— Notes & Docs Tool

Craft

Last updated June 22, 2026 · Reviewed by ToolForge Editorial

The best-looking notes and docs app in 2026 — Apple-first, AI-augmented.

★ 4.6/5 · 1M+ users · Since 2020 · Free tier (1,000 blocks)
Free · $5/mo Pro
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The notes app with the best design in the business

Craft is the productivity app that makes Notion look like a spreadsheet from 2008. Beautiful typography, gorgeous covers, drag-and-drop blocks that feel native on every Apple device, and a fast new Craft AI assistant for rewriting, summarizing, and translating. It's the favorite notes app of designers, founders, and product managers who care how their docs look. The 2026 release finally brought a real Windows app and a much-improved web version.

Who it's for: Apple ecosystem users, designers, product managers, founders, and writers who want their notes to look as good as the rest of their work. Less suited for engineering teams or anyone on Linux.

Key features

Design Best-in-class design

Craft's typography, spacing, and cover images are the gold standard. Documents look like Apple marketing pages by default. Drag-and-drop blocks feel native on Mac and iPad.

[[]] Deep links & backlinks

Link any block to any other block. Backlinks surface automatically. Unlike Obsidian, the link picker is gorgeous and live-preview.

AI Craft AI assistant

Built-in GPT-4o-powered assistant: rewrite, summarize, translate, change tone, fix grammar. Inline or in a side panel. No extra cost on the Pro plan.

Apple Native Mac, iPad, iPhone apps

Real native apps on every Apple device. Mac app is fast and keyboard-driven. iPad app is the best note-taking experience on a tablet, period.

The honest take

✓ What works

  • Best design in any notes app, by a wide margin
  • Native Mac/iPad/iPhone apps are polished and fast
  • Block-level deep links with live preview are gorgeous
  • Craft AI is a real productivity booster on Pro tier
  • Free tier is generous — 1,000 blocks, all core features

✗ What doesn't

  • Windows app is brand new (2026) and still missing features
  • No Linux app — engineers on Linux need Obsidian or Notion
  • Web version works but feels like a less-polished fallback
  • Less flexible than Notion for databases and complex structures
  • Sharing and collaboration UX still trails Notion and Google Docs

Verdict

If you live in the Apple ecosystem and care about how your notes look, Craft is the obvious choice. The design alone makes writing more enjoyable. The free tier is genuinely useful for individuals. For databases and team workflows, pick Notion. For local-first privacy, pick Obsidian. For open-source and free, pick Logseq.

💡 Transparency: This review contains affiliate links. If you sign up through our link, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We only recommend tools we use ourselves. Full disclosure.

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