The note-taking tools market is projected to reach $1.35B by 2026.

When it comes to taking notes and turning them into creative output, simpler is often better.

try to not keep on switching note-taking apps too often. The shiny toy syndrome is real, and the desire to always use the “latest and greatest” will end up wasting lots of your time.

The architect. They enjoy planning, designing processes and frameworks, and need a note-taking tool that allows them to easily structure their ideas.

The gardener. They enjoy exploring, connecting various thoughts together, and need a note-taking tool that allows them to easily grow their ideas.

The librarian. They enjoy collecting, building a catalogue of resources, and need a note-taking tool that allows them to easily retrieve their ideas.

Note-taking apps for architects

Architectural note-taking apps rely on a hierarchical structure based on pages and categories. As such, they require a bit of planning to decide whether an idea deserves its own category, its own page, or just its own block of content.

Note-taking apps for gardeners

Non-linear, these apps offer bi-directional linking, allowing you to not only see what a note links to, but what notes link back to it. Some let you access both explicit and implicit links, so you can discover connections between ideas that you may have not made yourself.

Note-taking apps for librarians

American writer Sidney Sheldon: “Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination.”

There are two ways you can choose your note-taking app: based on your note-taking style, or based on your use case.

Need to store a large amount of mostly static information in order to easily retrieve it later? A library may be appropriate.

Need to brainstorm new ideas? In this case, you may want to use an app for gardeners, which is better for free thinking and creative work. These note-taking apps are particularly recommended for writers and researchers, where the goal is not to retrieve ideas, but to generate ideas.