TL;DR: My Selection Summary

  • Simplenote: No image support; functionality is too basic.
  • Google Keep: Data cannot be exported; no Markdown support; unfriendly to long text.
  • Notion : Requires internet connection; slow startup speed; unsuitable for quick capture.
  • Obsidian: Great for a knowledge base, but too heavy to serve as an Inbox.
  • Upnote: Rich-text oriented; not Markdown native; free version limits are too restrictive.
  • Notesnook: Not Markdown native; cannot copy text as Markdown.
  • Apple Notes: No Windows platform support.
  • Anytype: The Winner————Local-first, open source, Markdown, beautiful, encrypted.

My obsession with “recording tools” has persisted for quite a long time. Because I frequently have text processing needs, I have been searching for the perfect portable, quick-capture tool.

The Early Days: From Paper to E-Ink

Early on, I was a loyal advocate of digital notes. Since junior high, I tried to abandon paper notebooks. The disadvantages of paper are obvious: the data is inflexible, cannot be exported, is hard to edit, and even simple typos or messy handwriting can clutter an entire page.

At that time, my only electronic device was a classic Kindle. It was eye-friendly, multi-functional, and compact. It could export reading notes directly into a spreadsheet, which was enough for me back then. However, as a recording tool, it had a fatal flaw: it lacked any optimization for editing. The E-ink refresh rate was low, requiring me to press every character “slowly and firmly” to type. Despite this, I specifically imported a custom e-book and did quite a bit of creative writing inside it using the annotation feature.

The Exploration Phase: Trial, Error, and Trade-offs

Simplenote: The Former Industry Standard

After entering college, Simplenote became my daily driver. It was practically the benchmark for the software industry: minimalist, high performance, Markdown support, excellent compatibility, forever free, and exportable data. Even looking back now, it’s hard for me to find fault with it.

The main reason I eventually replaced it was simple: it doesn’t support images.
However, I really admired its recycling bin mechanism—when notes are deleted, they aren’t automatically emptied but are kept forever. This unintentionally acted as an “automatic archive.” Opening Simplenote occasionally during college and seeing texts I casually wrote in junior high often filled me with nostalgia.

Google Keep: The Concern of Data Sovereignty

I briefly tried Google Keep after discovering it was integrated into Gemini. I was intrigued by the concept of “AI + Notes,” so I thought about switching my quick capture tool to Google Keep.

Keep has the typical Google product style: Web-native and lightweight. Its card stream view is great for an overview, and it supports images and collaboration.

But its text formatting support is minimal (no Markdown), and it is unfriendly to long text. The core reason I abandoned it, however, was the inability to export data. As someone who values data control, I cannot tolerate the risk of my data instantly evaporating if my Google account were to be banned. Now, I only use it to record temporary information that I don’t mind losing.

Upnote: Almost Perfect

I turned to Upnote as a modern alternative to Simplenote that supports images. Upnote features a notebook system, workspaces, and real-time Markdown rendering.

Many people love its aesthetic, considering it clean, fast, and elegant. It does indeed perform well. But after using it for a while, I found it wasn’t quite polished enough. The operation bar is too cluttered, and it feels strongly Rich-text oriented (you can’t paste directly from Markdown source). The list layout on mobile wasn’t compact enough for my liking.

Ultimately, the free version’s limit of only 50 notes drove me away—paying for that feature set didn’t feel worth it.

Notesnook: The Conflict Between Encryption and Format

After leaving Upnote, a newer, minimalist, encrypted note-taking app called Notesnook caught my attention.

I thought this would be my next tool: concise, lightweight, modern, beautiful, open-source, private, and supporting images and publishing. I still think it’s a very good app, and I prefer it over Upnote.

However, I abandoned it before diving too deep. It has a fatal pain point: it is not Markdown native. Does it support Markdown shortcuts during editing? Yes, but the underlying format isn’t Markdown. This means I cannot easily copy notes out as Markdown text.

Why Weren’t the Mainstream Tools Suitable?

  • Evernote: Used it very early on (elementary/middle school), but it quickly became unbearably bloated.
  • Obsidian: I still use Obsidian, but I have refactored it into a deep-linked “Knowledge Base” rather than using it for daily logging. Daily logging shouldn’t cause my knowledge base to expand infinitely; it makes management difficult.
  • Notion: Powerful database features and a beautiful interface, but its speed and performance are issues. Limited by cloud services, every open requires loading, and it lacks offline functionality. This is fatal for a quick recording experience.
  • OneNote: I barely used it. I dislike OneNote’s design, and it feels too bloated. Also, despite running Windows 11, I try to avoid the Microsoft ecosystem as much as possible.
  • Apple Notes: It’s truly a great app, but my Windows 11 PC can’t use it.
  • Bear: I used it a long time ago. It was the peak of aesthetics back then, but it doesn’t stand out much now. Plus, it also doesn’t work on Windows, and the free version is too restricted.

The Final Choice: Anytype

Finally, we arrive at the software I am currently using—Anytype.

I tried Anytype before but was initially confused by its “Object” logic. Now that I’ve revisited it, I find the logic quite easy to understand.

I found that Anytype truly satisfies all my requirements: Minimalist, Beautiful, Open Source, Private, Local-first, Image support, Publishing support, Markdown support, Data Export, and no major restrictions in the free version.

My current workflow is very smooth: all notes can be assigned a status. Notes I want to archive are simply archived, and by setting up filters, I don’t see them often, keeping the library clean. I can link notes freely and publish with one click. It has extensive features, and while it isn’t perfect (the desktop client still has noticeable bugs and lacks the high degree of polish that Notion has), it gives me what I wanted most: Control and Freedom.