Everyone's note app wish list starts the same way: open instantly, sync everywhere, find anything. Surprisingly few manage all three for free.
Capture speed matters most
The best note app is the one you open without thinking. On a phone that means a widget or a shortcut that goes straight to a blank note. Check whether the app offers a lock-screen widget before you rely on it: without one, opening the app and finding the right note takes several extra taps every time.
Search is the tiebreaker
After a year you'll have hundreds of notes. Apps that search inside images and PDFs pull ahead here, and it's the feature we'd pay for if the free plan runs out.