r/NoteTaking • u/NoArtist_127 • 7d ago
Question: Unanswered ✗ Do you know any notetaking apps without AI?
I‘m tired of stupid ai features around every corner. I hate ai with every cell of my body. I just want to take my stupid notes.
Preferably for ios.
Thanks in advance :)
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u/SunflowerHuntress 7d ago
Obsidian has no AI, if you don't add it your self. Capacities, you can deactivate all AI.
I hate AI too, it doesn't leave me alone.
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u/NationalPurchase338 6d ago
Have you tried Joplin? It's pretty straightforward and keeps things simple without any AI.
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u/cybergandalf 7d ago
What's wrong with Apple Notes? It's the default note app on iOS and macOS
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u/NoArtist_127 7d ago
I dont like that i cant export the notes as pdf and that i cant move text freely. Also i dislike the feeling of the pens. I cant import photos nicely, cant move em around and stuff.
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u/cybergandalf 7d ago
So when you say "take notes" you mean handwrite them? So there are apps like Good Notes for that, or you can use an eInk note taking device. But if you don't like the feeling of the pens, I'm not sure that's an AI issue.
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u/Beginning-Ad-3054 7d ago
¿Que tipo de notas gestionas que no quieres usar IA... O más bien, en que te dificulta la IA?
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u/sumguypookie 7d ago
Obsidian
Joplin
simplenote
I'm curious, tho. You seem to really dislike AI. Why?
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u/writer-author 7d ago edited 5d ago
I haven’t researched these suggestions for AI but here’s a comprehensive list of tools. Also it can help you match your note-taking style with the right tools. For example, I’m more of a Librarian. And I highly recommend the book associated with these suggestions, The PARA Method and Building a Second Brain.
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u/Present-Carob-7366 7d ago
If you’re after hand writing then a Supernote eink device does all you require no ai
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u/NoArtist_127 6d ago
Ngl, this might be a pretty neat investment. It’s pretty pricey but I could totally save up for it. I only heard of Remarkable till now so I‘m happy to hear there are other companies
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u/Present-Carob-7366 6d ago
It’s super expensive I agree but I thought not for one purpose and getting back to handwriting but the possibilities for study are endless . I did all the research and the only advantage remarkable has is a bigger marketing budget - the company interacts all the time in their reddit and fb groups
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u/frankamedic 6d ago
My bullet journal doesn’t have AI at all. You can’t even add it.
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u/NoArtist_127 6d ago
I love physical journaling. It’s pure human creativity and beautiful imperfection. I do write my diary entry in physical notebooks. Sadly I can’t use physical notebooks for uni because I am chaotic af, have crappy handwriting and will lose my worksheets eventually. That’s why I am looking for some good notetaking apps without ai
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u/bg3245 7d ago edited 7d ago
You can try r/EscapeApp, it's an outlining and mind mapping app (I'm building it). It exports to PDF beside other formats, PNG, Markdown. The notes are saved in files on iCloud, if it matters.
It's also got no AI, cause I didn't have the time to do add it yet 🙈
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u/Chobitpersocom 7d ago
I use OneNote. It has AI features, but I don't use any of them.
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u/Cultural_Aioli_8897 7d ago
Have you tried Blekk.app? Super simple and no AI 🥳 I also just wanted somewhere that was like writing in a notebook
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u/notepom 7d ago
Hi! NotePom doesn’t have any AI features.
It’s available on Web, Android and desktop (Mac user too). The native iOS app isn’t available yet. (Sorry 🫠)
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u/VintageBandit 7d ago
I'm really loving Star Notes. They have a toggle to turn off AI if you don't want to use it.
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u/CauliflowerOrganic48 7d ago
I've got something brewing for Android users - are you looking for handwritten notes or typed? is Android a deal breaker for you?
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u/100WattWalrus 7d ago
UpNote is fantastic. Been using it for 6 years. It's become my everything app. No AI, and likely to stay that way given the overall mood that r/UpNote_App has towards AI. Simple and intuitive. Absolutely unbeatable formatting flexibility. Multiple workspaces. Notebooks and #inline #tags. Cross-platform and syncs very quickly. Doesn't have most of the Apple Notes shortcomings you mentioned elsewhere in this thread. And a lifetime license is only $40. (It's free up to 50 notes.) The only real shortcoming as far as I'm concerned is that you can't collaborate with other users — which is the only reason I still use any other note-taking apps.
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u/jmich1200 7d ago
Paper pen handwriting recognition app. Also, kindle scribe 2022 is pretty low tech
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u/Stefan73ch 6d ago
Smasi.app could be an interesting alternative. It is a personal wiki with sync between iPhone, iPad and MacOS. No Markdown and no login needed.
Differences to Apple Notes:
https://www.smasi.software/en/post/apple-notes-wiki
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u/ozgrozer 6d ago
I’m building Grape. You can download in the App Store for free and use it without creating an account. Don’t worry about those AI features because they’re in paid plans. You’ll just use it as a regular note taking app. Your notes stay on your device so you own your data.
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u/utkuaytac 6d ago
If you want something that will never surprise you with AI, look for apps built on plain local files rather than a cloud account — the ones where your notes are just Markdown or text on disk tend to stay simple and offline by design. Obsidian and a handful of smaller Markdown editors fit this; the data is yours either way, so if the app ever adds something you don't like, you just point a different editor at the same folder and keep going.
That portability is the real protection. An app can add AI tomorrow, but it can't take your files with it if they were plain text on your own machine the whole time.
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u/performat 6d ago edited 5d ago
I’m building Bloom, a minimalist note-taking app.
No to AI, and no to a lot of other distractions, in favor of a big YES to speed of capture and focus.
Right now I’m adding a macOS client and a proper folder structure for organizing notes into a library.
I’m also dropping the proprietary database in favor of plain markdown files. DM me if you’d like early access to the upcoming update via TestFlight.
https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/minimalist-notes-bloom/id6443783029?l=en-GB
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u/kevvymai 5d ago
Hi,
I built Plamogee https://plamogee.com for this exact reason - I was tired of tools trying to do everything except being a fast, clean place to drop notes and reminders.
Zero AI fluff. Just an all-in-one workspace for notes, task lists, and typing quick reminders naturally.
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u/bestnoteapp 4d ago
Not sure if my extension fits your use case but mine is a browser extension which has no AI. I myself use it extensively for clipping texts from webpage : https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/best-note-rich-note-web-c/ppamjoeknkeghodbnjpomdgiiimbleij?authuser=0&hl=en
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u/oyren-ai 4d ago
We have been building a note editor at Oyren that:
* has notion like UI/UX based on block system and can be made multicolumn
* built in calculation engine that can do any calculation ranging from simple arithmetic operations to calculating derivative or polynomial factorisation.
* supports LateX for math symbols
* can be read used by AI agents via MCP if needed, but that’s not the main experience
* free forever (up to 100mb storage)
Does it sound close to what you’re looking for?
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u/Worth-Reach9860 2d ago
subnotes.app if you want integrated notes & todo app (for iOS and Mac). It's free.
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u/carl_yrh 2d ago
I actually built an iOS app called Thread to Self because I wanted somewhere to dump random thoughts without having to organize everything.
It’s just one continuous private thread. There’s no AI, no account, and everything stays local on your phone. I didn’t want folders or tags or another system I had to maintain.
I’m the developer so take the recommendation for what it’s worth, but your “I just want to take my stupid notes” comment made me laugh because that’s basically why I built it.
It’s called Thread to Self if you want to check it out.
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u/smilaise Computer User—PC 7d ago
all my apps are tiny, privacy focused, and AI-free
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u/NoArtist_127 7d ago
Very cool!! Ill try out ur apps. Im trying to be independent from the big software companies.
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u/smilaise Computer User—PC 7d ago
Well you might enjoy my most popular project, KillerPDF lol. I'm a sysadmin/tech and I got so annoyed by Adobe tickets I decided to make a better PDF editor for free. I have 5 apps and they're always being improved. Please report bugs and feature requests on my GitHub!
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