Explore the top second brain apps for capturing thoughts, managing tasks, and connecting ideas — built for clarity, focus and everyday productivity.
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I’ve tested most of the second brain apps out there.
Some were too rigid, others made me feel like I needed a certification to set them up. A few basic core features are buried behind a maze of pop-ups or outdated guides. Once, I had to set up an entire “project” just to remind myself to book a dentist appointment!
Some tools came close, others felt overwhelming, lacked structure or just didn’t match how I think.
What I wanted was an easy way to build a system that worked like my brain (but better): a place to capture information and content, track personal tasks, link thoughts to action steps and occasionally remind me what I was doing last Tuesday.
The “perfect tool” would store information and make it easy to retrieve.
I needed a place to store it all, without anything getting lost or hidden.
If you’re building a second brain that helps you think, plan and focus, this list is for you: it contains six second brain apps worth checking out.
A second brain is like a digital extension of your mind; a personal system that helps you capture and organize everything you can’t memorize but would like to remember and access later. It’s a place to store ideas, thoughts, notes, tasks, links, reminders and anything else you might need.
The goal of the second brain is to stop relying solely on your memory, organize your internal world and give your brain more space to think, create and focus. It gives you clarity, headspace and the freedom to focus on what matters at the moment without losing track of the rest.
People build second brains to:
Image source: noteplan.co
NotePlan is built for iOS users who want their brain (and their calendar) to stop living in different apps. It brings your notes, tasks and schedule into one second brain system, so you can stop copy-pasting your life between tools.
Instead of a blank slate, NotePlan gives you a timeline: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly notes are created automatically. You can capture random thoughts, track habits or plan your week without setting up a single template.
Tasks live within your notes: you can drag them to a new day, filter by tag or project and stay focused when managing complex projects or dozens of personal and work tasks.
For long-term structure, NotePlan supports the PARA method and links related notes with backlinks. Here’s how to implement a P.A.R.A. system in NotePlan.
You can also use NotePlan as a digital bullet-journal, combining freeform notes with time-based structure to track habits, plan tasks and log reflections.
NotePlan syncs across all your Apple devices, works offline and stores everything in plain Markdown files, because your knowledge base shouldn’t vanish if a server sneezes.
Bonus: it’s fast, even with thousands of notes.
Apple App Store: 4.7
Image source: apps.apple.com
Start your free 7-day trial and see how NotePlan can simplify your entire workflow — no strings attached.
Image source: amplenote.com
Amplenote combines notes, tasks and a calendar in a single app. You can write in rich text, drop in images or links and create tasks directly inside your notes with due dates, priorities and recurring options.
Instead of planning by day or week, Amplenote focuses more on organizing by project. You usually start by writing out your ideas, then schedule tasks separately. The calendar helps support planning, but it’s not its core feature.
You can organize content using tags, folders and systems like PARA. It also supports capturing content for publishing or sharing with teams, which can be useful for busy professionals managing shared work.
Amplenote is available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and the web, with syncing across devices. A Chrome extension is available too.
Apple App Store: 4.7
Image source: apps.apple.com
See also: ADHD apps
Image source: milanote.com
Milanote is a visual organization and notetaking app built around drag-and-drop boards that allow users to arrange notes, images, links and files on an open canvas. Instead of using a text-based or timeline layout, it offers a spatial approach, suitable for visual thinkers.
You can group content into columns, draw connections between items and use templates for project planning and creative briefs. Notes and files can be captured from any device, then organized into boards using folders with custom layouts.
Milanote is available on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and web, with sync across platforms and support for real-time collaboration.
See also: Milanote alternatives
Apple App Store: 4.4
Image source: apps.apple.com
Image source: notion.so
Notion is a customizable workspace that combines note-taking, databases and task management. It uses a block-based editor where users can add text, checklists, tables or embeds and organize them into pages and databases.
Information can be linked to build structured systems. Content is can be grouped using templates, dashboards and filtered views like calendars or Kanban boards.
If you’re organizing work on macOS, you might choose to use one of these Mac productivity apps to get the best out of your workdays.
Notion is available on web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, with real-time sync across devices and support for collaborative workspaces.
See also: Notion alternatives
Apple App Store: 4.8
Image source: apps.apple.com
Image source: miro.medium.com
Heptabase is a visual note-taking and knowledge management app built around whiteboards and cards. It lets users organize notes spatially on infinite canvases, connecting ideas through visual links and mind maps.
Each note is created as a card that can be moved, grouped and connected with lines. Users can tag and organize these cards within whiteboards that follow their structure, such as the PARA method. PDFs and other files can also be imported, highlighted and linked into the visual workspace.
Heptabase runs on Windows, macOS, iOS and web, with syncing and offline access.
See also: AI note-taking apps
Apple App Store: 4.3
Image source: apps.apple.com
Image source: itsfoss.com
Logseq is a privacy-focused, open-source note-taking app that uses a block-based structure to capture and connect information. Notes are written in Markdown or Org-mode and stored locally, giving users full control over their data.
Users can create links between blocks and pages to build a web of interconnected notes. A graph view shows how those notes relate visually. It supports templates, tags and task management and works offline-first with syncing options via Git or cloud services.
Logseq is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
See also: Logseq alternatives
Apple App Store: 4.5
Image source: apps.apple.com
Choosing the right second brain app depends on how you think, plan and organize information. Here’s a quick summary to help you decide:
If you want a second brain that doesn’t just store information, but helps you stay on track — NotePlan offers something other apps don’t: a fully adaptable system that connects your notes, tasks and calendar in one clear, flexible view.
Plan your week, review your goals, capture ideas and move tasks around — all in the same place, without losing context.
Start your free 7-day trial and see how NotePlan turns daily planning into a connected, distraction-free workflow.
A second brain app is a digital tool that helps you capture, organize and connect information, like notes, tasks and ideas, so you don’t have to rely on memory alone. It supports clearer thinking, better planning and easier access to information. NotePlan is a perfect app to build your second brain!
| App Name | Key Features | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
Time-based notes (daily/weekly/monthly/yearly) Task/calendar integration PARA support Backlinks Voice-to-text AI summarization | iOS/macOS users managing tasks, goals and ideas in a structured timeline. Ideal for project planning, tracking and building a personal knowledge base | |
Amplenote | Notes, tasks and calendar Rich-text editor Prioritization Recurring tasks Tag/folder organization Chrome extension | Project organization, embedding tasks in notes and managing collaborative content. |
Milanote | Visual boards Drag-and-drop layout Templates Real-time collaboration Multimedia support | Visual thinkers, creatives and teams mapping out ideas, storyboards or project structures. |
Notion | Block-based editing Relational databases Templates Multiple view modes (table, calendar, Kanban) Collaboration tools | Users building structured systems, dashboards or managing projects with linked databases. |
Heptabase | Infinite whiteboards Card notes Visual linking PDF annotation Mind mapping | Spatial thinkers and researchers who need to map relationships and synthesize complex ideas. |
Logseq | Block-based notes Backlinks Graph view Markdown/Org support Task integration | Privacy-focused users managing detailed, interconnected notes or using methods like Zettelkasten. |