Apple Notes Alternative: Where to Keep Notes on What You Read and Watch

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One of us scrolled back through Apple Notes and found a note from March. It had a link and one line: "This is the answer to the onboarding problem." Which problem? What did the article say? None of us could remember. The line was right when it was written. It just never came back while it still meant something.

Apple Notes didn't do anything wrong. It's a fast, reliable place to write things down. But if most of your notes are about articles, videos and books, you may want an app that keeps each note next to what it's about and brings it back later. And if you also use an Android phone or a Windows PC, you may simply want an app that runs there.

Last updated: November 9, 2026. Facts about Apple Notes come from Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27, Apple's iCloud guide and Apple Support (plus 9to5Mac for which iOS version added what); facts about other apps come from their own sites, all checked on that date. In Linko, how many resources get Key points depends on your plan; the help center has the details. We make Linko, so read this as a comparison from one side, and check anything that matters to you.

The short answer

Stay with Apple Notes if you live on Apple devices and use notes for lists, quick thoughts, scans and sketches. It does those very well.

Look at an alternative if one of these is true:

• You also use Android or Windows. Apple Notes has apps only for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Elsewhere you open it at iCloud.com in a browser. Google Keep, Notion (mobile apps) and Obsidian have Android apps; Notion and Obsidian also have Windows apps.
• You want plain files you own. Obsidian keeps your notes as Markdown files on your device.
• Your notes are about what you read and watch. Linko puts the notes you write about an article, video or book on that item's page, and brings your notes back in Daily review. It runs on the web, iPhone, iPad and Android.

What Apple Notes does well

• It's already there, and it's fast. Open it and type. With iCloud, a note shows up on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Quick Notes let you jot something down over any app.
• It holds almost anything. Checklists, tables, photos, and sketches and handwriting with Apple Pencil (Create and format notes).
• Search goes deep. It finds typed and handwritten text, text in scanned documents and objects in images (Search notes).
• Structure when you want it. Folders, tags you add with #, and Smart Folders that gather notes by tag, date and more. Type ">>" to link to another note, and in iOS 27 you can link to a section of a note (Add links).
• Audio, written down. Record in a note and it writes out what was said, in English, Chinese and several other languages. On iPhone 15 Pro and later, Apple Intelligence can summarize the recording (Record and transcribe audio).
• Some help while reading. Highlight text in Safari into a Quick Note, and the next time you visit the site, a thumbnail takes you back to the note (Quick Notes).
• Sharing. Invite people to edit a note or a whole folder with you in real time (Share and collaborate).
• Easier to leave than it used to be. Since iOS 26 you can export a note as Markdown, and iOS 27 adds Copy as Markdown (9to5Mac).

Where Apple Notes falls short for reading notes

Apple Notes is a notes app for everything. These are the edges people hit when most of their notes are about what they read and watch.

• No app outside Apple devices. On Android or Windows, you use icloud.com/notes in a browser. It works for notes stored in iCloud, but you can't add attachments there; Apple says to use the Notes app on an iPhone, iPad or Mac for that (Create notes on iCloud.com). iCloud for Windows covers photos, files, passwords, bookmarks, and calendars and contacts, but not Notes (iCloud for Windows).
• The note keeps the link, not the article. A pasted link shows as a preview, next to whatever you typed. What the article said isn't saved with it, so a note like the one from March loses its context.
• Old notes mostly wait for you. You find a note when you search, browse a folder or tag, or follow a link. Apart from the Quick Note thumbnail when you go back to the same website, nothing brings an old note back to you on its own.
• Sorting is your job. Folders, tags and Smart Folders work well if you keep them up. We didn't, and ours ended up as one long list.

What to look for in an alternative

If your notes are mostly about what you read and watch, check five things:

1. Apps on the devices you use, including the Android phone or Windows laptop, if you have one.
2. One-tap saving from your browser and from your phone's share menu.
3. Notes that stay with their source. Open an article later and see your notes on it; open a note and get back to the article.
4. A way for old notes to come back. Search helps when you remember the words. You also want to see notes you forgot you wrote.
5. A way out. Export to a format other apps can open, such as Markdown.

The alternatives

Linko: notes on what you read and watch

Save an article or video from the browser extension or your phone's share menu, or add a book by title. Each one gets its own page in Linko, with what it says and your notes on it. Articles, long posts, and YouTube and Bilibili videos also get Key points, a section-by-section read. You don't need folders: Linko files your notes into the topics that fit, and you can add your own tags, which can nest. Related notes show on each note, and Daily review brings a set of your notes back each day, usually as questions Linko makes from them.

• Runs on: the web, iPhone, iPad and Android. On a Mac, Windows or Linux computer, use it on the web; the browser extension works in Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers.
• Best for: people who write a line or two while they read and watch, across more than one interest.
• Taking it with you: on the web, export all your notes, resources and tags as a Markdown ZIP. See Privacy and export.
• Tradeoff: no desktop app, and no handwriting, scans or file attachments (notes hold text, checklists and images). The phone app keeps what's already on your phone readable and holds new notes until you're online, but search, editing existing notes and the web need a connection.

Google Keep: quick notes and lists on any phone

Keep runs on the web, Android and iPhone (Keep help). It holds notes, lists, photos, drawings and audio, with labels, colors, pins and reminders, and works offline (Google Keep). Its Chrome extension saves a page's link, text or images to Keep with a note (Chrome Web Store).

• Best for: shopping lists, to-dos and quick ideas you want on both an Android phone and an iPhone.
• Tradeoff: reading notes sit in the same stream as your lists; you sort them with labels yourself.

Notion: pages and databases you build

Notion has desktop apps for Mac and Windows, apps for iPhone and Android, and the web (Notion desktop), and its Web Clipper saves pages into Notion. You can build a reading list as a database, and teammates can comment or suggest edits (suggested edits).

• Best for: people who like to design their own system, or share it with a team.
• Tradeoff: you build the structure, and you keep it up.

Obsidian: Markdown files you keep

Obsidian runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android (download) and keeps your notes as plain Markdown files on your device. You link notes yourself, see backlinks and a graph, and add plugins (Obsidian). Its Web Clipper saves pages as Markdown in many browsers, Safari and Firefox included (Web Clipper).

• Best for: people who want plain files, linked notes and plugins.
• Tradeoff: you set it up, choose the plugins, and decide how notes connect. See Linko vs Obsidian.

Bear: Markdown notes, still on Apple

Bear is a Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad, organized with tags that can nest, with backlinks (Bear). Its Web Clipper saves a whole page or the text you highlight into Bear, in Safari, Chrome and other Chromium browsers, and Firefox (Bear Web Clipper). Bear Web is in public beta, and Bear says it has no plans for Android or Windows (Bear FAQ).

• Best for: people who like writing in Markdown and only use Apple devices.
• Tradeoff: no Android or Windows app.

Side by side

Details as of November 9, 2026, from each app's own site.

What the March note looks like in Linko

Say you read that onboarding article on your lunch break. Tap Share, choose Linko, then Add note, and type the same line. Now the note lives on the article's page, under what the article says, so whenever you open it you know which problem you meant. If one passage matters most, select it and choose Note this to quote it in a new note. See What Linko adds to a resource.

A few weeks after you save it, one day's Daily review may show you a question Linko made from that note. You think of the answer, choose Show answer, then See note. In its Related notes, you may find a line you wrote months ago from a psychology book: people keep a habit when it fits who they think they are. You didn't file either note. Maybe that's the onboarding answer: help new users feel like the kind of person who uses the app. See Daily review and Related notes.

A YouTube talk works the same way: on its page, Key points split it into sections with times, and Note this section keeps one part as a note.

When you half remember something, search with the words you have. If nothing matches, Linko looks for notes with the same meaning. Or ask: "What have I saved about onboarding?" Ask Linko answers from your notes and lists its sources under Cited.

You can still organize by hand: make tags, nest them, and link two notes yourself. Linko just doesn't ask you to do it first. See Tags and topics.

Moving your notes out of Apple Notes

• One note at a time: on iOS 26 or later, open the note, then choose Export as Markdown from the note's menu. You can also export a PDF or open the note in Pages (Export or print notes).
• Everything at once, as a copy: Apple's Data & Privacy page lets you request a copy of what you store in iCloud, notes included. Apple can't include data stored with end-to-end encryption (Apple Support).
• Into Obsidian: the official Importer plugin turns Apple Notes into Markdown files, on a Mac only. Unlock locked notes first, or they're skipped (Obsidian help).
• Into Linko: Linko can't import from other apps today. Pick the notes you still come back to, paste them in as new notes, and let Linko file them. Or start with the next article you read.

You don't have to pick one app. You can keep Apple Notes for lists and receipts, and use Linko for what you read and watch.

Who should stay with Apple Notes

• You only use Apple devices, and your notes are lists, plans, quick thoughts and scans.
• You write by hand with Apple Pencil, or you rely on audio recordings and their transcripts.
• You share notes and folders with family or coworkers who also use iPhones.
• You don't want another app or account.

If that's you, Apple Notes is a good choice, and its tags, Smart Folders and links can take it further. If your notes are mostly about what you read and watch, try Linko on the web with the next article you open.

FAQ

What is the best Apple Notes alternative for Android?

It depends on what you write. For lists and quick notes, Google Keep. For a system you design, Notion. For plain Markdown files, Obsidian. For notes on what you read and watch that come back to you, Linko. All four have Android apps.

What is the best Apple Notes alternative for Windows?

Apple has no Notes app for Windows, so you'd use icloud.com/notes in a browser. If you want an app, Notion and Obsidian have Windows apps. Linko works on the web on Windows, with its browser extension in Chrome or Edge.

Is there an Apple Notes alternative that works on every device?

Notion and Obsidian have apps for phones and computers. Google Keep and Linko both run on the web, Android and iPhone.

How do I export my Apple Notes?

On iOS 26 or later, open a note and choose Export as Markdown from its menu; you can also export a PDF. To get a copy of all your notes at once, request your data on Apple's Data & Privacy page (data stored with end-to-end encryption isn't included). On a Mac, Obsidian's Importer can turn them into Markdown files.

Can Apple Notes link notes together?

Yes. Type ">>" and the title of another note to link it, and in iOS 27 you can link to a section of a note. You make each link yourself. Linko lets you link notes too, and Related notes also shows notes Linko found a connection to.

Which notes app is best for book and article notes?

One that keeps your notes with the book or article and brings them back later. In Linko, your notes sit on the book's or article's page, and Daily review brings them back. If you mostly highlight and rarely write, a highlights app may suit you better.

Can I import my Apple Notes into Linko?

Not today. For now, paste in the notes you still use, or start with what you read next.

More comparisons: Leaving Evernote?, Linko vs Obsidian, How to take notes on articles, and Linko compared with other apps.