Every app scored 0-100 on one public formula, from Notion to Goodnotes. No favorites, no paid placement, and the math is public.
One engine, every category
The same public formula, pointed at one software category at a time. All five categories are live: note-taking, task management, calendar, budgeting, and read-later.
Skip the research spiral.
Five questions, sixty seconds. Your answers reweight the same public formula you see everywhere on this site, and it picks your match with the why spelled out.
One bar, the whole method
The SoftwareScore is a weighted blend of 7 axes, and this is the entire weighting. Click a slice to see what it measures.
The amber slice is data ownership, the axis most reviews ignore and the one that decides whether you can ever leave. Community star ratings are shown on every page but never mixed into the score. Full methodology and affiliate disclosure →
Top-rated note-taking apps right now
The current leaders under balanced weights. Your own ranking may differ, that is what the quiz is for.
Fair questions
Can an app pay for a better score?
No. Some links are affiliate links, disclosed on every page, but the formula never sees money. Apps we earn nothing from are scored and ranked with the exact same rubric, and several of them outrank the ones that pay.
How is the SoftwareScore calculated?
Every app is rated 0-10 on the same 7 axes: value, ease, features, sync, ownership, collab, ai. The weighted sum times 10 is the SoftwareScore. The weights and the full rubric are public on the methodology page.
Who does the scoring?
Rick Castro, founder & lead analyst. Every score is set by a named person against a written rubric, not an anonymous team, and there is a real inbox ([email protected]) for corrections.
Why do Goodnotes and Notability score in the 50s?
They are handwriting-first apps, and the SoftwareScore rates every app on the same typed note-taking axes. Those axes do not measure handwriting feel or PDF markup, so their scores understate them for stylus and tablet use. Their pages carry a visible caveat saying exactly that.
How often are prices and scores re-checked?
Pricing is verified against each vendor's live pricing page (last verified July 2026) and re-verified on updates. When a score or price changes, the last updated date changes with it.
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