Calculators, alarm clocks, music players and, even TV for some, smartphones have replaced almost every traditional medium. They have also made us ditch pen and paper, thanks to the powerful notes apps available on Android. Whether you want to take notes in a class or a business meeting or jot down things quickly, note-taking apps on Android let you do everything. However, most of these apps lack proper organization. While most note-taking apps provide the functionality to add tags that separate different kinds of notes, I prefer to keep them organized in folders. If you also want a notes app with folders, in this article, we have rounded up six best Android notes apps with folders. So, let’s get started.
1. Zoho Notebook
Winner of Google PlayStore’s Best App of 2017, Zoho Notebook offers simplicity and elegance in one app. The app is extremely intuitive and the first screen itself is for notebooks. That tells us how much importance is given to the ‘notebook’ feature. Since it is a note-taking app, Zoho Notebook has scrapped the term Folders used by other apps. Instead, it prefers to use the term Notebook, that gives a more classic feel.
Features:
Ability to add images, audio, and sketchCreate checklistsScan and save documentsChange note colorFormatting options such as bold, italic, lists, etcAdd notebook cover photoMove or copy notes between notebooksLock notebooks with a passwordGesturesGoogle Assistant integrationCreate notes using Android Launcher shortcuts
Availability and sync
Zoho Notebook is also available as a Mac app, an iOS app and web app that can be accessed via any browser. Currently, a Windows version of the app is not available. You can access your notes on any device, thanks to the cloud sync facility available in the Zoho Notebook app.
Price and Size
It’s free. All the features mentioned above are available for free with no advertisements either. It weighs 39MB.
2. Microsoft OneNote
From the house of Microsoft, comes the OneNote app. It lets you do everything regarding notes ranging from simple tasks such as adding images to the integration with other Microsoft apps such as Office Lens. The app not only lets you organize notes using folders but even lets you create subfolders known as Sections. The hierarchy is Notebooks – Sections – Pages. All this awesomeness comes at a price though — the app weighs around 68MB. But that’s not the only downside. It also feels laggy and slow at times. If you can do with that, the OneNote app offers amazing note organization.
Features:
Share and collaborate with othersLog in with multiple accountsSupports app shortcuts for Android 7.1+Add images, audio, web clippingsDraw and sketchScan and save documentsFormatting options such as bold, italic, lists, etcMove or copy pages (notes) between sections
Availability and Sync
OneNote app is available as a Mac app, an iOS app, Windows app, and web app. Similar to Zoho Notebook, OneNote also offers cloud sync facility.
Price and Size
The app is available for free and weighs almost 68MB.
3. Nimbus Note
Similar to the OneNote app, Nimbus Note also offers the subfolder feature. However, unlike OneNote, Nimbus Note prefers conventional names e.g. folders and subfolders. Furthermore, it offers rich note-taking features such as location-based notes and reminders, add to favorites, share note, etc.
Features:
Add images, audio, video, and documentsSave information from internet using Nimbus Note web clipperCreate checklistShare with othersSupports formattingAdd to-do lists to your notesSearch through text and imagesChange note colorCustomize folder look (Lists, cards, and custom)Supports Dark theme
Availability and Sync
Nimbus note app is available for PC, iPad, and iPhone. It’s also available as a web app and a Chrome extension. The app offers cloud and local backup both.
Price and Size
The app is available for free, however, you can only sync 100MB data every month. Each month, the cycle resets and you would be able to sync additional 100MB data. The app weighs 25MB.
4. SomNote
With just 11MB in size, SomNote is a beautiful note-taking app with a clean user interface. The app also offers color-coded folders. However, the subfolder feature is currently lacking in the app. Unlike other apps, there is no navigation drawer. So you cannot easily jump to other folders or notes and you have to go back to access other notes or folders. Moreover, the app does not support formatting options.
Features:
Color-coded foldersMultiple view modesChange fontPin lockQuick keyword searchingThemesAdd images (Lacks audio and video support)Sketch
Availability and Sync
The SomNote note app currently doesn’t have a PC version, but it is available as an online tool and has a Chrome extension as well. It’s also available on Apple app store. The app also offers cloud backup.
Price and Size
The app is available for free, however, you only get 1GB free storage to save your data. It weighs 11MB.
5. ClevNote
ClevNote is an intelligent note-taking app that offers four types of ‘clever’ lists — Bank account number, Checklist, Birthday list, and Site IDs. These clever lists make it easy to organize, save, and use the data in these lists. For instance, all your bank account numbers are saved under Bank accounts lists. When you open the list, you can easily copy a bank account number with just one tap on the Copy to clipboard button. Similarly, you can create other folders that can contain either simple text notes or any of the clever lists.
Features:
Intelligent foldersAutomatic links for phone, email address, and phone numberBirthday reminders (thanks to birthday list)Passcode lockPowerful SearchPink theme (only one is available, weird!)
Unfortunately, the app lacks the support for images, audio, and video.
Availability and Sync
The app is available on Android only, which means no sync. While the app provides Google Drive backup, the sync feature is missing.
Price and Size
The app is available for free and weighs 4.2MB only.
6. Evernote
Umm . . . no. We didn’t forget the old Evernote app. It’s the first app that everyone would suggest. Hence, we thought let’s save it as the last option on the list so that you meet a few new apps first. Evernote is a power-packed and feature-rich app that lets you organize notes and do a lot with them. You can format notes, add images and audio, sketch notes, and share and collaborate with others. However, lately, Evernote has lost the awesomeness it was once known for. It has become bloated with unnecessary features, feels heavy, free account limitations have increased considerably and sync is available for two devices only in the basic (free) account. It just doesn’t feel right, but hey, that shouldn’t stop you from checking the app in case you have never used it.
Features:
Add images, audio, video, documents, and web clippingsCreate to-do listsScan and save documentsMultiple formatting optionsPowerful Search
Availability and Sync
The app is available across all major platforms such as iOS and Windows. It offers cloud sync on all the platforms.
Price and Size
While the app is available free of cost, it comes with limitations like you can sync only 2 devices and the per-month upload limit is restricted to 60MB. It weighs 26MB.
What’s More?
Other note-taking apps such as Quip, Folder Notes, TypeNote, and Classic Notes Lite also support folders. While the Quip app supports sync, others only provide local backup. If you use some other app, do share your recommendations in comments below.
