Programming is an activity that can frustrate even the best and brightest among us. Creating a web, mobile, or desktop app is a big undertaking. Good note-taking skills can help you stay organized without succumbing to stress, despair, and burnout before seeing your goal through.

Most note-taking apps aren't designed with programmers in mind. They can be so difficult to adapt for this purpose that many new developers forgo the habit entirely. If you're still learning and need some sort of developer notes app, we've got you covered. Here are the best note-taking apps for programmers of all varieties.

1. Boost Note

List of options within Boost Note's interface

Boost Note is an industry favorite when it comes to note-taking apps for coders. It has some modern note-taking features, including Markdown formatting and folder-based organization. And, although it lacks others—web clipping or handwritten notes—it also features snippets, a popular feature.

You can embed code blocks directly within normal notes. You can also create separate snippet-type notes, to collect and group several code blocks into a single note. It also supports checkbox-based lists for task management.

The best part about Boost Note is that it's open-source and completely cross-platform. Your programming notes will sync across all the platforms that you use Boost Note on. Fortunately, Boost Note offers a free plan if you're just looking to get started.

However, to take advantage of all its features—like unlimited version history, private folder, and 10GB of storage—you'll need to pay $10 per month for the Pro plan, although a cheaper Standard plan is also available for $6 per month.

Download: Boost Note for Windows | Mac | Linux (Starts from $6/month, free version available)

2. Notion

Notion app for Windows

Since its release in 2016, Notion has quickly turned out to be one of the most sought-after note-taking and productivity apps for developers. So, if you work in the IT field and want to keep all your tasks organized, this app is a solid choice.

Notion lets you choose from over 60 programming languages for syntax coloring/highlighting—including C++, Java, Python, and HTML. It supports various LaTeX functions and markdown elements to make your code blocks stand out. As a developer, you'll also enjoy using Notion's keyboard shortcuts to save a considerable amount of time.

Besides note-taking, Notion is also project management software with plenty of collaboration tools for those who need them. The app is free for personal use indefinitely, but if you wish to access the version history to track changes, or you want team collaboration features for business use, you'll need to shell out for its paid plans.

Download: Notion for Windows | Mac | Android | iOS (Free for personal use, paid plans from $8/month)

3. Quiver

quiver-screenshot

Quiver is one of the best note apps for programmers who like to keep things flexible; you can mix and match the text in both Markdown and LaTeX formats with embedded code inside your notes. Quiver also has a dedicated code editor in the app; it's cleaner and more responsive than those of its competitors, making note-taking for programmers much easier.

As for syntax highlighting, this app supports over 120 programming languages. Cloud storage sync is available for Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, and more. And, because it stores your code notes as JSON files, you can safely use version control to track changes. Shared notebooks allow for collaboration between teammates on large projects. It even has a web clipper. What more could you want?

If Quiver is so great, why is it listed third? The unfortunate truth is that it's only available on Mac. While the Mac operating system can be a wonderful programming environment, Quiver is not the best note-taking app for software engineers who routinely hop between other OSes. You can find Quiver for $9.99 on the Mac App Store, but if you want the free trial, you need to head over to yliansoft's site.

Download: Quiver for Mac ($9.99, free trial available)

4. OneNote

OneNote note taking interface

For many, OneNote is the best note-taking app, period. Until recently, however, it lacked syntax highlighting, which is a huge red flag when taking notes for coding. Fortunately, thanks to a free add-on, OneNote can now support syntax highlighting just fine.

The add-on is admittedly a bit clunky, but it's nice to know that you can finally use OneNote for storing code notes. Since OneNote is one of the best ways to take notes as a student, we consider this app to be the best note-taking app for computer science majors or even just anybody studying programming in general.

OneNote's note-sharing feature is also great for collaborative projects. It's completely free and available on nearly every major platform, with Linux being the sole exception. Regardless, you can still use OneNote on the web.

Download: OneNote for Windows | Mac | Android | iOS (Free)

5. CherryTree

CherryTree text editor interface with a blank white screen and an open menu

CherryTree is unlike most note-taking apps for programmers in that it's more of a personal wiki—you can insert links to any other page throughout the notebook.

There are similar apps, including wikidPad and Zim, but CherryTree supports a special page type specifically for code. You can write regular notes for ideas and tasks and then switch to the code note feature for snippets. As far as page hierarchy options go, both types of page work the same way.

It's quick as hell, making it one of the best lightweight note-taking apps. Speed demons, this one is for you.

Download: CherryTree for Windows (Free)

6. Sublime Text

Open menu icon in Sublime Text interface

If you're a programmer, you probably already know about Sublime Text. It's actually a text editor, not a note-taking app.

However, it is still perfectly suitable for programming notes. Each note is a text file, and every code snippet exists in a separate, language-appropriate file.

Sublime Text's native features are excellent for increasing productivity, and the ability to split it into multiple editor panes is indispensable. For note-taking and organization, it gets even better with just a few free plugins.

SideBarEnhancements is a must-install for every Sublime Text user. It adds many improvements to the sidebar, mostly in the menu when you right-click files. PlainTasks incorporates a task-style to-do list right into the editor. MarkdownEditing is nifty if you want to take your notes in Markdown.

Sublime Text is pretty costly, but the free evaluation period never ends. As long as you can deal with an occasional pop-up reminding you to purchase the full version, you can use Sublime Text for free indefinitely.

Download: Sublime Text for Windows | Mac | Linux ($99, free evaluation version available)

7. TickTick

List options on-screen in TickTick interface
No attribution required: Image by Sahil Kapoor
 

TickTick is a to-do list app that's much like other note-taking apps for programmers. But it has one subtle feature that soars far above the rest: every list item has a "description" field. This field is basically an entire notepad.

As a programmer, you can use TickTick to track all your tasks as individual list items and store notes dedicated to each task. There's no syntax highlighting or rich-text formatting, however, so it's better for managing ideas than storing code snippets themselves.

You get all the benefits of a full-blown to-do list app: folder organization, subtasks, recurring tasks, reminders, priorities, and pretty much anything else you can think of. TickTick offers a free plan with a limited number of lists; a paid plan is $28 per year.

TickTick supports all the major platforms except Linux, but you can rely on the web app no matter what device you use.

Download: TickTick for Windows | Mac | Android | iOS ($2.79/month or $27.99/year, free version available)

Tips for Becoming a Better Programmer

If all else fails, you can always stick notes right next to your code. Commenting in this way isn't the slickest way to write, but it's one option for low-level notes pertinent to certain snippets.

If you're ready to step it up, we know that at least one of the note-taking apps listed above will hit the sweet spot for you and your work. They'll make your code cleaner and so much easier for the next person to dive into.