The right sticky notes app for Android depends on where else your notes need to be. If they have to show up on a computer too, pick the app that syncs to it: Google Keep for most people, Samsung Notes if everything you own is a Galaxy, or OneNote if you already use Microsoft Sticky Notes on Windows. If your notes live on the phone and hold more than a line of text (a meeting recording typed out, a checklist, the place the note belongs), TackNote for Android puts all of it on one note, with no account.
We make TackNote, so we have tried to be fair to the others and plain about where ours falls short. Three questions below point you to a pick, and every answer it gives is also written out in Which one fits you.
The answers are listed in Which one fits you below.
What to look for in a sticky notes app for Android
- Where else the notes go. A note that has to be on your laptop at work needs an app that syncs there. A note you only need on the phone does not.
- What a note can hold. Some notes are one line. Others are a list, a photo of a part, or what was said in a meeting.
- When it reminds you. At a time, or when you arrive somewhere.
- Who can read it. Whether your notes sit on a company's servers, or only on your phone.
Google Keep
Keep is Google's note app. A note can be text, a list or a drawing, and you can record your voice into a note (lists, drawings, recordings). You can set timed reminders on a note (Google Keep Help), color code and label notes, and share a note so someone else can see and edit it. Google says everything you add "syncs in real-time across all your devices, from your phone to your computer to your smartwatch" (Google Workspace).
If your notes need to be on a computer as well as your phone, or you share lists with someone, start with Keep.
Samsung Notes, on Galaxy phones
Samsung Notes comes on Galaxy phones and tablets. You can type, write with your finger or an S Pen, and convert handwriting to text. On select phones and tablets running Android 14 with One UI 6.1 or higher, Galaxy AI can transcribe a voice recording and summarize it. Turn on Samsung Cloud in the app's settings and your notes stay matched across your other Galaxy devices (Samsung Support).
If you own a Galaxy, it is already on your phone, so try it first.
Microsoft Sticky Notes, through OneNote
There is no separate Microsoft Sticky Notes app for Android. Instead, Microsoft says your sticky notes "appear with OneNote for Android phones": open OneNote and tap Sticky Notes. Sign in with the same Microsoft account to see your notes across your devices (Microsoft Support).
If you already keep sticky notes on a Windows PC and want the same notes on your phone, this is the one.
TackNote for Android
TackNote is built around one idea: the note is the container. Everything about a job sits on the same piece of paper, instead of in separate apps.
- A board of paper notes. Every note is pinned to a corkboard, in one of six colors, with the text size you choose.
- Four kinds of note. Plain text, a checklist, text with a checklist under it, or a drawing.
- Recordings, typed out on the phone. Tap Record and talk. The words appear as people speak, recording carries on with the screen off, and the audio stays on the note under the transcript. Transcription runs on your phone, so it works without an internet connection. On supported phones it can add a short summary too.
- Photos and videos. Take a picture or record a video from the note, or add ones you already have.
- A reminder at a time. Tap the bell and pick a date and time.
- A reminder at a place. Stand where the note belongs and tack it there. When you arrive, a notification brings the note back, even with TackNote closed if you allow location all the time. Our post on location based reminders on Android covers this in detail.
- Folders and search. File notes in projects and sub-folders, or leave them on the board. Search looks through every note, whatever folder it is in.
- Share it your way. Send a note as plain text with its files, as a PDF, or as a .tacknote file that another copy of TackNote opens with its colors, ticks and place intact.
- Private by design. No account. Your notes are encrypted on the phone and never sent to us.
If most of your notes start in a meeting or a lecture, our guide to recording and transcribing a meeting on Android shows how that part works.
TackNote for Android is on Google Play. Everything works free for 7 days, then one payment unlocks it for good.
See TackNote for AndroidThe four side by side
| Google Keep | Samsung Notes | OneNote Sticky Notes | TackNote (ours) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phones | Android | Galaxy phones and tablets | Android | Android 13 or later |
| On a computer too | Yes, syncs in real time | Other Galaxy devices, through Samsung Cloud | Yes, with the same Microsoft account | No, notes stay on the phone |
| Voice | Record into a note | Transcript and summary on select Galaxy models | Not covered here | Recording typed out on the phone, offline |
| Drawing | Yes | Handwriting, S Pen or finger | Not covered here | Yes |
| Reminders | At a time | Not covered here | Not covered here | At a time, or when you arrive at a place |
Where TackNote falls short
- No sync. Notes stay on the phone you made them on. They do not sync to a computer, a tablet or another phone, and TackNote for Android does not sync with TackNote for Mac or Windows. If you need the same notes everywhere, Keep, Samsung Notes or OneNote fit better.
- No editing together. You can send someone a copy of a note, but two people cannot edit the same note. Keep lets you share a note for that.
- Places are where you stand. You tack a note to the spot you are in, and it reminds you when you arrive, not when you leave.
- It needs Android 13 or later. On an older phone, try Keep or Samsung Notes.
- It is not free forever. Everything works for 7 days. After that your notes stay readable, searchable and shareable, and $24.99 once on Google Play lets you make and change notes again. No subscription.
Which one fits you
- Your phone is older than Android 13: use Google Keep, or Samsung Notes on a Galaxy.
- Your notes need to be on a computer too: use Google Keep.
- You use Microsoft Sticky Notes on a Windows PC: use OneNote on the phone, signed in with the same Microsoft account.
- Everything you own is a Galaxy: use Samsung Notes with Samsung Cloud.
- Your notes live on the phone and are mostly quick text and lists: Google Keep does this well.
- Your notes live on the phone and hold recordings, or belong to a place: use TackNote for Android.
Common questions
Can you use Microsoft Sticky Notes on Android?
Yes, through OneNote. Microsoft says your sticky notes appear in OneNote for Android phones, under Sticky Notes, when you sign in with the same Microsoft account you use on Windows.
Does TackNote for Android sync with a computer?
No. TackNote for Android keeps your notes on the phone, and it does not sync with TackNote for Mac or Windows. You can send any note as text, a PDF or a .tacknote file through Android's share sheet.
Does TackNote for Android need an account?
No. There is nothing to sign up for. Your notes are encrypted on the phone and never sent to us.
What happens when the TackNote trial ends?
Everything works free for 7 days. After that your notes stay readable, searchable and shareable, and one payment of $24.99 on Google Play lets you make and change notes again. No subscription.
Which Android version does TackNote need?
Android 13 or later. On an older phone, try Google Keep or Samsung Notes.
One note that holds all of it
TackNote for Android: free for 7 days, then $24.99 once.
See TackNote for Android