When a list just writes itself: The changing world of note-taking apps
Give the apps a mission, and they populate the to-do lists themselves. Some also act as collaborative workspaces. And one brings random shower thoughts to life.
We don’t even have to make our own lists any more.
Google recently introduced a “Create a list with AI” feature within the Keep app that can do the thinking for you, at least some of the time.
Enter a prompt such as “Classic movies to watch at Christmas” or “suggest gift ideas for a 35-year-old who loves sneakers and football” and the Gemini AI model will populate the list with suggestions. One may not agree with the choices, but they usually make for a useful starting point (and a way to negotiate a glut of choices, or a total dearth of ideas).
Microsoft’s OneNote uses the Copilot AI program to do something similar: tell it to draft a plan for a dinner gathering, and a list of to-dos begins to take shape.
These are unusual USPs for note-making apps, but such USPs abound, now that AI has been driving these applications in new directions for about two years.
The significant AI infusion into iOS and iPadOS, for instance, means that these Notes apps can now refine what a user has written, fully or partially rewrite it, proofread, translate, or change the tone of the writing.
The new Image Wand feature can transform a rough sketch or doodle into a complex image that complements the notes alongside, with the AI programs refining their understanding of context as they go.
Meanwhile, Evernote, that giant once so beloved in this space, is finally leveraging AI, to intensify the flexibility and customisation that are its calling cards.
Rather than having to search notes by keyword or phrase, users of Evernote can now simply ask it to call up “all my notes from last week”, and regardless of how one classified or arranged them, they will begin to stream across the screen.
In attempts to incorporate yet more USPs, newer notes apps such as Notion, Bear, Joplin and Obsidian are positioning themselves as collaborative workspaces too. They allow users to add tags, offer advanced formatting tools and the ability to drag attachments within text.
For the record
Picking a notes app is, admittedly, more complicated as a result. Part of getting it right boils down to defining what one is looking for. Part of it will, inevitably, boil down to price.
Apple Notes is free, but the app only works within the iOS, iPadOS and iCloud environments.
Keep’s AI features require a Google One AI Premium subscription, which costs ₹1,950 a month (though it does also come with a useful Gemini layer for Gmail, Google Docs and Meet).
Microsoft’s Copilot Pro, similarly, costs ₹2,000 a month, but includes an AI layer for OneNote, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Evernote Professional costs upwards of ₹519 a month.
Notion offers team spaces, web publishing tools and integration with other software, at a monthly cost of $10 (about ₹850).
Hit the right note
One has to wonder, does it have to be this complicated?
At least for some of us, the answer is clearly an overwhelming yes.
The note-taking apps market is expected to grow from $15.46 billion in value in 2024 to $17.18 billion in 2025, and $44.51 billion by 2034, according to estimates by Market Research Future.
More offerings are expected to enter the fray. These could eventually read through a car manual and find just the information needed (imagine the implications for lawyers trying to fight a case; or a researcher trying to finish a PhD).
Essentially, the note-taking apps will likely position themselves as gateways to a world of AI functionality.
Some will likely circle back to simplicity as a USP.
The new Napkin app for instance, allows users to save stray thoughts and random ideas in the form of text or images. It also lets one point a camera at a quote or image and save, amend or add one’s notes to it. Users can later cross-reference, search, and sort their entries.
The idea is to help you discover and explore “deeper patterns in your ideas”.
A life’s notebook, but one that can actively help you fill up the page. That’s quite a leap for note-taking too.
