After daily driving Android phones for over a decade, I made the switch to the iPhone 16 Pro last year. I didn’t completely commit to Apple’s ecosystem, though, and replaced several iOS stock apps with Google apps on my iPhone. However, after learning that Apple Notes was widely regarded as a better note-taking app than Google Keep, I decided to give it a try. After using it for a while, I am extremely happy I did.
Better organization, richer formatting
A little structure goes a long way
It didn’t take me long to see why many prefer Apple Notes. While Keep is great for quick notes and jotting down your grocery list, its lack of advanced organization and formatting features felt limiting after I tried Apple Notes. The latter offered a more well-rounded experience that helped me do more than just the note-taking basics.
Apple Notes’ folder-based organization was the first thing that appealed to me. It fit my workflow far better than Keep’s cluttered home screen, replacing endless scrolling and color-coded notes with an easier way to keep my notes organized. I also liked how simple it is to add and filter notes using tags, which takes all the effort out of keeping things tidy.
In addition to Apple Notes’ impressive organization capabilities, you get a wider range of formatting options. These are great for long notes and make it incredibly easy to give them some structure, highlight key sections, and include checklists or tables where needed. On top of that, Apple Notes lets me insert a broader variety of media, quickly scan and attach documents, and even add rough sketches, making it far more versatile than Keep.
The little things that got me hooked
Unexpected perks that just make sense
After using Apple Notes regularly for a while, I discovered a couple of other handy features that made me appreciate it even more. For instance, being able to add a Quick Note shortcut to my iPhone’s Control Center is perfect for when I want to quickly capture an idea on the fly. Similarly, the ability to copy a snippet from a website in Safari and use the share sheet to send it directly to a new note is a simple yet intuitive feature that works much better than manually copy-pasting content.
Other small touches like quick unit conversions for recipes, note interlinking, and the ability to view notes on my Apple Watch made the Notes app feel much more impressive than Keep, even though it’s still missing key features found in other third-party apps.
These additional features let me do a lot more than just jot down quick ideas, grocery lists, or reminders. I now use Apple Notes regularly to research topics, draft articles, and maintain a journal. The folder-based organization and tags make it easy to keep work notes separate from personal musings, and the ability to lock private notes with Face ID or Touch ID is a fantastic bonus.
Despite the improved note-taking experience offered by Apple Notes, I held onto Keep for a while because manually transferring years of notes over seemed like a chore. I even tried doing it one weekend, but quickly realized how tedious and time-consuming it would be. Thankfully, I recently stumbled upon a free tool that promises to take the pain out of the process.
Notes Migrator made the switch easy
All it took was a few clicks
While browsing through Reddit to find easier ways to transfer my notes from Google Keep to Apple Notes, I came across a comment about Notes Migrator. As its name suggests, the tool is designed to help you move notes between popular apps. Fortunately for me, it supports transfers between Google Keep and Apple Notes, and eliminates the need for a copy-paste marathon by converting a backup of notes in Keep into a file that can be imported directly into Apple Notes.
The process is straightforward: create a backup of your Keep data as a .zip file using Google Takeout, convert it using Notes Migrator, and import the converted .enex file into Apple Notes on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Using the tool, I was able to migrate my entire Keep archive in just a few clicks.
That said, the transfer wasn’t entirely flawless. While most of my notes transferred cleanly, checklists from Keep didn’t carry over properly, some notes had minor formatting issues, and attached images failed to transfer. A few notes also displayed incorrect creation dates. On the bright side, Notes Migrator handled categorization surprisingly well. It preserved label information from Google Keep by automatically turning labels into corresponding tags in Apple Notes. Even archived notes got their own tags, making them easier to find.
A few hiccups, but easy to recommend
For me, Notes Migrator’s shortcomings were easy to overlook. I didn’t have many checklists or image-heavy notes, and the time I saved far outweighed the occasional formatting quirks. The fact that Notes Migrator is completely free and supports other popular apps like Evernote and Notion makes it a great option for anyone looking to switch to a different note-taking app without the hassle of manually migrating notes.
It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done with minimal effort. If you, like me, have been meaning to move your notes to a different app but keep putting it off, Notes Migrator is definitely worth a try.
