Google Keep is free, syncs everything across your phone, computer and watch in real time, and lets several people edit a note together. TackNote costs $24.99 once and sticks each note to the window, web page, document or folder it is about, or on a phone to a place. For shared lists and quick notes everywhere, pick Keep. For notes that show up by themselves with your work, pick TackNote. We make TackNote, and for plenty of people Keep is the right answer.
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| Google Keep | TackNote (ours) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Quick notes and lists on every device | Notes that show up with the work or place they are about |
| On a computer | On keep.google.com, in your browser | Mac and Windows 11 apps. A note shows on its own window, web page, document or folder |
| Phones and more | Android, iPhone, iPad and Wear OS | Android 13 or later, and iOS 26 or later |
| Sync | Everything, in real time, across your devices | Mac and PC through a folder you already sync. iPhone and Mac with limits. Android does not sync yet |
| Editing with others | Yes, in real time, and family groups | No shared editing |
| Reminders | A date, time and repeat, shown through Tasks or Calendar. No place reminders | A time or repeat. On phones, a note can find you at a place |
| Voice | Voice memos, transcribed | Voice memos, and full meetings typed out on the device |
| Widgets | Android widgets you can edit on | Android Home Screen widgets, and desktop widgets on the Mac |
| Account and storage | A Google account. Google says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and not used for ads | No account. Notes are stored encrypted on your device |
| Price | Free | $24.99 once after a 7-day trial. Lite for Chrome: free for your first 25 notes, then $4.99 once |
Where Google Keep wins
- It is free. Keep is listed as free. TackNote has a 7-day trial on most platforms, then a payment.
- Sharing. Google says several people can edit the same note in real time, and notes can be shared with a family group. A shared shopping list is exactly what Keep is good at. TackNote has no shared editing.
- Everything, everywhere. Google says everything you add syncs in real time from your phone to your computer to your smartwatch. Our sync is more limited, as we explain below.
- Quick capture on Android. Keep's widgets pin notes to your Home Screen, and you can edit a note right on its widget.
- A bridge to Docs. If you work in Google's apps, you can export a note to Docs.
If that describes your day, stay with Keep.
Where TackNote wins on your computer
Keep on a computer lives at keep.google.com. Google's help says support for the Keep Chrome app ended in early 2021, and it suggests a shortcut that opens Keep. Its Chrome extension saves pages and selections into a note, and you open those notes at keep.google.com. So you go to Keep to read a note.
TackNote brings the note to you. On Mac and Windows 11, a note sticks to the window, web page, document or folder it is about, shows when that thing is in front, and steps aside when you move on. TackBoard holds every note in one place when you do want to go looking.
If you only need that on web pages, TackNote Lite is a Chrome extension that puts a note on the page itself. It is free for your first 25 notes and $4.99 once after that. Its notes stay in Chrome on that computer, with no phone app.
Where TackNote wins on your phone
- Notes that find you at a place. Tack a note to a place and it finds you when you get there. Google's help says you can no longer create or get location-based reminders in Keep. We cover the options in location based reminders on Android.
- Meetings typed out on the phone. TackNote for Android and TackNote for iPhone record a meeting onto a note and write down what is said on the device. Keep handles voice memos.
- No account. Open the app and start. Notes stay on your phone unless you turn on iPhone sync to your Mac.
Each phone app is a separate purchase: free for 7 days, then $24.99 once. On Android, after the trial your notes stay readable and can still be shared or exported, and editing waits until you unlock.
What syncs and what does not
This is the biggest gap between the two. Keep syncs everything. TackNote syncs less, and we run no server for your notes:
- Mac and Windows. Every note can travel through a folder you already sync, such as OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud Drive, encrypted with a passphrase you choose. Private notes, notes in a private project and Project Boards themselves stay where they were made.
- iPhone and Mac. Notes you make on your iPhone go to your Mac through your own iCloud, and notes pinned to a web page or a Messages conversation come to your phone. Notes stuck to other app windows or files stay on the Mac.
- Android. It does not sync with other devices yet.
Moving from Google Keep to TackNote
Google lets you export your Keep data. TackNote for Mac and Windows can import HTML files, including a Keep export, and the notes wait for you to stick them where they belong. You can also run both. Nothing about TackNote needs you to leave Keep.
Questions
Is Google Keep free?
Yes. Google Keep is listed as free on the App Store. TackNote is free for 7 days on Mac, Windows, Android and iPhone, then $24.99 once. TackNote Lite for Chrome is free for your first 25 notes.
Does Google Keep have an app for Mac or Windows?
Google's help sends computer users to keep.google.com. Support for the Keep Chrome app ended in early 2021, and Google suggests a shortcut that opens Keep. TackNote has apps for Mac and Windows 11.
Can Google Keep remind you at a place?
No. Google's help says you can no longer create or get location-based reminders in Keep. TackNote for Android and iPhone can tack a note to a place so it finds you when you get there.
Can two people edit the same TackNote note?
No. TackNote has no shared editing. Google Keep lets several people edit the same note in real time, so choose Keep for shared lists.
Does TackNote sync across all your devices like Google Keep?
Not in the same way. Keep syncs everything across your devices in real time. TackNote syncs Macs and Windows PCs through a folder you already sync. Notes you make on iPhone go to your Mac, and web page and Messages notes come back, but notes on other windows and files stay on the Mac. Android does not sync yet.
Can Google Keep notes move to TackNote?
Yes, on a computer. Google lets you export your Keep data, and TackNote for Mac and Windows can import HTML files, including Keep exports.
Google and Google Keep are trademarks of Google LLC. TackNote is made by Keepers Code, LLC and is not affiliated with Google.
Notes that show up with your work
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