Need to jot down some thoughts but don't have a pen and paper handy? Trying to write a shopping list, but can’t find anything to write on? Afraid you’re going to forget that important message but have no way to get it down?

An online notepad is always there. It allows you to easily write down your thoughts and take them with you, without the added difficulty of having to carry anything with you that you wouldn’t already. Here are five of the best online notepads for your consideration.

1. aNotepad

Starting off our list, we have aNotepad. aNotepad is what every good note-taking service should be–simple, clean and easy to use. The UI consists of a white box in which to jot down your thoughts, with the ability to add a title if you need it. There are many situations where this is all that you need from a notepad, and if that's what you're looking for, then aNotepad delivers beautifully.

There are other features there if you need them, of course. You can save your notes for later and manage them into various folders at the bottom of the screen. These will remain saved there for as long as you don’t delete your browser cookies.

If you want to be able to access your notes even when you do delete your browser cookies, you can always sign up for a free user account. Doing so allows you to log in from anywhere and still view and edit your notes.

Better word-processing options are also available. You can import Microsoft Word documents, if the need arises, as well as use the webpage as a rich-text editor. If you want to share your notes with others, this is also possible. By setting your notes to public, you can share them with others and even password protect them if you so wish.

2. ClickUp

ClickUp is next, and potentially the most feature-rich option on our list. Typically, ClickUp is a service aimed at larger companies and industries, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still find it useful for individuals or small groups.

Productivity is king, here, and as such, ClickUp features options to easily create tasks and assign them to a calendar. It also allows you to set up goals and notifications to remind you what you need to do and when. Nested subtasks and checklists are a feature to help break down more complicated tasks. If you're the type of person who likes learning how to use good note-taking strategies to take faster notes, then ClickUp may just be what you're looking for.

Don’t worry if you’re just looking to quickly jot something down, either. ClickUp still allows you to quickly create documents that you can rapidly fill in with your thoughts. You can quickly access these notes later and share them easily with anyone else who is a member of the same workplace.

ClickUp's editing options are diverse and when used in conjunction with the calendar and to-do list functionality that ClickUp brings, there's plenty that you'll be able to get done with this online notepad.

3. Shrib

On the other end of the spectrum is Shrib. If ClickUp is feature-rich and full of functionality that is useful for productivity-minded power users, then Shrib is the opposite–simple, easy, and very fast to use.

Shrib’s major selling point comes from its speed. It’s a cloud service, meaning that it saves your notes automatically to the cloud as you type them. This means that no matter the situation, even if your internet connection drops out, your notes will be safely backed up as you type.

From there, you can freely share your notes with others. You get the choice of whether or not you want recipients to be able to edit the notes or only view them. You can also download or print your notes.

Shrib offers a premium service dubbed Shrib Pro. This service makes the fastest note-taking service even faster, with immediate syncing to the cloud on every keystroke. With this plan, you'll also find plenty of other useful features, such as password protection, AES encryption, keyboard shortcuts, and the removal of ads from the service.

4. Simplenote

Next on the list is Simplenote. The platform's UI is clean and easy to understand. On the left are all of your notes, and to the right and dominating most of the screen is a text editor.

Writing down thoughts is as easy as you’d expect, and creating new notes is the same. You can insert checklists with just a right-click, and saving happens automatically, meaning that losing what you've written down should happen rarely, if at all.

You can pin important notes to the top of your list so that you don’t lose them, or you can use Simplenote’s useful search function. While all of this is quite handy, Simplenote’s most impressive feature is just how seamless it is. If you can't figure out any ways to fix notepad not opening on Windows, for example, you can easily open up Simplenote and you'll be good to go instead.

While the platform is free to use online in your browser, it also offers an app for most platforms. The notes you write update instantly between one and the other, making it a breeze to quickly jot something down while you’re at the computer and have it with you later in the day when you’re out and about, for example.

5. Onlinenotepad.io

Finally, we have Onlinenotepad.io. Onlinenotepad.io is a great online notepad that requires no sign-up or registration, but still comes with a wealth of features.

For example, Onlinenotepad.io lets you upload existing documents to edit online, as well as clone your documents that you make and then download them onto your computer. You can even share your documents with others via email or a link so that they can see what you've written as well.

The text editing functions are pretty solid here as well, with proper paragraph, listing, and image options all being available to work with. You can also select from bold, italics, and underline options for your text.

For an online notepad with no sign-up to speak of, these are some pretty handy features to have, and they go a long way toward striking a balance between functionality and accessibility.

You Can Take Your Note-Taking Anywhere

As you can see, there are plenty of different note-taking services available out there that you can use online. Each offers something uniquely different from the others, and all are easy to try out and see if they're a good fit for you.

But online note-taking is only part of the story. If you're frequently on the move, or simply rarely at your computer, then many of these online services aren't as well optimized for your phone as they could be. Luckily, finding alternatives doesn't have to be difficult.