to maintain. PCMag[2] says Notion’s AI excels at answering questions about your data but rates the app 3.0 Average. Free plan with a Notion AI trial; paid from $12/month, with full AI access from $24/user/month. See Notion AI alternatives.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; full AI from $24/user/mo Source
Pros
- Flexible databases
- Great collaboration
Cons
- Can take a lot of upkeep
- PCMag is less enthusiastic than Zapier
6. Albus
Best for: brainstormingPCMag’s[2] pick for brainstorming: a colorful infinite canvas of sticky notes with images, text and video, plus a chatbot you can talk to directly. Free version; paid from $20/month.
Pricing (Oct 2026): Free; from $20/mo Source
Pros
- Infinite canvas
- Built-in chatbot
Cons
- Pricier than Mem or Reflect
Also considered
Craft: Zapier[1] suggests it as a less intensive Notion alternative with flexible AI features.
Apple Notes: Zapier tested it this year but it didn’t make the cut.
Note apps vs. meeting note takers
The apps here help you write, organize and query your own notes. If you want an AI to join calls, transcribe and summarize them, see our best AI meeting note takers and best AI transcription tools.
How to choose
If you want the AI to do the organizing, pick Mem. If you already live in Microsoft 365, OneNote with Copilot is the natural choice. If you build systems, Notion. If you think out loud, Reflect.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI note-taking app?
Does OneNote have AI?
Is Notion AI worth it?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
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