Heptabase

Heptabase stands out as a highly refined visual note-taking tool. It offers an extensive array of features, including task management, Readwise integration, a daily journaling function, and mobile applications for both iOS and Android—something that many similar apps lack.

Users can employ Heptabase in various ways. One option is to maintain a daily journal to jot down thoughts, tasks, and learning experiences:

Additionally, you can create detailed entries through “cards” in Heptabase.

All tasks are centralized in the Task tab, allowing you to view them all at once. This feature is relatively new, but it adds a lot of value, including the ability to set deadlines. While it’s simple now, improvements are expected.

As a visual note-taking application, it enables users to organize their notes on an infinite canvas, referred to as "whiteboards":

Navigating to the Map section reveals collections of whiteboards within your knowledge base, which you can arrange in any way that suits your thought process.

Though I haven't used it frequently lately, my boards include goals, life principles, and a personal finance overview, which attempts to visualize my financial strategies:

You can create a whiteboard for any purpose—be it exam preparation, article writing, recipe organization, or trip planning. The interface is user-friendly; simply drag and drop cards from the sidebar to arrange them on the canvas.

Utilizing arrows and lines can enhance the visualization of relationships between cards, and you also have the option to create mind maps if that’s your preference.

Scrintal

Scrintal is another noteworthy visual note application that I’ve tried. It closely resembles Heptabase but features “My Desk” instead of a daily journal. This serves as a temporary workspace for all your notes:

It functions like a notepad where you can jot down anything. When something is worth saving, you can create a new whiteboard from it. If other notes are unnecessary, you can simply clear them, just as you would in real life.

Within a board, you can search for specific cards and position them wherever needed.

You can also create columns to better manage your cards, particularly if you prefer a kanban board layout.

However, I feel that Scrintal lacks certain features, especially after using Heptabase. The absence of Readwise integration, which I find essential for importing reading highlights, is a notable downside. Additionally, it lacks a mobile application. Nevertheless, as they continue to develop, I anticipate more features will be added.

Traverse

Traverse is an innovative visual note app that is particularly beneficial for students. Its uniqueness lies in the combination of mind mapping, flashcards, and bi-directional linking.

While it may appear basic, it holds significant potential. You can create an unlimited number of whiteboards, termed "traverses," for various subjects—be it a book, a project, or a course.

Adding new notes to a board allows you to document topics or ideas as you learn.

A standout feature of Traverse is the ability to generate flashcards from your notes. Simply click the "new flashcard" button or highlight the text you wish to memorize.

I often use cloze deletions to aid memory retention, as they simplify the review process.

You can repeat this process for each note, and another impressive aspect is that you can connect notes with lines and arrows to visualize their relationships, forming a mind map.

Moreover, bi-directional linking allows you to connect different notes across various traverses, enabling seamless navigation.

The mobile application allows for on-the-go flashcard creation and review, which I find particularly useful for utilizing spare moments for study.

AFFiNE

AFFiNE is another new note-taking application that combines unique features. It resembles Notion but incorporates mind mapping, and it operates primarily offline, meaning your notes are stored locally on your device.

You can take notes just as you would in any other app, utilizing slashes for formatting and inserting links, images, kanban boards, and tables—all of which can be rearranged as blocks.

The standout feature is the ability to switch to mind map view at any time.

For extensive documents, this is particularly useful as it allows you to break down information into manageable pieces that can be arranged on the canvas.

Additionally, you can insert notes, shapes, images, and even draw directly if you're using a tablet, making it a versatile tool for brainstorming and planning.

Obsidian & Logseq

Obsidian and Logseq are considered among the best note-taking apps available, offering extensive customization options. Both applications include an infinite canvas feature.

They provide numerous plugins that enable you to tailor the apps to fit your specific needs. If you enjoy customizing your note-taking experience, these are excellent choices.

Read: How I Use Logseq to Take Notes and Organize My Life

I won’t delve into specifics, as there are plenty of resources available. Plus, they are free, so you can explore them immediately.

Albus

Albus might just be the ultimate tool for learning new subjects. It functions as an AI-driven mind mapping application. Since my last review, it appears they have made significant enhancements.

You begin by creating a board for a topic you wish to explore:

Albus then automatically generates a series of questions and subtopics to kickstart your learning journey.

You can select a subtopic to delve deeper into, and Albus will produce cards for further exploration. If you have specific queries, you can ask those, and Albus will respond.

You can even inquire about YouTube videos, PDFs, or web pages, allowing direct searches within Albus.

After selecting a video, you can enable insights, letting you ask questions about its content without having to watch it.

This functionality extends to PDF files and web pages as well; simply upload the material and ask away.

I find this concept fascinating and one of the most compelling applications of AI in education. If it included a flashcard feature like Traverse, it would be the perfect study companion.

Lattics

Finally, we have Lattics, which I believe is an excellent tool for students, academics, and writers. If you're familiar with the Zettelkasten or atomic note-taking methods, this app is particularly well-suited to those approaches.

It is designed for hierarchical information management, allowing you to create projects, articles, and cards, where a project consists of articles, and an article is made up of cards.

I utilize it by collecting ideas as cards, which can later be assembled into articles once I have sufficient content.

This makes it an ideal tool for those practicing Zettelkasten, as discussed in "How to Take Smart Notes," or for anyone interested in Ryan Holiday's writing methodology.

Read: Best 8 Note Apps for Zettelkasten Note-Taking Method

Additionally, it features commenting capabilities similar to Google Docs, as well as footnotes, making it excellent for collaborative and academic writing.

It also allows you to adjust the document style to resemble formats like The Economist, APA papers, or Medium articles.

Moreover, there’s a typewriter mode with keyboard sound effects that enhance the writing experience.

In summary, Lattics offers a clean, intuitive user interface that is perfect for those who find other note-taking applications overwhelming. If you're looking for simplicity without sacrificing functionality, this app is definitely worth exploring.

Read: Top 8 Incredible AI Note-Taking Apps