I’ve used Google Keep and OneNote extensively, but this open-source software is just faster, cleaner, and better at serious note-taking.
As a journalist and avid enthusiast of productivity apps, I’ve used more note-taking apps than I care to admit. Google Keep, OneNote, SimpleNote, and a pretty wide assortment of open-source tools have all been a part of my note-taking arsenal at one point or another. To be sure, some of these were excellent, some less so, while others like Google Keep and OneNote begrudgingly became a key part of my workflow.
Google Keep, in particular, has been a constant companion for its simplicity, quick note-taking, and wide web-based availability. Despite its relatively limited feature set, the colorful sticky note format feels like an extension of the dozen or more sticky notes plastered on my work desk. But as my note-taking needs have grown more complex, Keep’s limitations just can’t, ahem, keep up.
Keep isn’t the only note-taking app that I regularly use. I was an early adopter of Microsoft OneNote and clung to it after the downfall of Evernote. In theory, it packs every feature I need, including rich formatting and easy interlinking with other notes. However, the app is heavy, clunky, and, often enough, way too much for everyday use. I’ve been looking for something that can handle both serious work and quick note-taking without drowning me in options or locking my notes into a proprietary format. Sounds like a tall order.
That’s what I thought until I discovered Outline. It’s an open-source app that sits at the cross section of note-taking and personal knowledge management, and it has completely replaced both Google Keep and OneNote for my use. Here’s why.An interface that works for you, not against you
One of my biggest gripes with OneNote is its incredibly cluttered interface. In typical Microsoft fashion, it’s a productivity tool with a surprisingly obtuse user experience that hampers productivity instead of aiding it. Google Keep is the opposite of that. It’s too barebones. Outline strikes a rare balance by offering a clean interface that lets your notes shine while still providing all the tools you need just a click away. The app takes a lot of inspiration from Notion but improves on it with a much more fluid presentation. There are no unnecessary menu bars or floating toolbars, and there is effectively no lag at all, even when embedding large pages within an existing note. That lightning-quick performance was a big upsell when I initially started testing out Outline, and it remains just as fast today. When you open a page, it’s ready for you to type and start taking notes. When you write for a living, that quick access makes a big difference.
The other feature that sold me on Outline was markdown support. For those who aren’t clued in on markdown, it is effectively a way to tag rich formatting in your notes and have it show up exactly the same across platforms and apps.
