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The 10 Best Meeting Notes Apps

Jannik Lindner
Jannik Lindner
  • Last Updated: November 27, 2023

The 10 Best Meeting Notes Apps provide features such as audio recording, real-time collaboration, task management, integration with other platforms, and auto-transcription to streamline the note-taking process during meetings.

Learn more about our top picks for: Meeting Notes App

A Meeting Notes App is a digital tool used for capturing, organizing, and recalling information discussed during meetings. It simplifies the process of note-taking and makes the shared contents accessible to all meeting participants. The app may include features such as real-time collaboration, audio recording, task assignments, and integration with calendars or other productivity tools. This enhances communication and helps teams stay aligned on tasks, decisions, and deadlines post-meeting. These apps are essential for businesses and can boost productivity by enabling easy tracking of action items and ensuring that no important details are lost or forgotten.

The Best Products

Our Recommendations: Meeting Notes App

  1. Microsoft OneNote
  2. Evernote
  3. Google Keep
  4. Notion
  5. Zoho Notebook
  6. Apple Notes
  7. Bear
  8. Quip
  9. Dropbox Paper
  10. Slack

Pick #1

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is a comprehensive digital notebook application designed to facilitate efficient note-taking, information gathering, and multi-user collaboration. As a Meeting Notes App, it is particularly useful for structuring and organizing meeting minutes, agendas, and action items in a searchable format that can be easily shared among participants. OneNote comes with features like real-time note-taking, content embedding, notebook syncing across devices and integration with other Microsoft Office Suite products, making it a powerful tool for managing and documenting meetings in professional settings. Its ability to categorize notes into sections and pages adds to its robust utility in meeting management.

Integration with Microsoft Office Suite: OneNote flawlessly integrates with other applications in the Microsoft Office Suite, such as Outlook. Users can schedule meetings in Outlook and send minutes directly to OneNote.
Real-time Collaboration: OneNote allows multiple users to access and work on the same file simultaneously. This conveniently facilitates real-time collaboration during or after the meeting with updated inputs from all the attendees.
Organized Layout: OneNote's intuitive layout allows users to create different sections and pages within each notebook, which facilitates easy organization of meeting notes by topic, date or any other preferred schema.
Audio and Video Recording: OneNote supports audio and video recording which can be highly useful during meetings. This allows users to review points of discussion in the meeting verbatim, ensuring no point is left undocumented.
Search and Tagging Function: OneNote's comprehensive search function allows users to quickly find specific meeting notes. Additionally, tagging enables users to mark significant portions of the text for easy referencing later.
Limited integration with non-Microsoft apps - While OneNote integrates well with other Microsoft applications, it doesn't smoothly sync with many other third-party apps and services, which might pose a problem for people who use other productivity tools.
Difficult navigation - It's easy to get lost in multiple tabs and pages in OneNote. The hierarchical structure is not intuitive, which makes it challenging to locate specific pieces of information, especially while managing a complex meeting.
Lack of real-time collaborative editing - Although OneNote allows multiple users to access a document at the same time, it doesn't support real-time collaboration as efficiently as some other note-taking apps. This can cause confusion during meeting note synchronisation.
No built-in reminder or notification - OneNote doesn't have a built-in reminder or notification capability, which means users can forget to follow up on important notes or action items from meetings if they don't manually set reminders elsewhere.
Limited tagging system - Unlike some other note-taking applications, OneNote lacks a robust tagging system, making it difficult to organize meeting notes for easily searchable categorizations later.
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Pick #2

Evernote

Evernote is a versatile and robust meeting notes application that allows users to capture, organize, and access information across multiple platforms. It provides an easy-to-use platform for creating meeting agendas, taking detailed notes, setting reminders, and saving information in a variety of formats such as text, images, audio, and PDFs. Evernote supports real-time collaboration, enabling team members to work together seamlessly. Its efficient search capabilities, tag and labeling system provide an organized environment to manage meeting notes effectively. Its availability on multiple devices makes it a portable solution for individuals and teams despite their location.

Efficient Organization - Evernote allows you to store all your meeting notes in one place and organize them based on custom tags and notebooks, enabling easy retrieval.
Multi-platform Access - Evernote has reliable synchronization ability across all platforms (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web), therefore any changes in your meeting notes are instantly updated, providing seamless access.
Document Scanning and Annotation - The app lets you capture and attach images or documents to your meeting notes. Additionally, it supports annotation of these files within the app.
Collaboration - Sharing of notebooks with team members, clients, or other stakeholders for collaborative note taking is another benefit. This helps in real-time sharing of meeting outcomes, minutes, or action points.
Integration with other Tools - Evernote seamlessly integrates with other popular productivity tools such as Google Drive, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, enabling you to pool all meeting-related resources in one location.
Evernote does not have real-time collaboration making it hard for team members to collaborate on the same note simultaneously during a meeting, It lacks a built-in calendar which means you can't directly link your meeting notes to specific dates or events, Evernote does not offer audio recording features in all its versions. Without in-app audio recording, creating real-time verbal records of meetings can be challenging, It does not have native minute templates, you have to create your own or bring a customized one which can be time-consuming, There's no direct presentation mode, so if you wanted to present your notes in a meeting visually, you’d need to export them to a different tool.
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Pick #3

Google Keep

Google Keep is a note-taking service developed by Google that offers a variety of tools for taking notes, including text, lists, images, and audio. As a Meeting Notes App, Google Keep allows users to quickly jot down important points, to-dos, and ideas during meetings. Plus, all notes are automatically synced across all devices that are signed into your Google account, ensuring they’re accessible anywhere. It supports collaboration, meaning you can share your notes with others, and they can edit in real-time, facilitiating effective meeting management and follow-ups. To aid in organizing these notes, users can also utilize features like color-coding and labels.

Real-Time Collaboration: In Google Keep, multiple users can access and edit notes simultaneously. This is handy during meetings, as notes can be updated in real time and everyone stays synced.
Voice-to-Text Feature: Its voice memo feature can record and automatically transcribe spoken notes. If you're behind the wheel or want to capture verbal discussions during meetings, this can be extremely helpful.
Seamless Integration with Google Suite: Google Keep integrates well with Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Calendar. You can directly import your notes to a Google Docs file or refer to them while using other Google applications, simplifying your workflow.
Labeling, Color-Coding, and Pinning Features: Google Keep allows you to categorize your notes effectively using labels for easier search and retrieval. Also, notes can be color-coded for visual organization. Plus, important meeting notes can be pinned at the top for quick access.
Reminders and Notification: Google Keep allows setting reminders for specific notes. If you have post-meeting tasks or follow-ups, you can set a reminder right inside your notes, ensuring you never forget a critical assignment.
Limited organizational features: Google Keep does not provide the same categorization or hierarchical organization offered by other meeting notes applications. This makes it difficult to sort or find specific notes.
Absence of robust text formatting: Google Keep has very basic text formatting options. For complex meeting notes that require advanced formatting like tables, different fonts, or different font sizes, Google Keep might not be a suitable option.
Absence of collaborative features: Google Keep does not have real-time collaborative features commonly found in other note-taking apps. This limits its usefulness particularly during meetings where multiple people may need to interject and add new ideas simultaneously.
Exclusion of advanced features: Google Keep lacks some advanced features like version history, the ability to track changes made to the notes, and the feature to restore to a previous version of the notes, which could be crucial for meeting notes.
Limited integration with other platforms: Google Keep doesn’t integrate with many third-party apps. If your team uses a tool other than the Google Workspace products (formerly G Suite), you might find it harder to integrate Google Keep into your existing workflow.

Pick #4

Notion

Notion is a versatile productivity application that features a Meeting Notes component, among numerous other functions. As a Meeting Notes App, Notion provides tools to document, organize, and navigate through meeting minutes with ease. Users can create structured notes, assign action items, set reminders, and even link to other pages or documents within the platform. Its collaborative features also allow team members to edit or comment on the same document simultaneously, enhancing real-time, shared understanding and productivity. Moreover, its ability to integrate with other software makes it a powerful utility in managing collaborative work and project management tasks.

Notion's hierarchical page structure allows users to neatly organize different meetings under different projects or categories, providing an easily navigable structure for keeping track of past meetings.
Notion's unique "block" system allows for a variety of content - text, images, videos, embedded files, tables, and much more can be included in meeting notes. This allows comprehensive documentation of the meetings.
Notion's collaborate feature enables real-time collaborative editing. This makes it extremely suitable for team meetings where multiple team members can contribute to the notes simultaneously.
Notion also provides options for adding reminders and to-do lists directly in the meeting notes, turning action items from the meeting into immediate tasks within the same platform.
With Notion, users can hyperlink to other pages or blocks within the app. This means they can link previous meetings' notes, related projects or assignments, thus creating a network of related data-points, exceptional for project tracking and historical referencing.
Limited offline access: Notion does not work well without a strong and steady internet connection. This limitation makes it difficult to access meeting notes if you are in places with poor internet connectivity,
Learning curve: Notion features a non-traditional, block-based interface that might be overwhelming for people new to the platform. This can increase the time taken to become proficient and create efficient meeting notes,
Lack of integration: While Notion integrates with a handful of other apps, it doesn't feature an extensive array of integrations like some other tools. This might limit the seamless exchange of information between Notion and other applications,
No native audio recording feature: Notion does not support audio recordings within its interface. Users cannot directly record audio notes or minutes, which can be a handicap for a Meeting Notes app, No real-time collaboration: Notion does not support real-time collaboration effectively. It sometimes takes a few minutes for the changes to reflect on other users' screens. This can create confusion when multiple people are working on meeting notes simultaneously.
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Pick #5

Zoho Notebook

Zoho Notebook is a highly efficient note-taking app primarily utilized for organizing and managing information during meetings. It allows users to create pages of notes, consisting of text, image or audio, which they can easily categorize into various notebooks for different projects or meetings. These notebooks can be synced across multiple devices, ensuring accessibility from anywhere. Zoho Notebook’s interface is user-friendly and visually appealing, making it a suitable choice for keeping track of essential points discussed during meetings, thus enhancing productivity and collaboration among teams.

Advanced Note-Taking Tools: Zoho Notebook offers a variety of note-taking tools including text, image, audio, video, sketch, and more, which can capture different aspects of a meeting comprehensively. Multi-Device Sync: Zoho Notebook ensures that meeting notes are always available across all devices. Meeting notes saved on a mobile device will reflect on the web app and vice versa, facilitating seamless access. Smart Cards Concept: Zoho Notebook organizes notes in the form of notebooks and smart cards making it easier for users to categorize different notes according to different meetings or projects. Collaboration Features: Zoho Notebook supports sharing of individual notes or entire notebooks with others, which is ideal for disseminating meeting notes among participants. Integration With Other Zoho Apps: If a company already uses other Zoho products such as Zoho CRM or Zoho Projects, Zoho Notebook can be conveniently linked with these apps to keep all the business operations synched.
Limited Collaboration Features - Zoho Notebook does not support real-time collaboration. This can be a setback when it is used as a meeting notes app where multiple users need to update or access the information at the same time.
No In-built Audio/Video Recording Features - Meeting notes often require the support of audio or video recording for efficient note-taking, a feature that Zoho Notebook lacks.
Restrictive Organizational Structure - Zoho Notebook uses a particular structure (notebooks, notes, and cards) that can be limiting for meetings where more flexible categorization and structuring of notes are necessary.
No Integration with Project Management Tools - For someone who uses comprehensive project management tools, the lack of integration can be a big disadvantage.
Limited Formatting Options - Zoho Notebook has limited formatting options for note making, which might not cater to the diverse needs of taking meeting notes.
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Pick #6

Apple Notes

Apple Notes is a digital notetaking app available on Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. As a Meeting Notes App, it allows users to quickly jot down important points, create lists, and even add attachments like photos, scanned documents, or drawings during meetings. Much of its appeal lies in its simplicity, intuitive user-interface, and synchronization across Apple devices via iCloud. Its sharing functionalities also enable collaboration, making it easier to disseminate meeting minutes or action items. Although it may not have robust organization features like some dedicated meeting notes apps, it’s efficient for quick, straightforward note-taking during meetings.

Seamless Integration with Apple Ecosystem: Apple Notes syncs perfectly with other Apple devices, be it an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. The data is automatically updated across devices when entered on one. This makes it easy to access and edit notes wherever you are, as long as you're using an Apple device.
Real-Time Collaboration: Users can invite others to view and collaborate on the notes, making it an excellent tool for sharing meeting notes, action points, and follow-up tasks. This feature enhances team collaboration and reduces the scope for miscommunication.
Rich Text Formatting: Apple Notes supports rich text formatting. You can add headings, bullet points, checklists, and tables, making your notes more organized and easy to understand during or after a meeting.
Integration with Siri: You can use Siri to create a new note, add to an existing note, or search for a note. This hands-free, voice-activated functionality can be invaluable in a meeting setting where typing may not always be possible or efficient.
Easy Attachment of Media Files: Apple Notes allows you to easily attach photos, videos, or document files to your notes. This feature could prove useful in a meeting context where visual aids or additional documents may need to be referenced.,
Apple Notes doesn't support real-time collaborative editing, which is usually essential for meeting note applications for capturing inputs from multiple participants simultaneously.
It lacks advanced formatting tools that are typically found in dedicated note-taking and meeting apps, such as bullet points, numbered lists, and indentation.
There is no built-in task management system in Apple Notes, hence it cannot support action points or follow-up tasks directly from the meeting notes.
It has limited organization capabilities as it only supports a basic folder structure, meaning it can be difficult to manage and sort a high volume of notes from various meetings.
It lacks out of the box integration with calendar applications, meaning meeting notes cannot be attached directly to calendar events such as meeting appointments.
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Pick #7

Bear

Bear is a flexible, intuitive, and streamlined meeting notes application designed to enhance productivity and organization. It allows users to create and manage notes, tasks, reminders, and more all in one place. Featuring a markdown editor, Bear supports sophisticated formatting options including lists, headers, links, and code blocks, and has powerful search functionalities and tagging systems to easily locate your information. Moreover, it seamlessly syncs across devices enabling users to access and work on their content anywhere. Overall, Bear provides an exceptional tool for handling meeting notes, offering a seamless balance between in-depth features and simplicity.

Advanced Markup Editor: Bear uses a markup editor that supports over 20 programming languages. This can be very beneficial when you need to share codes or technical issues discussed in the meeting.
Organizational Structure: The app’s simple organizational structure, which uses tags and pinning, helps to categorize and prioritize meeting notes. It allows for easy and quick reference especially in a scenario where lots of meetings are being held.
Cross-Device Sync: Bear offers seamless syncing between devices. This means meeting notes can be accessed and edited from anywhere, on any device, which is very convenient for teams with remote members or those on the move.
Seamless Attachment Integration: Bear allows you to add files -- from images to PDFs directly into your notes. This feature greatly enhances the way materials referenced in meetings are consolidated and accessed.
Exporting Options: Bear provides a range of exporting options. It allows to export notes to various formats like PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG, etc. which gives flexibility when you need to share those notes with others or preserve them in a specific format.
Limited Formatting Tools - Bear lacks more advanced features like tables, charts, and drawing tools, which might be essential for keeping comprehensive meeting notes.
No Collaboration Features - Bear doesn't allow multiple users to collaborate on the same note making it less ideal for team meetings where collaborative input on notes is necessary.
Apple Ecosystem Restriction - Bear is designed mainly for Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac). Those who use Android, Windows or web browsers are left without native apps which inhibits cross-platform usage.
Lack of Direct Integration - There is no direct integration with other productivity apps like calendars, tasks or project management tools. This makes managing and coordinating meeting notes a bit more complicated.
Absence of Audio Recording - Bear does not support audio recording. In a meeting notes app, this can be a major missing feature as being able to record audio could offer several benefits in meetings like capturing more detail or providing context to written notes.

Pick #8

Quip

Quip is a collaborative productivity software suite for mobile and the web that specializes in document and spreadsheet creation and editing. It’s used as a Meeting Notes App because it allows teams to create, discuss, and organize their work in one place. Users can make notes before, during, and after meetings, share these with their team, and make real-time edits. Quip offers a unique blend of writing, task lists, and spreadsheets, fostering seamless collaboration by integrating chat, documents, task lists, and spreadsheets in one robust application.

Real-time collaboration: Quip allows all team members to work on a document at the same time, improving efficiency and ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
Integration with Salesforce: Quip can be seamlessly integrated into Salesforce, allowing users to embed live Salesforce data that automatically updates. This makes it easier for team members to prepare for meetings with real-time sales data and client information.
Chat feature: The built-in chat feature enables teams to discuss notes in real-time. You can have conversations within a document, making it easier to address questions or clarify points without leaving the platform.
Version history: Quip keeps track of every change made in a meeting note, allowing you to view previous versions of the document. This ensures transparency, accountability, and keeps important edits from being lost.
Synchronized across devices: Whether team members prefer to use a laptop, tablet, or mobile, Quip syncs all changes across devices. This means that you can start taking notes on a laptop during a meeting and finish them on a mobile device later, or vice versa.
Limited Formatting Options: Compared to other meeting notes applications, Quip offers fewer options for formatting notes. This can make it harder to create well-structured notes with elements like tables, bullet points, or different font styles.
No Audio Recording: Quip lacks an audio recording feature which is valuable during meetings. This inhibits users from capturing verbal discussions and later transcribing or analyzing them, a feature seen in some other note-taking apps.
Difficulties with Large Files: Quip may struggle when it comes to handling larger documents or files. Its performance can decrease, resulting in slower load times and hindered editing.
Insufficient Integration: While it does offer some integration with other software, it may not cover all the tools frequently used in professional settings. This can limit its efficiency as a meeting notes app if users have to switch between platforms to access other necessary tools.
Lack of Offline Access: Quip largely requires an internet connection for access and editing. This can be a significant disadvantage if notes need to be taken in a location with poor or no internet connection.
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Pick #9

Dropbox Paper

Dropbox Paper is a collaborative workspace that helps teams create and share early ideas in the form of documents. As a Meeting Notes App, it provides a platform for team members to simultaneously develop shared meeting notes, shares an agenda, keep track of the discussed points, and build upon the ideas generated during the meeting. Its user-friendly interface includes features such as task assignments, document linking, timelines generation, comments, reminders and so forth; which foster a participatory environment and enhance the efficiency of team meetings. Furthermore, it can be accessed from any device and it’s synchronized with all of the user’s Dropbox files, making it easy to reference and pull content from them.

Collaborative Note Taking - In a meeting, multiple people can contribute simultaneously to a single Dropbox Paper document. This promotes real-time sharing of ideas and tasks.
Easy Document Organization - You can link various notes, tasks, agendas, and follow-ups all within the same document. This reduces the clutter of multiple documents and provides a comprehensive view of what transpired during the meeting.
Time-Saving Templates - Dropbox Paper has built-in meeting notes templates. This feature can save time as users do not have to draft their notes from scratch, and can maintain uniformity across all meeting documentation.
Rich Media Support - Dropbox Paper supports embedding photos, videos, tables, links, and even code snippets that provides versatility and a more engaging platform for note-taking.
Integration with Calendar Apps - Dropbox Paper can integrate with Google Calendars or Outlook calendars, which can auto-populate the agenda based on the meeting scheduled in the calendar. This can simplify the process of preparing and scheduling meetings.
Limited Formatting Options: Dropbox Paper has fewer formatting options compared to its competitors. While this may create a clean and minimalist interface, it might not cater to people who require more sophisticated formatting tools for detailed note-taking during meetings.
Not Ideal for Complex Meetings: Dropbox Paper lacks native integrated project management tools that some other apps offer. For complex meetings where agendas, timelines, or task assignments need to be managed, the functionality of Dropbox Paper may be inadequate.
Limited Offline Access: While Dropbox Paper does have an offline mode, it is less reliable than some of its competitors. If a user tries to open a document that they haven't opened before while in offline mode, they won't be able to access it, which might create problems if a user needs to review meeting notes while offline.
Dependency on Internet Speed: Dropbox Paper, being a cloud-based service, depends significantly on internet speed. If you have a slow connection, the performance of the service may be compromised, making note-taking during an ongoing meeting challenging.
Lack of Comprehensive Search: As the notes and files increase within Dropbox Paper, finding specific information or notes can become a bit tiresome as the search function does not search within the body of the documents. This might make retrieving specific meeting notes or points discussed in prior meetings a cumbersome process.
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Pick #10

Slack

Slack is a comprehensive team collaboration software that enables effective communication and coordination among teams. While primarily known for instant messaging, Slack simultaneously functions as a Meeting Notes App, allowing users to document and share key points and decisions made during meetings within the platform. Users can create dedicated channels for particular projects or topics, and in these, they can post messages, comments, and meeting notes, which can be easily searched and referred to later. It thus enhances productivity by ensuring important information is captured, easily accessible, and available for future reference.

Centralizing Information - All meeting notes can be kept in a dedicated Slack channel, providing a one-stop shop for all information and making it easier to locate data quickly.
Real-time Collaboration - team members can simultaneously comment, make changes or ask questions on the notes during or after the meeting.
Integration with Other Tools - Slack integrates with document apps like Google Docs which can be used to create and share meeting notes, ensuring a seamless workflow.
Accessibility - With Slack's cloud-based service, meeting notes can be accessed from any device, anywhere, as long as you have your login credentials.
Message Pinning - Important notes can be pinned to the top of a channel for easy reference and so they aren't lost in discussion threads.
Lack of Formal Structure: Slack primarily operates as a chat-based system rather than a structured note-taking application. This lack of organization can make it difficult to efficiently keep track of and navigate through meeting notes.
No Dedicated Note-Taking Features: Slack does not come with dedicated features for note-taking like highlighting, tagging, or task tracking which are essential for meeting notes.
Difficulty to Reference Past Notes: Over time, digging through the chat log to find older meeting notes can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
Not Ideal for Long Format Content: While Slack works perfectly for short and snappy messages, it's not as effective for long-format content, which can often be the case with detailed meeting notes.
Interruptions and Distractions: Given its chat-based nature, there's potential for meeting notes to be interrupted or lost amongst other non-related messages and conversations. This can thwart the clarity and understanding of the context surrounding the notes.
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FAQs

What is a Meeting Notes App?

A Meeting Notes App is a special software solution that allows users to jot down vital points discussed in a meeting, organize them and share these notes with attendees. It is an effective tool in managing and recalling meeting information for better collaboration and productivity.

How can a Meeting Notes App improve business productivity?

A Meeting Notes App improves business productivity by maintaining a centralized record of all meetings and discussions. This provides easy access to ideas, decisions taken, and action plans, thereby reducing the need to rely on memory or scattered notes. Collaboration is thus enhanced, ensuring all team members are on the same page post meetings.

Can I share my meeting notes with others using a Meeting Notes App?

Yes, virtually all Meeting Notes Apps allow sharing of notes with other participants. This is an important feature as it ensures everyone involved is up-to-date with meeting outcomes. The shared notes can also be edited and commented on by users to improve collaborative decision making.

Can I integrate a Meeting Notes App with other software or tools that I use in my business?

Yes, many Meeting Notes Apps offer integration capabilities with other popular tools and software used in businesses such as email clients, project management software, calendar apps, etc. This allows seamless data flow and improves overall data accessibility and productivity.

Are Meeting Notes Apps safe to use for confidential meetings?

Yes, Meeting Notes Apps typically employ a range of security measures such as encryption and user authentication to ensure your meeting notes and discussions are kept confidential. However, levels of security may vary among different providers, so it’s advisable to check the security features before selecting a particular app.

Overview