While I am reasonably happy with the apps I use for task management at work and at home, I am re-evaluating my options for what app I can use to keep a lot of bits and bobs of information. I have used Simplenote for years, but some times it seems a bit too simple for my needs. I then tried Zoho Notebook, but it just never clicked with me. For the past two years I have put a lot of stuff in Walling, but since the sale, there has been almost no activity or announcements, and that leaves me wondering how much more data I want to add to the program. So, I have decided to see what other apps may fill the bill.

Having given it some thought for the past week or two, I am reconsidering UpNote or possibly X-Tiles. I want something that is easy to use on my Android phone as that is with me a lot of the time, but I also want something that gives me good organizing options. I also like an easy to use web clipper, as I find this to be a handy tool that reduces a lot of friction for me. I know we have forum members using both programs, and I was looking for any updates or thoughts after longer term use that I should consider. The data I am collecting could be anything from small pieces of text to web sites to simple notes for the short term. Good search (and possibly tagging) features would be greatly appreciated in addition to some type of left pane folder structure.

Any advice would be greatly appreciate.

Thanks,

--Ken

You asked about multi-platform but only mentioned Android. What platforms do you work on?

For your stated limited needs Xtiles — which offers notes, tasks/alarms and document storage, in addition to integration with Google and Slack — seems like $144/year overkill.

I bought Upnote but ultimately don’t use it as its feature set doesn’t do more than Apple Notes does right now, and I’m in that ecosystem. Upnote is a decent upgrade from Simplenote, however, and it works well.

Cross platform apps that can act as shoebox apps you might consider include Notion, OneNote and Amplenote.

You should look into MyMind. I think it checks off several, if not all of your boxes. It is my junk drawer app. Capturing information into MyMind is easy, and you can put in almost anything. It doesn't use folders, but you can create Spaces, which are essentially saved searches. It uses tagging, in fact suggesting tags for you. It works great on iPhone -- not sure about Android. Its base pricing is $8 per month; not cheap, but not expensive.

Here's a video overview: https://youtu.be/BM39sNvswNM?si=VGULs70bWMYqiRq8

Steve

Hi Ken, if you want something simple, user friendly, yet with scope if future complexity is required, my pick would be UpNote. It is easy to learn. Its feature set has expanded in a good way without losing any of its elegant simplicity,

Daly

Ken wrote:

While I am reasonably happy with the apps I use for task management at
work and at home, I am re-evaluating my options for what app I can use
to keep a lot of bits and bobs of information. I have used Simplenote
for years, but some times it seems a bit too simple for my needs. I
then tried Zoho Notebook, but it just never clicked with me. For the
past two years I have put a lot of stuff in Walling, but since the sale,
there has been almost no activity or announcements, and that leaves me
wondering how much more data I want to add to the program. So, I have
decided to see what other apps may fill the bill.

Having given it some thought for the past week or two, I am
reconsidering UpNote or possibly X-Tiles. I want something that is easy
to use on my Android phone as that is with me a lot of the time, but I
also want something that gives me good organizing options. I also like
an easy to use web clipper, as I find this to be a handy tool that
reduces a lot of friction for me. I know we have forum members using
both programs, and I was looking for any updates or thoughts after
longer term use that I should consider. The data I am collecting could
be anything from small pieces of text to web sites to simple notes for
the short term. Good search (and possibly tagging) features would be
greatly appreciated in addition to some type of left pane folder
structure.

Any advice would be greatly appreciate.

Thanks,

--Ken

I would also recommend UpNote. Its simplicity is a plus, and its editing and organising features are much better than Simplenote.

You could also use Standard Notes, which is what I currently use. The free version is an upgrade from Simplenote, and there's also a paid version with more advanced features. It appears at first glance that UpNote has much more restrictive limits on the free version.

(It's perhaps worth noting, by the way, that both the UpNote and the Standard Notes web clippers for Chrome require full access to your browsing but currently lack the "Featured" badge. Generally, I only use full-access extensions if they have the badge, although if one trusts the company then I guess it's probably fine.)

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'll see if I can reply to all of the suggestions and questions in one post.

For cross-platform compatibility, I use an Android phone, and iPad tablet and a Windows PC. All get used so something that works on all three platforms would be ideal.

I believe that I looked at MyMind when it came out, and while it does look appealing, my concern is that AI-assisted apps never seem to think like I do, so I am not sure if it would drive me crazy or not. And it is unfortunate that there is no free version that I could try out for a month or two. I suppose I could turn the feature off, but how that impacts the performance and UI I am not certain.

I am leaning towards UpNote at the moment for a couple of reasons. The lifetime subscription is a reasonable cost, and it seems that exporting data offers several options. And the mobile apps seems reasonably developed. I did have some prior concerns about the Chrome web clipper, so I will be trying that out again before I make any final decision.

I will also give Standard Note a second look since it has been along time since I looked at their site and documentation.

Thanks,

--Ken

Another vote for Upnote. I too was a Simplenote user for years, but wanted to plunk in the occasional picture. It was able to read in my Simplenote files, allows for tagging, and even works as a reasonably good writing app (handy "collapsible sections that aren't quite outlines, but do make longer form navigation easier). I use it on my Android phone, Windows work computer, and even Chromebook (as a mobile app). Reliable, quick, and I bought a one time purchase. Since then, plenty of updates. A good choice I've been happy with for over a year.