Notes against. Freeform: Which Apple app is best for taking notes? – Screen Rant

Apples The new Freeform app has all the familiarity of Notes without some of its limitations, but is that enough to make Freeform the default note-taking app on Apple devices? The Notes app has come a long way since its debut, and it’s finally rivaling third-party offerings like GoodNotes 5 and Notability. Now there’s a new challenger entering the field, and he’s also coming from Apple Park. Freeform is a whiteboard-style workspace that can be shared with up to 99 other people, with iMessage and FaceTime integration promoting collaboration. Still, it faces an uphill battle to win over longtime Apple Notes users.

Freeform and Apple Notes are more similar than different, but they’re clearly positioned for different types of work. That said, the user interface of both apps is basically the same. Both use a toolbar with available tools and input methods at the top of the screen, and offer sharing functionality with the ‘Following’ button. Apple Notes is structured like a typical text document with added drawing functionality through the ‘markup‘ tool. However, Freeform literally starts out as a blank canvas, and users can get started by adding text, drawing, or inserting media.

Related: How to Create and Collaborate with Freeform on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Freeform has an advantage when it comes to sharing and fluidity

Freeform is best used for quick bursts of creativity or planning projects that would typically take place on a whiteboard. This is especially useful for remote work, as 100 people can contribute to a single “board” at the same time while chatting, calling, or making video calls. Users can add everything from sticky notes to shapes, drawings, images, and videos.

While there isn’t unlimited space on a free-form board, there’s a lot more room for content and flexibility compared to an Apple Notes document. By default, a table is zoomed out to 100%, but users can zoom in up to 400% to capture the finer details. Then they can zoom out up to 10% to see the whole project plan or mind map. As such, moving in just about any direction is likely to open up more room for creativity and collaboration.

While there is certainly a subset of creatives and professionals who will use Freeform to its full potential, it won’t be the average user just trying to jot down a quick note. In those times, when users need to delete an email address or phone number in the blink of an eye, the structure and reliability of Apple Notes will be appreciated. Whether it’s their favorite note-taking app, Notes is an app that every Apple user knows how to navigate. That’s not gonna change anytime soon, no matter how much AppleFreeform’s app is for creativity and collaboration.

More: How to access Apple’s own apps on the web

Source: Apple