So far I've tried Elephant and OutWiker but looking for other options with following features:
- unrestricted file format such as RTF
- search-as-you-type with keyword highlighting
- rich text with inline images, tables, etc
- flags and arranging of note order
- tags/folders
- title filtering
- file attachments
- alarms and reminders (not as important)
- optimized for small screen
- portable

TIA

MotionTwelve wrote:

So far I've tried Elephant and OutWiker but looking for other options
with following features:
- unrestricted file format such as RTF
- search-as-you-type with keyword highlighting
- rich text with inline images, tables, etc
- flags and arranging of note order
- tags/folders
- title filtering
- file attachments
- alarms and reminders (not as important)
- optimized for small screen
- portable

TIA

Not sure how many on your list are ticked, but Alfons Schmid's "Notebooks" is very much like you describe. Especially the app for iOS. I use the Windows app and love it. This is a case where the iOS app is much further along than the desktop apps. It's quality stuff, too. He does a good job.
http://www.notebooksapp.com

If you're working on a Mac, look at EagleFiler:

http://c-command.com/eaglefiler/

I think it has all the attributes you're looking for.

Steve Z.

Thanks for these recommendations.
Since I am mainly a window guy, I could only try Notebooks. It looks like a good package but still needs more development to mature.
The only other note app that I'm aware of that stores data in individual files/folders would be Elephant but just like Notebooks it's not ready for normal use.
Due to limited options in this category, I started thinking about other ways to work with files/folders to manage large amounts of date. I was then pointed by a friend to TagSpace which has some great ideas but once again the number of bugs and other limitations is forcing me to look elsewhere.
Too bad most information managers/note taker developers focus on database approach rather than staying more open and flexible.

Aha, I knew there was something else, but since moving to Mac, I couldn't remember what it was called!

Sense, that's what you ought to look at (it's been discussed here before). It's still being developed, and actually, it would be nice to have it on Mac, too, but hey.

Here are the details: http://www.silvaelm.com/index.shtml

For the Mac there is a program called Note-C, which claims to build your note system as text files and folders on your hard drive. It looks a little rough around the edges, but if you go to the developer's site you can download a trial version:

http://xelaton.com/index.php?lang=en&rubrik=Applications--Note-C

Steve Z.

Thanks for the tip – looks quite interesting, especially with Markdown support. Could be a useful companion for iOS Markdown editors like 1Writer. I shall experiment!

Yes, thanks for this, Steve. Now that Evernote is perhaps no longer looking quite what it was hoped it would become, the market for notes applications on the Mac appears to be more open to a programme such as this. (Although the developer should tidy up the two menu items headed "Help" in the menu bar of the demo version asap!)