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The best note-taking apps help you remember crucial information. It’s often done with physical notebooks, but digital note-taking apps provide an easier way. You already carry a smartphone, so using the same device to take notes makes things convenient. Google Keep is one of the most popular note-taking apps used on smartphones globally.

Initially launched in 2013, Google Keep has amassed tens of millions of users within a short period. Because it’s free to use, Google Keep has become a go-to option for people seeking a simple app to store and manage notes.

But, is Google Keep an ideal note-taking tool for you? What are its unique features, and how does it differ from competitors? I’ve extensively reviewed the app to answer these questions for you. Read on to learn about Google Keep’s features, pros, and cons compared to rival note-taking tools.

(Image credit: Google)Google Keep: Plans and pricing

As I mentioned earlier, Google Keep is a tool you can use at no cost. Google offers it for free, along with various other tools, to keep users attached to its software ecosystem. Anyone with a Google account can enjoy Keep’s features.

However, there’s a catch. Google offers a premium tier for companies that desire collaborative functionalities and access to enhanced features on Google software tools. If your company subscribes to this premium plan, called Workspace, the features of Google Keep don’t change. However, your company can enjoy seamless collaboration on Google Keep and many other Google tools.

Google Workspace has three pricing tiers: Starter, Standard, and Plus. The Starter plan costs $7 per user per month, the Standard plan costs $14 per user per month, and the Plus plan costs $22 per user per month. There’s also an Enterprise Plus plan for large companies that can negotiate custom sales deals with Google’s team.

The Starter plan unlocks 30 GB of storage per account, the Standard plan unlocks 2 TB of storage, and the Plus plan allocates 5 TB to each account. Google Keep’s functionalities remain the same regardless of your plan, but these plans have significant differences in other areas.

(Image credit: Google)Google Keep: Features

Google Keep’s core feature is letting users keep and retrieve notes when needed. It lets you create and organize notes, from shopping lists to personal reminders, phone numbers, and workplace ideas. You can then label these notes for easy retrieval later. For example, you can have separate labels named “work” and “personal” and simply click on any label to find the relevant notes when needed.

To create a note, you have various options: a plain note, a list, a note with a drawing, or a note with an image. A plain note can be any text you choose to write. There’s no limit on the number of characters you can store in the plain note.

After writing your plain note, you can add a reminder to it, which will be saved in the Google Reminders app, and you’ll receive an email or push notification reminder at the appropriate time. Google Keep has seamless integrations with other Google tools, making it convenient if you already use one Google app or another.

If a plain note isn’t satisfactory, you can add images or drawings for context. Images can be uploaded directly from your PC or smartphone, but videos aren’t permitted. All uploaded images count towards your allocated storage, which ranges from 15 GB on the free plan to between 30 GB and 5 TB on Workspace plans.

Similarly, you can add drawings to your notes, a feature that is useful when trying to sketch ideas. Forgive me for not being the best artist, but my example below illustrates how adding drawings is done on Google Keep.

(Image credit: Google)

Notably, you can convert your drawing into an image and download it to your device. Drawings help you add significant context to the notes you’ve jotted.

I like that Google Keep provides ample text formatting features. It allows users to break down notes into headings and subheadings, making them easy to read later. You can bold, italicize, and underline specific words or phrases within your notes. The formatting options aren’t as plentiful as what you’ll find on a word processor, expectedly, but they provide the basics that help users create detailed notes.

Another feature I enjoyed is Google Keep’s Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which lets users extract text from uploaded images. The example below illustrates a picture I uploaded and its extracted text.

You can observe that Google Keep extracted the text from the image with a high degree of accuracy. I only needed to adjust the text a little to get a coherent note. The OCR feature isn’t perfect, but it works well most of the time. It’s a valuable feature in many situations, such as a lecture with informative slides displayed on a projector. In this case, you can simply snap a slide and extract the text instead of typing the same thing manually.

Still on the idea of extracting external information into your notes, Google Keep has a browser extension available exclusively on Google Chrome. With this extension, you can download web pages directly as notes to view later. Suppose you encounter a web page that piques your interest, but you’re too busy to read it at the moment. You can simply download it as a note and open it later. My only complaint is that this feature is compatible with Chrome but not with other browsers.

(Image credit: Google)

Another interesting feature is the ability to record voice notes and transcribe them into text. You can add an audio memo to a note, and Google's sophisticated voice recognition system will translate it to text and also keep the audio recording for future playbacks. In my case, the transcription feature wasn’t perfect, as I had to edit some words and phrases, but it transcribed most words correctly. Note that this feature only works on the mobile app.

I talked about using labels to organize your notes. However, that’s not the only way. You can change the background color of each note to differentiate it from the rest. For example, all personal notes can have one background color, and those related to work can sport another color.

Likewise, you can pin specific notes at the top of your dashboard. These pinned notes, which are of utmost importance, will always be displayed above the other notes you’ve created.

I mentioned reminders earlier, but there’s more to it. You can not only set time-based reminders, but you can also set reminders based on locations. That is, Google will issue a reminder about a note as soon as you arrive at a specific location. For example, you can set Google to remind you about school notes as soon as you arrive at school. You can receive work reminders as soon as you arrive at the office. These reminders are helpful in many day-to-day situations.

Seamless collaboration is one of Google Keep’s main benefits compared to rival note-taking tools. You can easily share your notes with friends, family, and colleagues, and they can view or edit the notes.

To share a note with someone, you can add their email address, and they’ll receive a notification about the note you’ve shared with them. Collaborators can view or edit your notes, and any changes are reflected in real-time.

For example, if you share a checklist, the collaborator can tick off items on the checklist, and it’ll immediately reflect in your Google Keep dashboard. A good thing about Google Keep is that there’s no limit to the number of collaborators you can invite.

Most Google tools allow you to set specific permissions for collaborators (read-only or editing access), but Google Keep bucks the trend. Anyone you invite automatically gets full access, including the ability to edit your notes. I didn’t like this lack of permission management.

Another thing I didn’t like relates to the text formatting options, which I mentioned earlier. Google Keep’s formatting features are basic, unlike the advanced formatting options I’ve encountered on several competing note-taking tools. However, it’s understandable because those tools require paid subscriptions, while Google Keep’s core features are entirely free.

Despite some drawbacks, Google Keep remains an excellent note-taking tool given the features available for free. It’s ideal if you need an intuitive app to keep simple notes. However, it’s not the best option if you need to manage large volumes of notes.

(Image credit: Google)Google Keep: Interface and in use

Google Keep is as simple to use as it gets. Its features aren’t much, so they are neatly arranged along the dashboard. The dashboard prominently displays the box to create a new note, and after opening this box, formatting options are clearly displayed at the bottom. The main menu lies in the top-left corner and is easy to navigate.

Even as a first-time user, you wouldn’t have problems understanding Google Keep’s interface at a glance. It’s coherent and intuitive, which I’ve observed as the norm with Google tools.

I liked that Google Keep has a built-in option to switch between light and dark theme modes, both on the web version and mobile apps (iOS and Android). I also liked the ability to switch between list and grid views of my notes. Generally, Google Keep has an excellent interface that I enjoyed interacting with.

Google Keep: Support

Google Keep users have access to ample support resources. Given it’s a free tool, there’s no direct support from Google’s team, except you’re a Google Workspace subscriber. However, you can always consult the official Google Keep Help Center, which includes detailed user guides and solutions to common troubleshooting scenarios.

Every Google Keep feature is covered in the Help Center, so you’ll likely find the solution to the problems you encounter on Google Keep. Along with the Help Center, there’s also an online community where you can seek solutions from other Google Keep users.

If your company is subscribed to Google Workspace, you can get direct help from Google’s support team via email, live chat, or telephone. However, Google Keep is simple enough that direct help is needed on rare occasions, or if at all.

Google Keep: The competition

Note-taking is a thriving software niche with many players. Google Keep is one of the players, albeit a dominant one. Two major competitors I’d like to highlight are Notion and Evernote.

Notion is more than a note-taking app. It’s a versatile tool that lets you manage broad projects, storing everything from knowledge bases to wikis and technical documents. Notion is extensively customizable and has a wider library of third-party integrations than Google Keep.

Google Keep is the go-to tool for managing simple notes, but Notion is the go-to tool for managing complex notes and text documents. Notion has extensive collaboration features with more permission control than Google Keep. The drawback is that Notion’s extensive features present a steep learning curve for the everyday user. It’s not as user-friendly as Google Keep, so expect more time to get used to it.

Evernote has several note-keeping features that Google Keep lacks, such as the ability to add videos to notes, rich text formatting, and whiteboards where multiple users can work on the same note simultaneously. It provides more advanced ways to organize notes, making it ideal for managing large note volumes.

The downside is that Evernote requires a subscription to access most of its features, while Google Keep is completely free. Evernote’s free tier is heavily limited compared to Google Keep.

Google Keep: Final verdict

Google Keep is an excellent choice if you need a simple app to keep your day-to-day notes. It’s free to use, intuitive, and lets you share notes with others.

Google Keep doesn’t have the most advanced features, such as rich text formatting, inserting videos within notes, and using folders and subfolders to organize notes. However, that’s intentional. Google created it as a free tool for everyday use, not for the most complex note-keeping scenarios. The app fulfills its purpose of simplifying digital note-taking perfectly.

We've listed the best note-taking apps for Android.

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Though it’s only been five years since its predecessor, roguelite game Hades 2 feels long-awaited. The weight of expectation on developer Supergiant to surpass the massive success of Hades must have loomed more dauntingly than the sword of Damocles itself. So, how do you build on a game ranking among the best roguelites in modern history?

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release date: September 25, 2025

With a refreshed cast of Grecian heroes and gods, Hades 2 carves its own take on mythos, making for a game that feels both familiar and wildly different to Zagreus’ tale.

For one thing, gameplay mechanics have been boldly reinvented, and there’s a whole lot more variety in each run. In Hades 2, range and placement can make or break your strategy; the addition of Magick gives Melinoë an entirely different moveset to Zagreus, and with less mobility than her brother, it’s all to play for on the battlefield.

The stakes are immediately high, and nothing encapsulates the shift in priorities better than the art and world-building Supergiant is so famed for. An inventive array of new foes, friends, and plenty of frenemies make for a captivating narrative that rarely strays into “wall-of-text” territory, and it’s a breathtaking journey from start to finish.

With war brewing at the home front in Tartarus and on Olympus, a war of the gods has begun once again, but will the Princess of the Underworld be able to defeat Time itself?

Generational trauma

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

The game begins at a crossroads – the crossroads, in fact, between the surface and the road to Tartarus. Readying for battle in this liminal space between life and death, Melinoë, daughter of Hades and Persephone, prepares to battle primordial powers to rescue her family.

Your foe is Chronos, the Titan of Time and father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades – for the nerds, yes, that’s an amalgamation of Chronos, the primordial concept of time itself, and Kronos, the leader of the Titans; two different figures from mythos. It’s fine, I’m not mad about it.

Before the events of the game, Chronos captured his chthonic son, along with Persephone, Zagreus, and a host of other underworld dwellers. Thankfully, Melinoë was whisked away just beforehand and into the care of Hecate, Witch of the Crossroads, to be trained in the art of witchcraft and, hopefully, rescue her relatives – and thus the story begins, and the generational trauma continues.

For your first few runs, you’ll venture towards Tartarus through Erebus (and Oceanus, if you can trounce the first guardian), but after these first two more linear levels, there’s a lot more diversity in chambers and encounters.

However, you’ll also quickly unlock access to the Surface, where Chronos’ goons are mounting an attack on Olympus. Having two options to venture keeps the game feeling fresh, removing the frustrating feeling of repeatedly falling at the same hurdle, and it’s a welcome change to the formula.

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

There’s a lot of ebb and flow to the game’s two pathways, and each region offers dynamic maps with plenty of ways to progress by gathering resources, meeting with allies, and finding familiars to recruit. Some regions can feel a little gruelling; Tartarus’ Fields of Mourning, in particular, forces you into repetitive waves of enemies to cash in on multiple rewards per encounter, but you often only really want one of them.

However, other levels like the City of Ephyra play on the level design to push you to think harder about your build’s foundations, choosing six of ten possible rewards; both examples dismantle the classic two-door choice convention and keep the game varied.

Along the way, various gods from Hades – plus some new faces – will appear to deliver Boons: powerful upgrades to your attacks, movement, weaponry, chance modifiers, and beyond. These feel improved on Hades’ strong foundations; there’s a great variety on offer, and it’s rare that I really need a re-roll to find something useful.

Another noticeable difference is the increased focus on resource gathering. Doing away with the trade mechanics makes for much more rewarding progression materials, and there’s a lot more to find within each region. Your familiars can help you here, with each specializing in a different resource (spirits, seeds, fish, and foliage) as well as helping out during combat.

Which witch is which?!

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Oft characterized in non-game lore as the goddess of ghosts, spirits, and sometimes nightmares, Melinoë is a wildly different protagonist from her brother Zagreus. She bears a glowing, enhanced arm capable of wielding various Arcana card power-ups, and can use Magick to charge and cast enhanced abilities through Omega spells.

Like your regular abilities, Omega spells have a further set of Boons, allowing you to build around your powerful charged attacks instead of just amping up your base damage. Alternatively, you can pretty much ignore your spells altogether if you prefer button-mashing your standard attack, special, and cast; the game rewards you for playing well, not for playing every feature.

Now, the cast has switched to an area of effect (AoE) crowd control move; you can sit in it to slash at enemies on the border or build it up to be a damage-dealing trap for your enemies. This is vital, and certainly the most significant change to combat at a base level. Using it well, and often, is key to surviving with enough strength for bigger battles, especially in later levels where you’re contending with hordes of the undead or fiddly ranged attackers.

There’s a great, gradual progression arc to power up throughout the game, and I found myself genuinely surprised on multiple occasions that there was still more to unlock.

Once again, there are keepsakes, weapon unlocks, and enhancements you can build into your runs to make your attacks hit even harder.

Best bit

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Eris is a real pain to tackle the first few times, but hoo boy, is it fun to thrash her once you learn the ropes. She’s not as punishing as late-game bosses like Prometheus, but there’s a satisfying knack to timing your dodges and landing hits.

From an enormous, badass battle-axe to skulls that land with a “BOOM!”, Melinoë uses a mix of ranged and melee weapons to tackle her foes, but with way less mobility than her older brother. There’s no more double dash, but you can always use the new infinite sprint to zoom away from danger. Still, combat feels satisfyingly snappy, just with a greater emphasis on positioning.

Mel also swaps God Calls for Hexes, gifts from Selune that can be upgraded via a skill tree as you journey onwards. Personally, I’m a fan of the health regen Hex, which can be leveled to stack across regions and deliver huge amounts of health; particularly useful when you’re running with a squishier Mel build.

Each of these changes feels meaningful, and not just to differentiate Hades 2 from its successful predecessor. Plus, there’s so much variety and depth to each run that there’s no point in banking on specific builds; your Keepsakes can help pave the way for specific Boons, but you’re up against greater odds than in Hades.

That’s doubly true when you contend with the great variety of enemies, mini-bosses, and bosses. There’s no one way to play Mel, and the combatants want you to remember that; some punish you for an over-reliance on dashing, some for sitting too still or getting too close; others, you just have to hope you’ve built around strongly enough to kill before they can get you first (Prometheus, I’m looking at you. I’m judging you, in fact. Relentlessly.)

On the road again

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Calling the crossroads a liminal space feels at odds with the teeming life, love, and emotion housed in the battle camp Mel and her associates call home, but perhaps that’s exactly the point. Here, in a space designed for passage, a band of heroes, villains, and gods alike from mythos find refuge and comfort from a world in a perpetual state of pre-apocalypse. Of course, that’s all tinged by the undertones of the dysfunctional Olympian family tree, but if you can look past the bickering siblings, Mel and Hecate’s mommy issues, and, of course, the many mortals left in the wreckage of godly pettiness, there are some beautiful bonds formed at the crossroads.

From shopping to decorating and even gardening, there’s a lot to do between runs. Hecate's cauldron offers permanent upgrades both in and out of runs, and there are more interactive spaces like the salt baths and the fishing pier. There’s a huge amount of unlockable content and interactions here; characters react to the outcome of the previous run and even the items Mel takes with her to the field, making it genuinely rewarding to sit through dialogue.

Eris, Nemesis, Moros, and Icarus are the romancable options (at least, the only ones I’ve encountered), but I’d really encourage forming bonds with all of the main cast. Deep secrets and connections to other figures in mythos mean characters like Dora expand the universe even further and teach you more about Mel’s history and identity. Greg Kasavin was not messing around when he put pen to paper for Hades 2, though I do share some fans’ criticisms of the slightly rushed ending.

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

The world is, of course, more than its writing. Darren Korb’s tremendous musical talents are once again in full force, providing a dramatic underscore to the on-screen action with even greater zeal. Jen Zee also delivered with some excellent refreshed character designs, each with subtle hints to the more militant themes in the game.

Even Aphrodite now bears arms (though clothing still appears to be optional), and Zeus is armored up in preparation for the great battles on the horizon. New animations for character cards breathe life into the designs, aided of course by another stellar cast of talented voice actors.

Rolling credits for the first time is only the beginning; there’s a lot more you’ll want to eke out of these relationships on your road to the ‘true’ ending, and that’s the real magic of the Hades 2 formula. It takes repetition and makes it a thematic driver, pulling you deeper into the world of the Gods and their follies.

Hades 2 absolutely surpasses its predecessor in almost every way, building on its success reservedly but meaningfully, and it’s a must-play game for all to enjoy. It’s a masterpiece in its own right, though Mel’s story is inseparable from Zagreus’ successes in more ways than one.

Should Supergiant choose to revisit the land of the gods with a sequel, I’m once again left wondering how it could withstand its legacy, but with a fresh confidence that they can once again go the distance.

Should you play Hades 2?Play it if...

You love fast-paced action
Punchy, zippy, and full of zest, the combat in Hades 2 is tremendously satisfying. Even with the new focus on positioning, there’s a lot of speedy decision-making and dashing around to enjoy here.

You enjoyed Hades
Without being a straight repeat, Hades 2 captures the essence of what made its predecessor so great: a stunning blend of story, style, and sticking it to the man. The man is Chronos, and he is actually a concept, not a man.

You appreciate art and world-building
The creative powers behind Hades and its sequel are immense, and few games have enraptured me with artistic appeal quite as well as this.

Don't play it if...

You hate repetition
While there’s a lot less of it in Hades 2, naturally, you’ll have to grind your way through areas. The mid-game suffers the most here, but it’s a very temporary setback. Also, it’s kind of the whole point of roguelites.

Accessibility

Within the settings, you have the option to toggle ‘God Mode’ under the Gameplay tab, which reduces the difficulty in the game, offering more damage resistance the more often you die. Alternatively, you can customize features like Auto-Fire/Auto-Sprint, Aim Assist, Dead Zones, and more to make gameplay more accessible. There are subtitles for both speech and song, as well as changeable vibration settings and visual effect settings.

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)How I reviewed Hades 2

I got 50 hours of the game, unlocking both the main ending and rolling credits on the ‘true’ ending of Hades 2 using a Nintendo Switch 2. I played it in both docked and undocked mode to see if legibility or performance is impacted by the screen size, comparing my experience against other roguelites, including Dead Cells, The Binding of Isaac, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, and, of course, the original Hades.

I tried different settings, including God Mode, to see the impact on the game’s accessibility and performance, and tried playing both with a Corsair Void Max Wireless v2 headset and through the Switch 2 speakers.

First reviewed September 2025

Hades 2 has a lot to live up to in the looming shadow of one of the best roguelites ever, but it’s checked all the right boxes for me.

The findings were reported in a Reddit thread where members shared similar experiences.