The best digital commonplace book apps in 2026
Six apps for keeping the ideas worth returning to, compared honestly.
A commonplace book is one place for the things worth remembering: a line from a book, an idea that would not let go, an observation from an ordinary day. People kept them on paper for centuries. John Locke even published a method for indexing one.
Today many people keep theirs in an app. The hard part is picking one.
A note before the list: xotes makes one of these apps, and it is on the list. Each entry below says who the app fits and who it does not, including xotes.
What makes a good one
Four things matter more than any feature list.
- Fast capture. If saving a thought takes a minute, you will stop saving them.
- Finding it again. A commonplace book you cannot search is a drawer you never open.
- Keeping the source. A quote without its author slowly turns into a misquote.
- Owning your words. You should be able to export everything and leave.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|
| xotes | A calm, dedicated commonplace book | Yes | $7/month |
| Readwise | Resurfacing ebook and article highlights | No, 30-day trial | $5.59/month, billed yearly |
| Capacities | A linked knowledge base | Yes | $9.99/month, billed yearly |
| Obsidian | Local files you fully control | Yes | Sync from $4/month, billed yearly |
| Notion | Building your own system | Yes | $10/month, billed yearly |
| Day One | A diary of your life | Yes | $49.99/year |
1. xotes
Best for: people who want a commonplace book without building one.
Write a quote, an idea, or a note, then tap Sort and xotes suggests a title, category, and tags you can edit. Photograph a book page and Scan turns it into text. On Core and Pro, Split turns one page into separate entries. Find anything by keyword, tag, category, or date, or read the whole book in reading mode. Once a day, revisit brings back one of your own entries, so what you saved does not sit forgotten.
Worth knowing: no links between notes and no native apps yet. You can import highlights from Readwise or a Kindle clippings file on any plan, and Pro syncs Readwise every day. It runs in any browser and installs to your phone's home screen. Free includes unlimited journaling; Core is $7 a month and Pro is $10. See pricing.
2. Readwise
Best for: heavy Kindle and article readers.
Readwise syncs your highlights from Kindle, Instapaper, Apple Books, and more, then sends a Daily Review that brings old highlights back. Nothing else on this list resurfaces your reading as well.
Worth knowing: it centers on other people's words, so your own ideas take a back seat. There is no free plan after the 30-day trial. Lite is $5.59 a month and Full is $9.99, both billed yearly. How it compares to xotes.
3. Capacities
Best for: people who think in connections.
Notes become objects, such as books, people, and ideas, linked by backlinks and shown on a graph. The free plan is generous: unlimited notes, full-text search, and apps on every platform.
Worth knowing: a linked system rewards upkeep, and AI features need a paid plan. Pro is $9.99 a month billed yearly. How it compares to xotes.
4. Obsidian
Best for: people who want their notes as plain files on their own device.
Obsidian stores everything as Markdown files you own outright, with links, a graph, and a deep library of community plugins. The core app is free.
Worth knowing: you assemble the system yourself, and syncing across devices is a paid add-on unless you set up your own. Sync starts at $4 a month billed yearly.
5. Notion
Best for: people who enjoy designing their own setup, or want everything in one workspace.
Notion databases can hold any field you like, and there are countless commonplace book templates to start from. Pages can be shared and edited with others.
Worth knowing: setup takes time, and tagging is manual without Notion AI. Full Notion AI starts on the Business plan. Plus is $10 a month billed yearly. How it compares to xotes.
6. Day One
Best for: a diary rich with photos, places, and memories.
Day One is a polished journal with native apps everywhere, end-to-end encryption, and On This Day memories. It can scan text on every plan.
Worth knowing: it is built around events more than ideas. The free plan works on one device with one photo per entry. Silver is $49.99 a year and Gold, with AI features, is $74.99. How it compares to xotes.
And paper
A notebook and a pen still work. Paper is quiet, and writing by hand slows you down in a good way. The cost comes later, when you need one quote from three years ago and have six notebooks to search.
How to choose
Start with where your ideas come from.
- Mostly ebook highlights: Readwise.
- Mostly your own thinking, plus quotes from anywhere: xotes.
- Ideas you want to connect into a network: Capacities or Obsidian.
- A system you want to design yourself: Notion.
- The story of your days: Day One.
The best commonplace book is the one you keep using. Pick the one with the least friction for you, and start this week.
Prices checked October 2026. Check each app's pricing page for current details.