Best Note-Taking App for Students 2026
Choosing the right note-taking apps for students requires careful evaluation of pricing models, feature sets, and scalability. The software market offers solutions ranging from free tiers to enterprise platforms costing thousands per month.
This comparison ranks the best note-taking apps platforms based on value for money, ease of implementation, and specific capabilities needed for students use cases. We've analyzed pricing structures, hidden costs, and real-world deployment experiences to help you make an informed decision.
The best note-taking app for students in 2026 is Notion because it offers a completely free Plus plan (normally $10/user/month value) for anyone with a valid .edu email address. Students get unlimited pages and blocks, 30-day page history, unlimited storage, and access to thousands of community templates for class notes, study guides, assignment tracking, and collaborative group projects. For students who prioritize complete data ownership and offline access, Obsidian provides a free forever alternative with local Markdown files.
Our Rankings
Notion
Best overall for students with free Plus plan (normally $10/user/month) via .edu email, offering unlimited pages, 30-day history, and beautiful templates for class notes, assignments, and project management
- Competitive pricing for the feature set
- User-friendly interface
- Reliable customer support
- Some advanced features on higher tiers only
Obsidian
Best for privacy-conscious students at $0 forever with complete offline access, local Markdown storage, graph view for connecting ideas, and no file upload limits (free Obsidian Sync alternative via iCloud)
- Competitive pricing for the feature set
- User-friendly interface
- Reliable customer support
- Some advanced features on higher tiers only
Logseq
Best for outliner-based study workflows at $0 with built-in PDF annotation, flashcards for spaced repetition, and daily journal features perfect for active recall and exam prep
- Competitive pricing for the feature set
- User-friendly interface
- Reliable customer support
- Some advanced features on higher tiers only
Craft
Best for Apple users prioritizing design at $0 free plan or $10/month Plus for unlimited documents, with beautiful formatting and multimedia support, but limited to Mac/iOS devices only
- Competitive pricing for the feature set
- User-friendly interface
- Reliable customer support
- Some advanced features on higher tiers only
Roam Research
Best for academic research and networked thinking at $15/month (or $8.33/month with $500 Believer plan), but expensive for students compared to free alternatives with similar bidirectional linking capabilities
- Competitive pricing for the feature set
- User-friendly interface
- Reliable customer support
- Some advanced features on higher tiers only
Evaluation Criteria
- Free Tier
Evaluation of free tier capabilities
- Mobile Access
Evaluation of mobile access capabilities
- Offline Functionality
Evaluation of offline functionality capabilities
- Multimedia Support
Evaluation of multimedia support capabilities
How We Picked These
We evaluated 10 products (last researched 2026-01-30).
Total cost including licensing, hidden fees, and implementation
Core functionality relevant to this use case
Learning curve, setup time, and interface intuitiveness
Ability to grow with organizational needs
Frequently Asked Questions
01 What's the best free note-taking app for students?
Notion is the best free note-taking app for students, offering a completely free Plus plan (worth $10/month) for anyone with a valid .edu email address. This includes unlimited pages, 30-day version history, and unlimited file uploads. Obsidian is also excellent at $0 forever with no restrictions, but requires more technical setup for syncing across devices compared to Notion's built-in cloud sync.
02 Which note-taking app works best offline for students?
Obsidian is the best offline note-taking app for students because it stores all notes locally as Markdown files on your device and works completely offline by default. Logseq also excels with local-first storage and offline functionality. Notion and Craft have limited offline capabilities and require internet connection for full functionality, making them less reliable for studying in locations without WiFi.
03 Do students get discounts on note-taking apps?
Yes, Notion offers free Plus plan access (normally $10/month) for students with valid .edu email addresses. Obsidian removed its $50/year commercial license requirement in 2025, making it completely free for students. Roam Research offers no student discount at $15/month. Craft and Logseq are free for personal use with optional paid features. Obsidian Sync offers 40% student discount ($3/month instead of $5/month).
04 What's the best note-taking app for college students with lots of PDFs?
Logseq is the best choice for students working with PDFs, offering built-in PDF annotation and highlighting capabilities at $0 forever. You can annotate lecture slides, textbooks, and research papers directly within your notes and link annotations to your knowledge base. Notion requires uploading PDFs (5MB limit on free plan, unlimited with student Plus), but lacks native annotation tools. Obsidian requires plugins for PDF annotation.
05 Which note-taking app is best for collaborative group projects?
Notion is best for student collaboration with its free Plus plan offering real-time editing, comments, mentions, and 250 guests for group projects. Multiple students can edit the same document simultaneously with excellent version history. Craft also supports real-time collaboration but is limited to Apple devices. Obsidian and Logseq are designed for individual use and lack built-in real-time collaboration features.
06 Should students use Notion or Obsidian for note-taking?
Use Notion if you want beautiful templates, easy collaboration, cloud sync, and database features for assignment tracking (free Plus with .edu email). Choose Obsidian if you prioritize complete data ownership, privacy, offline access, and bidirectional linking for building a personal knowledge base (free forever). Notion is better for project management and team collaboration; Obsidian excels at long-term knowledge management and academic research.
07 What is the average cost of note-taking apps?
Pricing varies significantly based on features and scale. Entry-level plans typically start at $4/month, while enterprise solutions can cost $30+ per month. Most organizations spend between $8-$9/month depending on their size and requirements.
08 What hidden costs should I watch for?
Common hidden costs include implementation and onboarding fees, training expenses, premium support tiers, API access charges, storage or usage overages, per-user fees beyond base limits, and integration costs with existing systems. Always request total cost of ownership estimates for year one and beyond.
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