Once upon a time the only way to take down notes was with a pen and paper. The more notes you took, the more physical space got filled up and your space became more and more cluttered. The more clutter you have, the easier it is to lose track of your notes, and eventually it gets to the point where you might as well not have taken them down in the first place. Luckily, there is an app for everything these days. With smart phones as common as they are, everyone is carrying around a virtual notebook with them everywhere they go.

For anyone who takes a lot of notes, the simplest solution is to download one of several free note taking apps that are out there. With as many as there are to choose from, though, how do you make sure you have the best one? One incredibly useful feature is the option for collaborative document editing. This means when you take your notes on your device, anyone you choose can go on their device to read and make changes to your notes, or even add their own. It works as a major time saver when you do not have to physically pass papers back and forth all the time. This kind of feature is especially ideal for medical professionals who need everything done as quickly as possible.

For college students in particular, the best apps for note taking feature the option to download college ebooks right into the app. Aside from being lighter and often cheaper than traditional textbooks, this puts all your work in one convenient location. You can read and take notes as you go with no difficulty.

One more major feature to look for in a free note taking app is the integration of social media platforms. If you take notes down on improving a project at work, you can alert other people that you connect with through social media to ensure they see it fast. When time is money, every little advantage helps.

There are a lot of free note taking apps out there, so it helps to know what makes one better than the others. A collaborative writing app with downloadable textbooks and social media integration will create higher productivity for you and those you work with. Everyone from college students to medical professionals can benefit from this.