Discover the Best Scarlet Notes Alternative for Your Note-Taking Needs
Scarlet Notes (previously Material Notes) has garnered a loyal following thanks to its beautiful material design, offline capabilities, optional cloud sync, rich note input with Markdown support, and a host of user-friendly features like tags, night mode, and note locking. Its commitment to being ad-free and open-source has made it a preferred choice for many. However, for various reasons—whether you're seeking different features, broader platform availability, or simply exploring new options—you might be on the hunt for a reliable Scarlet Notes alternative. This article delves into some of the top contenders that offer compelling reasons to make the switch.
Top Scarlet Notes Alternatives
Whether you prioritize cloud synchronization, advanced organization, cross-platform compatibility, or specific writing tools, there's a Scarlet Notes alternative out there to perfectly match your workflow. Let's explore some of the most popular and feature-rich options.
Google Keep
Google Keep is an excellent free Scarlet Notes alternative, offering a simple yet powerful way to capture thoughts. Available across Free, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, Chrome OS, Android Tablet, iPad, Chrome, and Android Wear, it's highly accessible. Its key features like color coding, image insertion, list creation, location-based reminders, and real-time collaboration make it a strong contender for those who appreciate visual organization and seamless syncing across devices.
Evernote
Evernote is a robust freemium Scarlet Notes alternative, designed for comprehensive note-taking, organizing, and archiving. Its cross-platform availability on Mac, Windows, Web, Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows S, Android Tablet, Windows Phone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android Wear, Kindle Fire, and Pebble makes it incredibly versatile. With features like cloud sync, text formatting, Markdown support, OCR, and a powerful web clipper, Evernote is ideal for users needing advanced organization and multimedia integration beyond basic notes.
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote stands out as a powerful freemium Scarlet Notes alternative, providing a digital notebook for gathering diverse information. Available on Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone, Windows S, Windows Phone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android Wear, and Kindle Fire, it offers extensive platform support. Features like hierarchical structure, freehand writing, audio recording, embedded media, OCR, and real-time synchronization make it an excellent choice for visual learners, students, and professionals who need flexible content organization and rich note-taking capabilities.
iA Writer
For those prioritizing a distraction-free writing environment, iA Writer is a commercial Scarlet Notes alternative that excels. Available on Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, and iPad, it focuses on pure content creation. Its key features include nested folders, Markdown support for streamlined text elements, a dedicated distraction-free UI, and a night mode, making it perfect for writers and anyone who values a clean, focused space for their notes and drafts.
Nimbus Note
Nimbus Note is a strong freemium Scarlet Notes alternative for organizing various types of information. It boasts multiplatform availability on Mac, Windows, Web, Android, iPhone, Chrome OS, Android Tablet, Windows Phone, iPad, Chrome, Foxit Reader, Software as a Service (SaaS), Opera, and Firefox. With features like OCR, offline functionality, audio recording, hyperlinks, nested folders, night mode, real-time collaboration, and a web clipper, Nimbus Note is ideal for users who need a comprehensive solution for notes, web pages, and more, with quick synchronization.
Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is a free and open-source Scarlet Notes alternative, particularly appealing to users who prefer self-hosted solutions and advanced hierarchical organization. Available on Windows and Linux, it allows notes to be arranged in a deep hierarchy with multiple parents (cloning). Its rich WYSIWYG note editing, knowledge base capabilities, and Electron-based architecture make it a powerful choice for those seeking a highly customizable and flexible personal knowledge management system.
Cryptee
Cryptee offers a secure and encrypted Scarlet Notes alternative for private documents, notes, files, and photos. This freemium and open-source option is available on Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, Chrome OS, Android Tablet, iPad, and Chrome. Its core strength lies in its end-to-end encryption, ensuring privacy for your notes and data, alongside rich text editing capabilities. It's an excellent choice for users where security and data privacy are paramount.
Notes
For Apple users, the built-in Notes app provides a free and seamlessly integrated Scarlet Notes alternative. Available on Mac, Web, iPhone, and iPad, it leverages iCloud to keep your notes up-to-date across all devices. Features like Markdown support, live collaboration, checklists, sketching, and the ability to capture quick thoughts make it a convenient and efficient solution for those embedded in the Apple ecosystem.
ResophNotes
ResophNotes is a free Scarlet Notes alternative for Windows users who value simplicity and speed. It offers a lightweight, portable experience for quick note-taking, with features like plain text authoring, Markdown support, and robust sync with Simplenote. Its focus on efficiency and minimalist design makes it a strong contender for those who prefer a straightforward and unencumbered note-taking experience on their Windows PC.
ThinkComposer
ThinkComposer, a free and open-source Scarlet Notes alternative for Windows, stands out for its unique approach to visual documentation. It allows users to create deep, multi-level diagrams, flowcharts, concept maps, and mind maps, defining their own types of nodes. While not a direct note-taking app in the traditional sense, its ability to visually organize complex ideas makes it a valuable alternative for users who think in diagrams and relationships rather than linear text.
Ultimately, the best Scarlet Notes alternative depends on your individual needs, preferred platform, and desired feature set. We encourage you to explore these options further to find the perfect fit for your note-taking and organizational habits.