Expert's Rating
Pros
- Simple note-creation tool
- categories
- formatting tools for text
- password protection
Cons
- Quite utilitarian interface
Our Verdict
With password protection, a customisable toolbar and a redesigned interface, TopXNotes is a great choice if you’re in the market for a comprehensive but easy to use note taker.
There are tons of note-taking apps for the Mac – Yojimbo, Circus Ponies’ Notebook and Notational Velocity spring to mind. Like many of the top tools in this category, TopXNotes offers the kind of features you’d expect from a basic note-taking application. It’s got a simple interface for entering notes quickly and cleanly. This includes a hierarchical sidebar for fast navigation and multiple column views so you can move between categories of notes easily.
The QuickNotes feature is a good reason to pick this over the rest. Designate a note as a QuickNote and you can access it from a floating palette that always appears on top of other applications. It lets you open notes quickly without having to shuffle through other apps or lose sight of the window you’re working in.
Other valuable TopXNotes features include the ability to group related notes together, open multiple notes at once and view notes organised by group or category in the application’s NoteOrganizer window.
Features like colour coding and multiview help you track multiple categories easily
Version 1.5 saw a major interface overhaul, with new and larger icons, improved scrolling, and lots of cosmetic improvements. Now, in version 1.7, TopXNotes improves its NoteSync synchronisation capabilities significantly. Use it with the iOS version, TopNotes, and you can carry your notes around with you on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Notes can be entered on your computer or mobile device. The NoteSync feature takes care of the rest.
While there are other note-taking tools that do sync, most do it via the web. TopXNotes does it using WiFi, over the secure network between your Mac and your devices. The results are fast and fluid.