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The Best Notebooks and Notepads

By Melanie Pinola

Melanie Pinola is a writer focused on home-office gear. To find the best paper shredder, she has shredded enough junk mail to fill several bathtubs.

A notebook is more than just a practical tool. It can be a source of joy, a covetable item that turns an ordinary, everyday task—note-taking, journaling, task-planning, brainstorming, or doodling—into a sublime experience.

Upgrading from a cheap notebook to a high-quality one usually costs just a couple more cents per page (or about $2 to $5 overall), and you’re worth it.

What we looked for

Ink bleeds from the edges of letters rather than creating crisp lines.

Pen ink is visible on the other side of the paper.

Ink actually comes through to the other side of the paper, or even the next sheet.

Toothiness refers to the paper’s texture. Generally, toothy paper is great for pencils because charcoal adheres better to paper that isn’t very smooth.

After interviewing experts, researching over 100 notebooks, and writing zealously in 34 of them side by side over several weeks, we have picks in a number of sizes and styles, priced from about $2 to $20. Any of these notebooks will provide an appreciably better writing experience than what you can get from a generic, off-the-shelf-at-Walgreens notebook.

We mention price per page when it’s notable, but our picks average 7¢ per page (at the time of publication). We also mention paper weight or thickness when that spec is important, but most of these high-quality pages are 80 to 90 grams per square meter (gsm); thicker isn’t always better, but all of the paper in our picks felt substantial and satisfying for us to write on. And most of the notebooks we tested had 7 mm lined ruling (close to college rule), but we note the exceptions below.

The research

Why you should trust us, a medium softcover notebook with silky pages: apica premium c.d. notebook (a5), a medium softcover notebook with more texture: midori md notebook (a5), a hardcover notebook for journaling or planning: leuchtturm1917 hardcover notebook classic (a5), the best budget hardcover notebook: paperage hardcover lined journal notebook, the best spiral-bound notebook: maruman mnemosyne n194a special memo notebook, disc-bound notebook for maximum customizability: levenger circa notebook, best pocket-size pick: muji passport memo, an upgraded pocket-size notebook: field notes 3-pack original kraft memo books, best reporter notebook: field notes 2-pack front page reporter’s notebooks, the best steno notepad: maruman mnemosyne n166 steno pad (a5), the best legal pad: rhodia no. 19 yellow pad, what about moleskine, how we picked and tested, other good notebooks and notepads, the competition.

Senior staff writer Melanie Pinola has tested and reviewed home office gear for Wirecutter since 2011, including webcams , USB microphones , and office chairs . She’s a die-hard stationery fan who uses notebooks daily for work and personal projects; it’s probably telling that almost everyone close to her has gifted her a notebook at one point or another.

During our preliminary notebook research, we consulted with and relied upon the work of experienced bloggers who review pens, pencils, and stationery, as well as a representative for online stationery store JetPens. These people care far more about the performance of paper against all sorts of writing implements than most people, and they also have a wide range of papers to compare notebooks with.

Apica Premium C.D. Notebook (A5)

The best medium-size softcover notebook.

This notebook is a pleasure to use thanks to its sturdy yet lightweight cardstock cover, excellent paper quality, and lie-flat design. The medium size can serve a wide range of purposes.

Buying Options

Get this if: You want a softcover notebook that is the size of a trade paperback book and has smooth paper your pen will glide over. The notebook’s paper shows off ink colors from fountain and rollerball pens brilliantly.

Why it’s great: Four out of five Wirecutter panelists chose the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook (A5) as their top or second-favorite notebook pick, saying the feel of the paper was the “best out of the bunch” and “silky yet not plasticky like some others.” The thick paper stood up well to a range of writing instruments—even demanding fountain pen ink—with little feathering and minimal ghosting.

We also liked the paper’s off-white, eggshell color—neither too bright nor too yellow—and the light-gray line ruling. The cardstock cover is sturdy, and the stitched binding is high quality, which allows the notebook to lie flat nicely. All in all, this is a great all-purpose notebook.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• The Premium C.D. Notebook’s super-smooth paper isn’t for everyone, especially those who are expecting a traditional paper feel as you get with typical composition notebooks. It feels more like the slick pages of The New York Times Magazine than the tougher paper that makes up the rest of the newspaper.
• It doesn’t come with a ribbon page marker, and although it has a small index on the first page, the pages aren’t numbered. Those features aren’t essential for most people, but if they matter to you, consider the Leuchtturm1917 Softcover Notebook Classic .

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 192 pages Ruling options: lined, graph, blank

Midori MD Notebook (A5)

A minimalist notebook with creamy, slightly toothy paper.

Because of its texture, this notebook is especially great for writing, sketching, or doodling with pencils or ballpoint pens, although it holds up to fountain pens too.

Get this if: You want a medium-size notebook with paper that’s easy on the eyes and offers tactile feedback—the slightly toothy paper slows your writing down and makes you pay more attention to it, in contrast to slicker paper that your pen would glide across.

Why it’s great: The Midori MD Notebook is simplicity at its best, with a plain cream-color cardstock cover and matte pages with light blue ruling. Three out of five testers ranked this notebook in their top three, saying they loved the pleasant tone of the paper and the notebook’s minimalist aesthetic, which makes writing and journaling as distraction-free as possible.

It takes all sorts of ink, but it handles pencil especially well because of the paper’s slight tooth; the blank or graph versions of the Midori MD Notebook would be fantastic for doodling or sketching. We noticed some ghosting or show-through on the other side of the page, but we didn’t find it intrusive.

The quality of the stitching is terrific and allows the notebook to lie flat. (Compared with other notebooks of this size, including the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook, the Midori MD Notebook is bound in smaller sections, called signatures—16 signatures versus a more common eight or 12—which makes it sturdier and helps it lie flat more easily.) Unlike many other soft notebooks, this one has a ribbon bookmark—a silky green one that nicely complements the cream pages.

• Our main complaint against this otherwise lovely notebook is the dark horizontal line that runs across the middle of all the pages. While some people might use this line to divide their notes, we found it distracting and unnecessary.
• Although the cardstock feels sturdy, it’s not as rugged or as thick as other notebooks’ covers. (It comes with a thin plastic cover, but we found that more intrusive than useful.) Clear, paper, and leather covers are available at JetPens.
• Although most of our testers didn’t experience a lot of smudging with most writing utensils, our left-handed tester found that this notebook’s paper smudged significantly more with a gel pen than that of other notebooks.

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 176 pages Ruling options: lined, graph, blank

Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook Classic (A5)

The best medium-size hardcover notebook.

With page numbers, index pages, two ribbon bookmarks, and sticker labels, this notebook has all the bells and whistles and simply feels a bit more special than competing notebooks.

Get this if: You want a medium-size hardcover notebook that helps you organize and keep track of your thoughts and ideas. All of the tiny details, such as the index pages and labels for archiving, make this notebook gift-worthy, too.

Why it’s great: The Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook Classic (A5) was the favorite notebook of three of our testers, and they listed many reasons for that. Most of all, the cream-color paper is exquisite, with a powdery, toothy texture unlike that of any of the other notebooks we tested or have used in the past. (In a pile of more than 20 notebooks, this is the one I could most readily pick out if blindfolded.)

The paper took well to pencil, ballpoint, rollerball, gel pen, and fountain pens, with very little smudging and no bleeding. Most of our testers said it just felt good to write on.

We love the firm cover and the ample page count, as well as all the extras this notebook offers: two thick ribbon bookmarks, labels for the spine and title page, page numbers, index pages, and a sturdy back pocket.

• Because its paper is thin, you might notice more ghosting with this notebook than with the other notebooks in this list. However, the ink doesn’t show through as much as it does with a Moleskine notebook —perhaps the most popular brand for notebooks of this size and type.
• The line ruling is narrower than in other notebooks we tested—6 mm versus the typical 7 mm. A difference of a single millimeter might not sound like a lot, but if you have large handwriting, this ruling might be too tight for you. On the other hand, if you prefer to have more lines per page, it could be a bonus.

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 251 pages Ruling options: lined, dot grid, graph, blank

Budget pick

Paperage Hardcover Lined Journal Notebook

Top-notch paper at a budget-friendly price.

This simple journal-style notebook offers all the basics and a better writing experience than the more-popular Moleskine notebooks it mimics.

Get this if: You want an inexpensive, basic medium-size notebook with a hard cover but don’t want to sacrifice quality.

Why it’s great: We were pleasantly surprised by this $10 notebook. I compared it side by side with a similar Moleskine notebook, and the Paperage Hardcover Lined Journal Notebook paper was a significant upgrade, consisting of thicker, brighter pages that reliably handled rollerball, gel, and fountain pens with very little smudging or feathering.

Although it’s our budget hardcover notebook pick, it doesn’t skimp on extra details such as a silky ribbon bookmark, a back pocket that also has a secondary slot for cards, and spine and title page labels (although they aren’t as attractive as the Leuchtturm1917 notebook’s labels).

• It has thicker, 100 gsm paper than most of the notebooks we’ve tested. This makes the pages easier to flip and more substantial than competing notebooks, but we were torn about whether the added thickness was actually an improvement. Head of photo and video Michael Hession said it felt a bit “cardboardy.” The Paperage notebook offers a fine experience, but if you’re looking for elegantly thin paper in a hardcover shell, you’re better off with our pick from Leuchtturm1917.
• We also noted that the cover felt a bit cheaper than those of higher-priced notebooks—less soft to the touch and with more ragged edges at the rounded corners. But those are only nitpicky criticisms of an otherwise great notebook.

Size: 5.7 by 8 inches; 160 pages Ruling options: lined, dotted, blank

Maruman Mnemosyne N194A Notebook

A pleasant upgrade from standard school-style notebooks.

This large, versatile notebook has sturdy twin spiral rings, premium paper, and perforated pages.

Get this if: You prefer to write in a notebook with ring binding, which helps the notebook lie flat and makes it quicker to thumb through when you’re trying to find specific notes, as students and frequent meeting-notes takers are wont to do. Perforated pages are a big plus if you want to use the pages elsewhere—or if you often regret what you’ve written.

Why it’s great: The paper in the Maruman Mnemosyne N194A Notebook was one of our favorites, particularly when we were writing with a fountain pen. Its vellum-like smoothness made gel and fountain pen inks shine, with crisp, non-feathery edges. Compared with similar spiral notebooks, the paper is thicker and less smudgy, with very little ghosting and no bleeding.

The notebook’s page ruling and format are unique. Rather than a simple lined ruling, its paper has a large header at the top for date and title and then divides the rest of the page into thirds via darker lines. The format seems designed for more organized note-taking, but we’re ambivalent about the page divisions. We did love the notebook’s consistently effortless page perforation and its durable binding.

The poly cover feels strong and protective, but it’s not for everyone and perhaps not as durable as it looks—senior staff writer Kimber Streams disliked the plastic cover and found that it scratched easily from another spiral-bound notebook.

Size: B5 (6.6 by 9.9 inches); 150 pages Ruling options: lined, dot grid

Levenger Circa Simply Irresistible Sampling Kit

Like a binder but better.

This notebook has high-quality paper and accessories that you can arrange and rearrange for the ultimate in versatility.

Get this if: You want the flexibility of a binder but in a more grown-up, professional notebook format. The Levenger Circa Notebook is more of a system than a notebook, and Levenger’s sampling kit includes junior- and letter-size paper, as well as tab dividers and task pads to try out.

Why it’s great: A disc-bound notebook not only lets you move pages to a different section but also allows you to add pages and accessories of different sizes. That means you can add tab dividers, narrow pages with to-do lists, pouches to hold cards or small supplies, and more.

I’ve used several disc-bound notebooks over the years, including Staples’s Arc and the Martha Stewart–branded notebook system , but the Circa Notebook has the paper that stands up best to rearranging. It’s perfect for taking notes on different projects and then grouping them together in separate sections. The paper is a thick (100 gsm), toothy, matte white stock that takes all sorts of ink well.

Levenger also offers the widest range of accessories and style options for its Circa line—from leather covers to discs (in more than a dozen colors) to punches (to make any paper fit into the Circa Notebook). Page refills are available in all sorts of ruling as well as special formats like agenda planners.

The sampling kit comes with 60 sheets of paper in junior (5.5 by 8.5 inches) and letter (8.5 by 11 inches) sizes, as well as dividers, a task pad, translucent covers, and discs to create two notebooks. That should give you enough of a feel for a disc-bound notebook system without requiring too much investment in it.

• Prices for the paper refills are on the high end of the spectrum, on a par with the cost of Field Notes notebooks. You can expect to spend about 10¢ per page for the junior size or about 12¢ per page for the letter size. A binder with loose-leaf paper would definitely be cheaper but would offer a poorer writing experience.
• The translucent covers that come with the sampling kit aren’t as handsome (in our opinion) as those you’d find on our recommended hardcover notebooks (or even many softcovers), but they add to the customizability of the notebook, since anything you put as the first page will show through as the cover design.

Size: junior (5.5 by 8.5 inches) and letter (8.5 by 11 inches); 120 pages Ruling options: lined, grid, blank

Muji Passport Memo

The best all-purpose notebook to have with you at all times.

With a bargain price, a durable cover, and smooth, sturdy pages, this style is almost a no-brainer for a pocket notebook.

Get this if: You want to carry a small, simple notebook everywhere, for a price that doesn’t inhibit your note-taking.

Why it’s great: The Muji Passport Memo proves that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a quality notebook. Its cream-color pages are silky smooth, with no bleeding (unless you use a Sharpie) and not much ghosting to be concerned about.

The stitching is strong—the little notebook held up to multiple folding and unfolding and bending tests—and the thick, coated cardboard cover withstood water spills.

The 48 pages provide just enough to cover a trip, an assignment, or some other use without making you feel like you wasted paper if you don’t completely fill it. The Muji Passport Memo is about half an inch shorter than similar pocket notebooks such as the Field Notes Memo Books and the Clairefontaine Basics Life Unplugged notebooks , which makes it a bit more lightweight and a better fit for more pockets.

• Although the notebook easily lies flat when open, getting it to lie flat closed after you’ve used it is nigh impossible. We wish it had an elastic band to keep it from flopping open at our desk, but that’s a minor annoyance.
• The dot grid is very light—you have to really look for it to see it. Basically, the experience feels like writing in a blank notebook.

Size: 3.5 by 4.9 inches; 48 pages Ruling options: dot

Upgrade pick

Field Notes 3-Pack Original Kraft Memo Books

A more stylish pocket notebook.

This Field Notes book offers a wonderful combination of paper quality, durability, and a range of page and cover choices.

Get this if: You want to carry a small notebook everywhere, and you prefer toothy paper and a range of cover styles to choose from.

Why it’s great: The Field Notes Memo Book is not the cheapest pocket notebook you can buy, nor is it filled with the most luxuriously smooth paper available, but it is the best widely available way to treat yourself to a better writing experience.

Aside from the Muji Passport Memo , our testing and surveys have shown that the Field Notes Memo Book is the best-performing notebook that actually fits in a pocket or bag without feeling like a second wallet. In a previous test with nearly 70 Wirecutter staffers, we found that this notebook feathered and smudged the least—even with heavy inks—and many testers liked the light-brown ruling and cover details.

As with the Muji Passport Memo, the 48-page length of the Field Notes notebook feels like the right amount for covering a three-day conference, documenting a weeklong vacation, planning a novel, scribbling a few weeks’ worth of grocery or to-do lists, or just jotting down a number of random thoughts.

Finally, the Field Notes site offers a great array of versions beyond the basic Original Kraft Memo Book, with some 16 covers and variations in different types of ruling available at the time of publication. Some are simply gorgeous or unusual covers, while others introduce unique features, such as being waterproof and tear-proof .

If you like these kinds of little surprises, and you take to Field Notes’s form and paper, you can sign up for a yearly subscription , which gives you four packs of Field Notes notebooks at a reduced price compared with buying them individually and also nets you a few other freebies.

• Field Notes paper represents a notable upgrade from the notebooks you probably bought for school or most memo or legal pads you might use, but it’s not the best paper in all respects. Many Wirecutter testers preferred other notebooks for their paper feel and ghosting performance.
• The Memo Book costs more on a per-page basis than other notebooks this size.

Size: 3.5 by 5.5 inches; 48 pages Ruling options: ruled, graph, plain

Field Notes 2-Pack Front Page Reporter’s Notebooks

A great handheld pad with a soft cover.

This stylish reporter pad is lightweight and has toothy, thick paper.

Get this if: You’re interested in a notebook this size for taking notes one-handed, fitting it in a large pocket or small bag, and stashing receipts or business cards inside the cover—and you’re willing to splurge on high-quality paper.

Why it’s great: The Field Notes Front Page Reporter’s Notebook has bright white paper with a classic matte feel—great for those who like writing in a notebook that gives a lot of tactile feedback. Using even the wettest, inkiest pen we tested for our guide to pens (the Uni-ball Vision Elite), we had a hard time creating a smudge or bleed-through with this notebook.

The spiral-ring binding and thicker paper (70 pounds or 105 gsm—the thickest of the notebook papers we tested) make page-turning much less of a nuisance than with other reporter notepads we tested. The overlapping cardstock cover keeps the double-ring spirals from catching or getting warped in your pocket or bag. And the pocket on the back cover, though open on one side, can serve as a convenient spot for any scrap you need to hold on to until you get back to your office.

Like other Field Notes notebooks, this reporter pad has a distinctive, charming design that makes you feel like you’re going on an adventure, even when you’re just taking notes at your desk.

• On a per-page basis, this notebook is the priciest we recommend (about 11¢ per page, versus an average of 7¢ per page). If you’re an actual news reporter, scrambling from one interview to the next and then flipping through a day’s worth of notes on deadline, paying this much probably isn’t worth it. Save this notepad for more precious notes you might want to refer to in later years.
• The cover is thin cardstock—not as sturdy as what you get with other notebooks, and more prone to getting bent or frayed. It also makes the notepad flex a bit more when you’re holding it with one hand and writing with the other.
• The partially enclosed back pocket can lure you into thinking it’s a totally enclosed and safe pocket, but cards or notes will fall out at certain angles.

Size: 3.75 by 8 inches; 70 pages Ruling options: lined

Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad (A5)

The best top-bound, medium-size notepad.

With thick, smooth, perforated paper, this notepad is a fine companion for note-taking.

Get this if: You want a medium-size notepad that’s easy to flip through to refer back to your notes. Because it’s top-bound, leftie writers should find this notebook easier to use than other notebook formats, too.

Why it’s great: The Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad (A5) had the best-quality paper of all the steno notebooks we tested. As with the other Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks we considered, the paper is smooth and thick yet slightly translucent—a little like vellum. Inky pens (rollerball, gel, and fountain pens) glided across it nicely in our tests, and it offers enough tooth to make writing on these pages with a pencil or ballpoint pleasant.

Compared with other steno pads, the N166 proved to be the most elegant in design and construction—though, to be fair, not many notebook makers are still producing steno pads these days. While other steno pads (including our previous pick, the Field Notes Steno Pad ) have dark, distracting lines, the light blue-gray lines of the N166 sit in the background—guidelines rather than dictators for your text. That’s especially important if you don’t intend to use the notebook for its two-column organization. Perforated pages mean you can neatly tear out your notes without jagged edges.

• We couldn’t find much to dislike about this steno pad, but if you prefer toothier paper or one with darker lines, the Field Notes Steno Pad would be a better choice for you. It’s more expensive, though, and it lacks page perforation.
• As with the other Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks, the poly cover and yellow cover page of the N166 Steno Pad might not be to everyone’s taste.

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 140 pages Ruling options: Gregg ruled

Rhodia No. 19 Yellow Pad

The best legal pad.

This full-size legal pad has excellent, smooth paper with a light yellow color that’s easy on the eyes.

Get this if: You want a high-quality legal pad for taking copious notes on paper that will stand out from piles of white documents.

Why it’s great: The Rhodia No. 19 Yellow Pad has silky smooth, creamy yellow paper with subtle blue lines and a thin, double red margin—a big upgrade from the standard, cheap-feeling, less-attractive legal pads that may immediately come to mind when you think about the category. It takes all sorts of ink well, especially rollerball and fountain pens, and despite its thinness, the paper doesn’t show much ghosting or ink show-through on the back.

Unlike paper on competing legal pads, such as the Mintra Office Legal Pad , pages tear off cleanly from the Rhodia notepad. It has an iconic orange cover as well, which is uncommon for this type of notepad.

Rhodia also sells a number of other staple-bound notepads in different sizes and page colors, including a smaller (6 by 8.25 inches) white version for those who like the paper quality but don’t care for the canary color.

• Most legal pads measure 8.5 by 11 inches—letter-size, despite the name. The Rhodia pad’s A4+ size (8.3 by 11.7 inches) is slightly longer and narrower. This makes neatly stacking the pages along with, say, printed documents, impossible. But on the plus side, you’ll easily find your notes in such a stack.
• The Rhodia pad’s cardboard backing isn’t as sturdy as other legal pads, so writing on the notepad on your lap can be tricky.

Size: A4+ (8.3 by 11.7 inches); 160 pages Ruling options: lined, dot grid

Moleskine is the first name many people think of when they think of a fancy notebook. Most prominent among them are the Moleskine Cahier Journals .

But we compared the Moleskine offerings with the other notebooks we tested, and you can do much better. In a Moleskine journal, the ink from anything that’s wider or wetter than a standard ballpoint spreads quickly into the page, where the edges of your letters will feather, and it shows through strongly on the other side. Fine-tipped gel or rollerball pens can pierce the pages with the tips.

Standard Moleskine notebooks can work if you stick to one style of pen, but they cost more per page than most of our notebook picks—and you usually get to use only one side of each page because writing shows through on the other side so easily.

Most experts we read and consulted agree. “You shouldn’t be buying it,” said Elizabeth Newberry of No Pen Intended . “[T]here are too many other good options on the market that don’t have the ink challenges Moleskine does,” said Brad Dowdy of The Pen Addict .

These challenges include ghosting, feathering, and an utter intolerance for any wet ink, be it gel or fountain. Some stationery blogs go out of their way to suggest Moleskine alternatives . Moleskine offers many varieties, some with higher-quality paper, like the Volant Journals , but often at prices the same as or above those of the notebooks we tested for this guide.

If you just need paper to write on and want to save the most money, use any paper you can find. But if you write every day and need to keep your thoughts organized—especially on a specific project—having a good notebook can be a lifesaver.

The notebooks we tested and picked for this guide are designed to be pleasant to write in, nice to look at, durable, and worth the price for your plans, tasks, thoughts, lists, and reminders. They average about $9 per notebook and 7¢ per page, which is reasonable for something you might rely on daily.

We combed through the favorites of experts and co-workers and searched deep into the inventories of Amazon and JetPens. Sorting and filtering for price, plus the sizes and rulings that people find most useful (grid paper has its place, but most people prefer lined rulings), we narrowed a list of 106 possible contenders down to 34 test candidates.

Over the course of about two weeks, I wrote on several pages in each notebook using a variety of writing utensils: pencils and ballpoint, gel, rollerball, and fountain pens. I took notes about each notebook’s design and construction, as well as the feel of its paper, looking out for issues such as bleeding, ghosting, or feathering. Then I selected 10 notebooks that represented a sampling of each major brand and sent them to four other Wirecutter staffers—all notebook enthusiasts—to test. For a previous version of this guide, a left-handed tester also helped us evaluate the smudginess of each notebook’s paper.

Judging notebooks with similar characteristics is hard, especially when you might like the paper in one but prefer the format of another, such as a steno notebook versus a hardcover journal. To help divorce the paper from its shape and binding, many of our testers cut out pages from each notebook and wrote the same thing—a passage from Kant, a poem, or other famous and well-loved words—to compare the papers side by side.

After writing in each notebook over the course of a week, using the same pen or pencil in each, the testers filled out a survey selecting their top three notebook picks as well as their least favorite. They also provided the reasons for their selections. In (rough) order of importance, we rated the notebooks based on:

• the feel of the paper under pen and pencil
• bleeding (ink passing through to the other side of the paper)
• feathering (ink seeping from the edges of letters)
• ghosting (pen ink visible on the other side of paper)
• pen ink smudging
• look and design, including perceived durability

After the results were in, joyful paper nerding ensued in our Slack channel:

Our picks are based on our panelists’ rankings, expert advice, and my individual testing of other notebooks that I didn’t send to the panel.

Many notebooks we don’t recommend are still great options for the right person. We’ve highlighted reasons you might consider the following notebooks in addition to our picks.

If you need a large, thin notebook to dedicate to a single subject or class: The Apica Notebook CD15 can fit the bill. It has similar high-quality paper as our medium notebook pick, the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook , but in a 7-by-10 inch size. It has just 33 sheets of paper, though, much less than the 80-sheet Maruman Mnemosyne N194A Notebook .

If you’d like a hardcover reporter-style notepad: The Leuchtturm1917 Notepad is the best option. It has the same exquisite toothy and powdery paper as Leuchtturm’s other notepads but in a 3.5-by-6-inch flip-over design. Pages are perforated and numbered too, and it comes with an index page, back pocket, and labels. It’s just not as easy to use when folding the cover back as the Field Notes Front Page Reporter’s Notebook , nor as lightweight.

If you’d like two types of ruling in one notebook: We tested the Code&Quill Compass reporter’s notepad and appreciated its thick (100 gsm) paper, which has a unique ruling: dot grid on one side and indented rule on the other. But we found this hardcover notebook too bulky to write easily on when holding it with one hand. The company offers notebooks in other formats, though, so if the ruling appeals to you—it seems ideal for coders and creative types—take a look at its other offerings.

If you want a small notebook for your to-do lists: The pocket-size Word notebooks have high-quality paper (similar to that of Field Notes) and come in a variety of interesting cover designs, but the pages have bullet point guides, so the format is more suitable for task-planning or bullet-journaling than for general note-taking or other uses.

This is not a comprehensive list of all notebooks and notepads we’ve tested. We have removed models that are discontinued or no longer meet our criteria.

The Black n’ Red Professional Notebook , a previous pick, was our panelists’ least favorite notebook by far this time around. It had the smudgiest paper of the notebooks we tested, and we disliked the overall aesthetic, including its thick gray lines, the cheesy motivational quotes on the divider pages, and the obtrusive black markings in the page corners (which are there so you can scan the pages with the company’s smartphone app to digitize them).

The Field Notes Steno Pad is still a fine notebook, with a sturdy cover and great paper. The Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad is a better value, though, costing about 7¢ per page versus the Field Notes pad’s 12¢ per page. The Field Notes steno pad also lacks perforation, and we found its lines to be too heavy in comparison with those of the N166.

The Rhodia Desk Webnotebook wound up as one of our panelists’ least favorite options because of its cheap-feeling cover and pages that felt too slick and waxy. This was a surprising disappointment because we love the paper quality in the company’s notepads.

We dismissed several cheap notebooks that ranged from 2¢ to 3¢ per page—the Blueline Steno Pad , the National Brand Subject Wirebound Notebook , and the National Brand Steno Notes —because their paper was very thin and flimsy. If you just want the cheapest scrap paper, one of these notebooks would be fine. Similarly, the Tops Reporter’s Notebook , which costs 7¢ per page, offers merely mediocre paper that’s no better than what you’d find in a dollar-store notebook.

We also dismissed most legal pads we tested, including the Amazon Basics Wide Ruled Lined Writing Note Pad , the Tops Docket Gold Writing Pad , and the Ampad Gold Fibre Perforated Pad . They’re more or less interchangeable budget notepads.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for these notebooks and notepads—they simply weren’t what we were looking for.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Brad Dowdy, The Pen Addict , email interview, September 2020

Elizabeth Newberry, No Pen Intended , email interview, September 2020

Ian Hedley, Pens! Paper! Pencils! and Pennaquod , email interview, September 2020

Meet your guide

Melanie Pinola

Melanie Pinola covers home office, remote work, and productivity as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. She has contributed to print and online publications such as The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Lifehacker, and PCWorld, specializing in tech, work, and lifestyle/family topics. She’s thrilled when those topics intersect—and when she gets to write about them in her PJs.

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Sometimes the fanciest remedies won’t work to combat anxiety-induced insomnia. But a $2 notebook helped this writer get back to sleep.

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The Best Planners for Students {for the 2023-2024 School Year!}

by Sharon Rowley Leave a Comment

If we want our kids to be organized in school, it is essential that they have a system in place for keeping track of assignments, upcoming tests, and quizzes as well as anything with a deadline. Using the right student planner makes this process simple- and helps your child to juggle their school work and social life without feeling overwhelmed. These are the 10 best planners for students for the 2023-2024 school year!

Quick Links to the Info in This Post!

Top Picks for the Best Planners for Students:

What type of planner will work best for your student, the best planner for elementary school students:, best planner for middle and high school students:, best planners for college students- dated, best planner for college students- undated, the best bullet journal for college students, the best planner app for students, looking for the best family calendars, planners, & to-do lists.

The first thing to take into consideration when purchasing a student planner- is the grade level of student who will be using it. Some planners are designed specifically with elementary school-aged kids in mind, while others are more appropriate for middle school, high school, or college students.

For elementary schoolers, you want a simple planner that gives them a defined place to record assignments for each main subject area.

But when we are shopping for students in middle or high school, or in college, there are three main types of planners that I recommend:

• Dated planners – The monthly and weekly page layouts are already labeled- and in some planners, you'll find prompts or titled sections to get you to think and reflect on your goals for the coming year.
• Undated planners – You can pick up one of these planners any time and just get started because all of the monthly and weekly sections are undated. There are still places to write reflections and goals, but they are more open-ended and often appear at the beginning or the end of the planner.
• Bullet Journals – These are completely unstructured notebooks that allow you to design how you would like to track notes and assignments and organize and plan for the future. Often a bullet journal is just a blank notebook with dotted grids, or sometimes they are lined.

Scroll through the list of my favorite planners of each type below- where I highlight the best features of each one!

My kids used this Global Datebook Elementary School Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. for years. They loved the list-style format of the planner pages- with sections for each of the four main subject areas in school (math, science, social studies, and language arts) with plenty of additional space for other subject areas if needed.

If your kids would prefer a “block style” layout rather than the list layout above- this version of the Global Datebooks planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. uses a block layout.

I appreciated the vinyl cover and spiral binding which made it easy for kids to fold over the cover to work on a particular day. This planner comes with a bookmark/ruler that clips into the spiral binding, marking their place in the planner.

Beyond just daily information, this planner also includes resource pages by subject area- multiplication tables, measuring equivalencies, common grammar explanations, and so forth which are pretty helpful. (size 8.5″ x11″)

This year we have a new high school planner that we think is perfect for middle and high schoolers- the Class Tracker This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !

We love the separate sections for each day that outline: Things to remember/ Quizzes, exams, papers, projects / Assignments- making it easy for kids to see what is the most important thing to tackle at homework time.

There's room to note activities and a place to keep a running to-do list for the week. And I love that you can track the number of weeks until… winter break, spring break, last day of school? What kid doesn't love a countdown? (A separate page marker is available).

Runners Up Planners for Middle and High School Students:

This is the planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. that my high school sons have used for the past several years. Pages are laid out in a weekly block calendar format with daily lined sections to jot down assignments and due dates.

I especially like the column to check off completed work!

Or you can get the version where the days of the week appear in a list format This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. .

This open format works better for kids who may not have the same class schedule every day. This planner comes with a bookmark/ruler to hold your place inside, and several resource pages with helpful information on math and grammar. (size 5.5″ x 8.5″)

This hardcover planner from Global printed products This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. makes our list of best planners for students for several reasons.

First of all- the cover is about as thick as a nickel- which will protect the planner as it is being carried back and forth to school in a backpack. It comes with a snap-in bookmark to hold your place.

And I love the fact that this planner comes with planning stickers and sticky notes to help students personalize their pages. (size 5.5 x 8.5″).

Then be sure to check out these lists of my favorite Closet Organizing Tools This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and Bathroom Organizing Tools This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. over on my Amazon influencer page This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !

The Erin Condren Academic Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is my absolute favorite planner for students!

I love the layout which includes a great 2-page monthly spread, and 2-page spreads for each week, followed by 4 notes pages after each month, so there is plenty of space to take notes on assignments, and plan for upcoming activities.

I also love that there are detailed pages to use for notes for projects & exams, and the use of inspirational quotes throughout the planner. It comes with a flexible laminated cover (size 7″ x 9″).

Runners Up Planners for College Students:

My college students love the simplicity and design of the college edition of the Class Tracker This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. . There are dated and undated versions of this college planner, and you can purchase a page marker separately.

The Bloom Daily Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is the perfect combination of academic planning calendar and goal setting workbook (which is really what a traditional planner is all about!)

2-page monthly overview spreads are followed by weekly views.

This planner includes a personal mission statement prompt and a yearly goal setting page, weekly scheduling templates, major holidays list, notes pages, contacts/address book pages, inspirational quotes, monthly reflection questions, and more! (size 6″ x 8.25″)

The Clever Fox Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. handles all of your academic needs- with a 2-page layout for each week, undated, so you can begin using this planner any time of the year!

But what makes this planner so unique is that it is designed to help you set goals for the year, and then helps you to focus your energy on just a few goals at a time, making you far more effective in your efforts!

You can track habits that you'd like to cultivate, incorporate gratitude and affirmation techniques, create a vision board and more!

Bullet journaling has become very popular in the last few years- because it provides the perfect freestyle tool to keep your academic calendar, plan your week, create lists, as well as to write down thoughts, track your progress, and reflect on your life.

It's a beautiful combination of calendar and life planner all in one! You can learn how to keep a bullet journal here .

This Leuchttrum 1917 This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is the dotted notebook that started the whole bullet journal craze! This beautiful hardcover notebook has dotted pages, it lays flat when in use- but what sets this bullet journal apart is its pre-formatted table of contents section.

In today's tech-connected world, some students may prefer to forgo the paper planner route, and instead use an app for tracking assignments and homework. The MyHomework App is the perfect app for that!

It's easy for students to track assignments, projects, tests, and upcoming events. They can load their class schedule into the app as well. And set up due date reminders for future assignments.

I love that you can sort your homework based on class, priority, or type- or of course, see everything at once. MyHomework app syncs between devices- so you can record entires on your phone and then see them on your laptop as well- perfect for college students

The app is free, and an ads-free premium version is available.

• Best Family Calendars  – whether you prefer electronic, paper, or wall calendar- these are the best ones of the year!
• Best Planners for Moms  – a family calendar can help you organize your schedule and your time- but a planner can help to make sure that you are giving your life purpose!
• 15 Perfect Paper to Do Lists for Busy Moms- pretty paper lists to guide you as you get it all done!

I would love to hear which of these planners your student decided to use this year!

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Medea Giordano

Our Favorite Paper Planners for Organizing Your Life

Buying a new planner gives me an endorphin rush like no other, whether it’s for a new school semester, work year, or a much-needed fresh start. A good one should help you stay on track without overwhelming you. Some folks on WIRED's Gear team prefer paper planners over digital tools . Plus, writing things down has the added benefit of improving retention .

There's no such thing as the best paper planner, but I've grilled WIRED staff for their favorites and have tested a ton on my own. Once you find something that works for you, read our guides on work-from-home gear , the best digital notebooks , and the best laptop backpacks for more.

Updated January 2024: We've added more planners we like, including options from My PA Planner, Brass Monkey, Miquelrius, and Levenger.

• The Best Weekly Planner: Happy Planner
• Runner-Up Weekly Planner: Erin Condren Coiled Weekly LifePlanner
• Great for Students: Class Tracker
• Great for Business Owners: My PA Planner
• More Weekly Planners
• Best Daily Planner: Day Designer Daily Planner
• Runner-Up Daily Planner: Skinny Confidential Hot Minute Planner
• Great for Kids: Bright Day Kids Daily Checklist
• More Daily Planners
• A Dotted Notebook: Muji
• A Lined Notebook: Midori MD
• If You Can Find It: Miquelrius
• Honorable Mentions
• Alternative: Index Cards
• If You Can't Give Up Digital: Notion Digital Planner
• Accessories for Your Planner

Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off) . This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com , full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism.  Learn more .

Weekly Planners

Weekly planners are some of the most popular types of paper planners. They're great for students, professionals, and parents who need to plan each day but also see the entire week.

Photograph: Happy Planner

No matter how many perfectly adorable planners I try and love, I've been repurchasing Happy Planners since 2017—though I've switched from a vertical layout to a large dashboard (there is also a horizontal style ). These planners have room for organizing work and to-do lists with enough extras for other planning and notes without feeling overwhelmed. The divider pages are cute and sometimes include phrases and quotes, but they aren't unbearably corny (usually).

The Happy Planner is almost infinitely customizable. Stock and themes fluctuate throughout the year, but in addition to the layouts already mentioned, you can choose between Classic , Skinny Classic , Mini , or Big sizes, and dated or undated pages. There are daily planners, ones tailored to teachers and students , among many others. You can get extension packs to add a few more months or to keep track of things like your budget and fitness goals. If you need it, the Happy Planner probably has it.

Photograph: Amazon

If the Happy Planner isn't for you, you might lean more toward the Erin Condren LifePlanner (ECLP for short). WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe says it's the Rolex of paper planners. It's one of the most popular for weekly-spread enthusiasts, with gorgeous layouts and room for notes or doodles. It's customizable and there are extra touches, like a storage pocket and snap-in ruler. Together, these features aren’t cheap (or lightweight), but Strampe has used an ECLP for the past three years, and it’s her favorite system of them all (and makes a great gift).

Once you find the size and cover you like, finish designing it with your desired layout—hourly, horizontal, or our favorite, vertical—choose a coil color and internal color scheme, plus add your name or quote to the cover. The minimal Focused Planner can't be personalized as much, but you can add a monogram and choose the coil. A cheaper version is available from Target, but you lose the customization options.

I still have nightmares of being in school and having no idea what or when my next class is. If that's you, Class Tracker's first three pages are designated for outlining your semester schedule from Monday to Sunday, 6 am to midnight.

Like most planners, there are monthly calendars, but the weekly pages shine. Each day gets a section for things to remember, tests, papers, or projects due that day, and larger spots for assignments and a daily plan. There's a Self-Care Corner for non-school things you should focus on and a countdown box for something you're looking forward to. The only thing I want is tabs to easily sift through months. The planner pictured here is the college version, but there are middle school and high school options.

Photograph: My PA Planner

This planner is hefty, but it's full of pages for business owners to organize their thoughts and plans along with their weekly tasks (the PA stands for personal assistant). The first section is for filling out your mission and goals, marketing plans, and finances. Each month, you get spaces for goals, projects, and a social media content planner for the next 30 or so days. Then there are weekly overviews like the other planners here, broken down by hours with spots for that day's goals, and weekly notes and expenses.

There are also little illustrations for tracking water intake and minutes of meditation and exercise. At the end of each week, a weekly review section gives you space for achievements or misses, sales, and subscribers, plus a brainstorming space for the following week.

Photograph: Ban.Do

There are a lot of quirky planners, but Ban.do might be my favorite. It's the cool aunt of the planner world. The art and included stickers are incredible—cowboy boots and opossums? Yes, please. Plus the calendars list important dates like Dolly Parton's birthday (January 19). The weekly layout has enough room for daily planning, and you'll get fun extras like note pages and a paper fortune teller template. I like the soft-cover 12-month , which includes to-do lists, goals, and notes next to its weekly layout. There are also undated versions, weekly pages without those extras, and 17-month academic planners .

Former WIRED senior writer Maryn McKenna prefers the Moleskine Pro Weekly Vertical, which is a notebook planner hybrid. The left page has blank lines, and the right is divided into sections for projects, status, and a classic to-do list. Weekly pages break down days by the hour, and blank check box pages let you plan elaborate arrangements of daily and category to-dos. McKenna says she feels like she has accomplished something before she even starts ticking off tasks.

Photograph: Blue Sky

Several members of our team like Blue Sky. Its affordable planners give you space to jot down tasks without cluttering up the page. They're also a good size—much easier to tote around than some on this list. As with the Happy Planner, you can find different layouts, sizes, and formats to suit you, and there's a collaboration with Day Designer, another favorite of ours. One thing I like about this collab with One Tree Planted is that the planner is sustainably made and recyclable. The cover is durable and has a nice texture to it, plus there's no plastic coating (not even on the month tabs!).

Photograph: Brass Monkey

Brass Monkey makes fun tchotchkes like games and office goods, and its planners are as snarky as the rest of its lineup. Each week includes dates, so you have to fill in the year and check off which day of the week it is. I like that better than having to fill out everything myself. It offers fun facts like two pop culture birthdays and an “on this day” note, and it keeps you on top of what national day you should be celebrating—like how October 8 is National Pierogi Day. You'll either like or dislike how compact the pages are, and while the text and lines could stand to be darker, the fun and quirky extras make up for it.

Daily Planners

If your schedule is particularly busy and you need to plan each day rather than weeks as a whole, daily planners might be a better fit. They often give each day its own page, organized by hours.

Photograph: Day Designer

If you need a detailed checklist for each day, get the Day Designer. Each page is divided into a schedule from 5 am to 9 pm to outline meetings or appointments and a to-do list, making it easier to keep track of assignments and other tasks. The top of each day page has a box for planning dinner and keeping track of bills due that day, plus your top three tasks of the day. There's a notes area at the bottom too.

It's big—something I prefer in a planner so I never have to cram stuff in the corners—so you might not want to lug it around, but if you can keep it at your desk, you'll benefit from its organization. Also, it arrives in a nice box, making the entire thing feel like a fancy little ritual.

Photograph: The Skinny Confidential

I tried to switch to daily checklists to keep myself more organized. Ultimately, my brain needed a weekly overview. If I wanted to plan each day though, I'd use the undated Hot Minute Planner. It's pink and cheeky, with hearts instead of dots for the to-do list, which makes me feel like Cher Horowitz from Clueless . There are spots for your skin-care routine, intentions, workouts, books, music, and weekly goals. Its cover also just speaks to me. Sometimes you just need a minute. Like the Brass Monkey planner, the pink could be a little darker. If the room isn't bright, you have to squint.

Even second-graders need (or want) to remember things! WIRED senior associate reviews editor Adrienne So wanted something cheap for her kids and didn't just want a notebook they'd fill with drawings. This Daily Checklist fits the bill. There are included to-dos like brushing teeth and making the bed, with extra lines for items to be written in. There are a few other prompts for them too. It’s sturdy and has held up under aggressively rough treatment in her kids' backpacks.

Several WIRED staffers recommend the Hobonichi Techo (Japanese for “planner”). Senior associate reviews editor Adrienne So says it's the perfect size—small enough to fit in a bag and hold information but also able to lie flat on a desk. There is a monthly overview and then a page for each day, along with a quote that manages to be thought-provoking without being too trite. The cover is a distinctive black, stamped with gold foil. The paper perfectly absorbs ink from her Baron Fig Squire fountain pen and doesn't bleed through. It comes with a wide variety of cute accessories .

Photograph: Papier

Papier has incredible cover design options to match nearly any style or mood. For layouts, I like the undated Daily Productivity planner best. Each week has a box per day, lines for notes, areas for three priorities, a long to-do list, and a habit tracker. Plus, there's a meal planner and shopping list for every week. There are also a few pages dedicated to outlining each day's schedule. I didn't need these pages as much during my usual week, but people with rotating weekly schedules might appreciate it.

I don't like the layout of Papier's yearly planners which feature all the month calendars first, then an overview for each month with goals and to-do lists, and then the weeks. This kind of scramble doesn't work for my brain. But Papier is the only brand I found that lets you scroll through every single page before you buy. I'm so specific about what I like and need, this should be standard.

Not everyone needs or wants a rigid planner. If you just need daily to-do lists or are a fan of bullet journals, consider getting a great notebook instead.

Photograph: Muji

“Planners should transform according to the shape of your life,” WIRED senior web producer Pia Ceres says. For her, that means using a dotted notebook. This single notebook can be used for class schedules, daily planners, to-do lists, and angsty diaries. She says dots are the perfect medium between the limitations of lines and the void of blank paper. It's just structured enough to let you draw the calendars and lists you need—then remake them when life, inevitably, upends itself again. Muji's notebook has a durable cover to withstand book bags and coffee spills. If you have a Muji store near you, you may be able to find one for cheaper.

WIRED reviewer Jaina Grey opts for a plain lined notebook. After trying dozens, her favorite is the Midori MD Notebook with paper made from cotton pulp (just like money!). Grey says there's just something meditative about turning over a blank page at the beginning of each week and carefully jotting down her schedule, plans, and workload. No missed days to make you feel guilty. Midori’s notebooks are designed to fit inside notebook or journal covers (which you can find all over Etsy). The pages are a subtle off-white and have a weight and texture that draws you in. The soft cotton paper makes drawing, sketching, and plain old writing an absolute joy.

Photograph: Miquelrius Notebooks

Miquelrius notebooks are my all-time favorite. The paper feels like velvet. I want to make bedsheets out of it and sleep between them all day. Writing on it is smooth and satisfying. These notebooks are also divided using different color strips down the edge if you want to break up each color by use (be it classes, projects, or kid schedules). They used to be available in stores like Target in tons of different sizes, but it's become harder to find. However, Miquelriusshop.com is usually reliable ( Miquelrius.com , on the other hand, doesn't have anything for sale). Amazon typically has a few options too, though sometimes only available through third-party sellers at a higher price. If you can find them, they're the best I've ever used.

Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Edition

• Laurel Denise Horizontal Weekly Edition for $59 : I've never seen a planner designed like this. It's wider than a traditional planner, and the left side is for laying out the month—it's undated—while the right has a spot for the month's to-dos and a dotted area for whatever else. In the middle are five half-pages for organizing each specific week. You turn the week page and still get to see everything else you already wrote for the month.
• Blue Sky Monthly Planner for $13 : This is the only monthly planner we tried, though many of our favorite brands have monthly versions. They work for folks who want a broad overview of tracking tasks or appointments. Blue Sky's planners are affordable and unburdened by extra junk—we recommend a weekly version above. Each day of the month has a few lines for jotting down multiple bullet points, and there’s a notes section for anything that would require more writing room. The yearly overview lets you track from an eagle-eyed perspective.
• Levenger Circa smartPlanner Weekly Agenda for $41 : This is another solid weekly planner with little frills. If you just need lines and days, this is your match. The brand also sells a leather folio for the planner, which looks very professional but it's pricey.

Photograph: Getty Images

WIRED senior writer and reviewer Scott Gilbertson says he doesn't use a planner, but each day he writes down the handful of things he's going to do on a single 3-by-5 index card. The index card with this to-do list lives in his pocket, along with a small notebook in which he jots down notes throughout the day—often the source of the following day's to-do list. The notebook and index cards fit inside this very cool waxed canvas notebook cover . Gilbertson says he copied this system from one of the most successful people he has known, and after nearly 20 years, it's still better for him than any other system he's tried. It's cheap, lightweight, and easy to manage.

Photograph: Notion

If you're reading this guide, you probably are a pen-and-paper person, but sometimes going digital is more convenient. A good digital planner can complement your analog one instead of replacing it. Notion is a multipurpose productivity tool with tons of powerful and customizable features. WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe uses it as an endless to-do list, with tasks separated into categories like Work and Long-Term Goals, but it can be used as a team database, a budget spreadsheet, a habit tracker, and more. There are tons of templates to choose from, including planners that range from monthly at-a-glance views to granular hour-by-hour days. It even syncs across devices. The best part? It's free.

Maybe all you need is paper and a good pen and you're good to go. But we like to get creative. Stickers are a popular accessory, and they're a delightful slippery slope. Once you make your first “ spread ” (a collection of themed stickers on a planner page, similar to a scrapbook), you will never go back. Etsy is the central hub of planner stickers. You can order printed stickers or buy digital files and print and cut them yourself. You can also opt for a full kit (an entire spread’s worth of stickers) or just the individual components you like the most.

Julian Chokkattu

David Nield

Adrienne So

Jeremy White

Make sure your purchase will fit the layout of the planner you have. Many planning enthusiasts swear by PipSticks ; WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe likes the shops SimplyWatercolorCo and CricketPaperCo , but there are hundreds of shops. You can also get sticker books at craft stores, but the variety pack usually lands you with some stinkers, and the cost can add up.

• Washi Tape : This cheap accessory levels up your planner without much effort, and there are colors and prints available. You might find some at the dollar section of Target too (the arts and crafts playground).
• Aiex Monthly Calendar Tabs : Turn anything into a planner with these tabs.
• Pens: Get creative with your pens and colors. Pens are personal, so you may want to go play with a few at a craft store that has a testing station. But some of our favorites are the Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner , Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pens , and the Sakura Gelly Roll Glaze Pen .
• Markers: Fine-tip markers make great pen alternatives to add some pizzazz. We like the Tombow Fudenosuke Hard Tip Brush Pen , Tombow TwinTone , and iBayam Fineliner .

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The 9 Best Work Notebooks

Write down little reminders and big ideas

Stacey is a professional writer whose articles have appeared on sites such as POPSUGAR, Buzzfeed, HelloGiggles, HappySprout, TripSavvy, The Balance, and more. She channels her passion for shopping into researching products and writing helpful recommendation articles.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Even in the digital age, recording your thoughts and ideas in analog form can be a refreshing change of pace and even help you think more clearly and freely—especially in times of high stress and anxiety. That being said, work notebooks are a great source for fresh ideas and task completion.

A high-quality notebook lasts longer and helps increase creativity and productivity. When you’re looking for a journal to write down your ideas, pay attention to binding and paperweight. A twin ring or stitched and glued binding helps keep your notebook together longer while a paperweight of 70gsm or higher is usually thicker and more durable. Style-wise, most notebooks come with gridded, lined, dotted, or blank sheets.

From a bullet journal to a reusable smart notebook, we’ve rounded up the best notebooks for work that’ll help you get organized and put your ideas into action.

Best Overall: Leuchtturm1917 Medium Hardcover A5

The bullet journaling trend is still going strong, and it’s a smart system for managing your assignments and tasks. There are different ways to form a bullet journal, but the Leuchtturm1917 notebook gives you a decent head start with a table of contents and numbered pages. There are 251 pages of acid-free dotted paper that are bound with a stitched binding and cover elastic. Each journal also comes with a page-marking ribbon and stickers for labeling. Choose from 24 different cover colors, from muted and neutral to eye-catching and bright. Leuchtturm1917 has previously collaborated with Ryder Carroll, the official Bullet Journal founder, to create a specialized notebook.

Runner-Up, Best Overall: Rhodia Meeting Book

If your job requires many meetings, having a notebook devoted to organizing notes and objectives helps you capture your main points. Rhodia’s meeting notebook will come in handy whether you’re an assistant or executive who needs to digest workplace brainstorming sessions and discussions. On each of the 80 sheets, you’ll find lined sections for your date, notes, and actions, so you can keep your ideas and to-dos fully organized. Complete with tasteful orange details on each page, Rhodia uses its signature acid-free, smooth paper that will work nicely even with gel and fountain pens.

In addition to its useful page division and excellent paper quality, the notebook is sturdy. It has a twin ring binding that is not only easy to flip through but is also resistant to snagging and falling apart. The cover is also coated and weatherproof, so it won’t get damaged easily.

Best Value: Muji B5 Notebooks

At a low price point, you can get five, B5-sized Muji notebooks in this convenient pack. These make excellent notebooks for work because of their affordability, style, and quality. The minimal notebooks come with different-colored bindings and a brown cover. Right off the bat, you might notice that they're a bit smaller than American notebooks and have only 30 lined sheets. But their paper quality is superb, smooth, and bleed-resistant. In fact, you’ll be able to use most fountain pens on this paper without worrying about any transfer to the backside. Their stitched and glued binding will also last you longer than spiral notebooks, which have snag-prone and bendable bindings.

Best Leather: Lemome Thick Classic Notebook

A leather hardcover journal makes for a long-lasting, sturdy option, like this Lemome Thick Classic Notebook. The durable cover will ensure your work notes will always be protected, while the elastic pen loop conveniently keeps your writing tool available. With 180 thick, premium pages, the notebook holds up well and can be written on with most pens (except fountain pens). Lay flat the notebook with no issues to take better control of your note-taking. Even more, the large ruled notebook comes with page dividers for organization and an expandable pocket to hold business cards , receipts, and other small notes.

Best for Durability: Campus Twin Ring Notebook

Campus’ Twin Ring Notebook is your typical notebook, but better. It's durable enough that it’ll last through all of your random ideas and meeting notes at work. It has a thick paper cover that won't bend easily and a twin ring binding that won’t snag. The notebook, which measures 7.5 x 10 inches, includes 70 sheets of smooth, lined paper, which is thicker than mainstream notebook paper. Each page has printed sections to indicate the number and date of your notes so that staying on top of your notes is easy. The muted cover colors include red, green, blue, and khaki brown.

Best Eco-Friendly: Rocketbook Smart Reusable

Rocketbook’s Smart Reusable Notebook is great for any worker who wants to use a single notebook over and over again while still being able to curate their notes. It has a special paper (which still feels like paper) that you can pair with the heat-sensitive pens and markers from Pilot’s FriXion pen and marker line. Use your notebook with Rocketbook’s app to capture images of your notes and upload them onto a storage service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Evernote. After you save your notes, reuse the page by wiping it clean with a damp towel.

Best Notepad: Rhodia Dot Notepad

When you want to jot down notes or ideas, it may be easier to use a notepad to flip the pages as you go. Rhodia creates some of the best paper notepads in the stationery industry, loved by artists and writers alike. Their acid-free 80gsm paper is thick, smooth, and bright, working with even wet inks from fountain pens without bleeding or feathering. The dotted sheets offer structure without being as noticeable as lined or graph print (though you can also get these from Rhodia as well).

Plus, there are a few other quality features: the pre-folded cover allows you to fold back sheets without creating uneven lines. Unlike most legal pads, the perforated sheets won’t come off as you pull them back—they'll only separate from the pad if you deliberately remove them. The stiff cardboard back cover is also a useful feature, as it’s hard enough to write on when you aren't at your desk.

Best Gridded: Miliko Square Grid Spiral

Miliko has a variety of notebook styles, but its square grid notebook offers an alternative to the standard, lined, or dotted journal options. Featuring a waterproof, transparent hardcover, the A5 notebook comes with 80g, acid-free recyclable white paper for high-quality construction. Square grid notebooks are another great way to bullet journal, with ruled lines to help align your drawings and notes. This pack comes with two notebooks with 160 pages each.

Best Japanese-Style: Midori MD Note

Japanese stationery brands offer some of the highest-quality pens and notebooks, and Midori is no exception. Its MD ruled-line notebook boasts smooth paper and thick lines for comfortable note-taking. The threaded binding and flexible spine also allows you to lay the notebook flat, while each page has a thick line in the center, so you can freely organize and section off your notes. Designed for convenience, this minimalist work notebook doesn't have a cover, making it easier to open. The attached string is also a nice way to keep track of your notes.

Final Verdict

For a good quality work notebook that'll help you stay productive, go with one that’s durable and designed for organized list-making. The Leuchtturm1917 Notebook ( view on Amazon ) is the best choice for managing your workday through bullet journaling. The stickers and colorful cover choices are an added bonus. The Lemome Notebook ( view on Amazon ) is also a great option, which offers a professional look with its faux leather cover, page dividers, and an elastic band—perfect for taking detailed notes at meetings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the different notebook styles, and which one is the best.

The right style depends on your needs, whether you’re a list maker, a note-taker, or an artist. Here are some of the main ones to consider: gridded, which looks like graph paper (or some variation of tiny squares), is ideal for those who like to design or draw; lined is perfect for writing narrative-style entries; dotted, a popular style for bullet journaling, is great for making your own checklists, calendars, and even headers; and blank sheets are for those who don't want any boundaries or constraints.

What should I know about notebook binding?

The type of bookbinding can affect how durable a notebook is or if it can open up flat and whether the pages will remain intact or tear out easily. There are two main styles of bookbinding, including stitched and/or glued binding, which typically offers a longer lifespan than a spiral style. It also has smooth edges that make the notebook look more aesthetically appealing. Spiral styles make it easier to open a notebook and focus on one page at a time. The best spiral notebook is a twin-ring style (versus having one continuous coil) since it's less likely to get caught on other things in your bag or bend and separate like cheaper models.

Is notebook paperweight important?

It's important to consider paperweight in a work notebook to prevent any ink bleeding or ghosting on pages. A useful way of determining paperweight is to see what a notebook’s GSM (grams per square meter) is, which measures paperweight. Considering that copy paper is usually around 75gsm, according to Xerox, you should look for a slightly higher number when choosing your work notebook. The higher you go, the thicker and heavier the paper will be.

Meet the Expert

This roundup was updated by Dawn Papandrea , a personal finance journalist who still relies on old-school notebooks to keep track of assignments. She is a full-time freelancer with two decades of  writing experience .

Amazon. " LEUCHTTURM1917 - Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook (Black) - 251 Numbered Pages ."

Leuchtturm1917. " The Original Bullet Journal by Ryder Carroll ."

Rhodia. " Meeting Book - A4 & A5 ."

Muji. " 5 Pack Ruled Notebook Set ."

Amazon. " Thick Classic Notebook with Pen Loop - Lemome A5 College Ruled Hardcover Writing Notebook with Pocket + Page Dividers Gifts, Banded, Large, 180 Pages, 8.4 x 5.7 in ."

Amazon. " Kokuyo Campus Wide Twin Ring Notebook - Special B5 (7.5" X 10") - 30 Lines - 70 Sheets - Blue ."

Rocketbook. " Rocketbook Core ."

Rhodia. " No 18 Staplebound Pad ."

Miliko. " Miliko Transparent Hardcover A5 Size Spiral Notebook (dot Grid) ."

Amazon. " Miliko Transparent Hardcover A5 Square Grid Wirebound/Spiral Notebook/Journal Set-2 Per Pack, 8.27 Inches x 5.67 Inches(Square Grid) ."

Midori. " MD Notebook ."

Xerox. " What To Consider When Choosing Paper: Paper Facts ."

15 Student Planners That Will Make This Year Their Most Productive One Yet

Screen-free planning ahead.

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Getting on board with using a planner might be quite the task, as most of us are used to clicking and tapping our notes into digital devices, like iPads and smartphones . Luckily for you, we've rounded up the best academic planners to transform even the most tech-obsessed person into a planner pro. From agendas designed to optimize your academic life to options that keep track of busy school and extracurricular schedules, these planners will help start the school year off right.

Planner 2023-2024

This student planner combines old-school sophistication with modern convenience. The cover design is classically minimal, with an elastic-band closure and pen holder at the spine to keep everything neatly together.

The interior page layout is similarly straightforward, offering weekly and monthly page views with plenty of lined and blank space to write, cross out, and rewrite. The design is unobtrusive, allowing for students to mold it to fit their needs. It's easy to follow with enough direction to keep students on-task, and it's durable enough that if it gets thrown around — which it definitely will — it won't fall apart partway through the year. Overall, the combination of style, durability, and price makes this student planner our number-one pick.

More: 20 High-Quality Backpacks That'll Actually Last All Year

2023-2024 Academic Planner + Study App

A brilliantly laid out study app comes with the Five Star planner. It's one more way for kids to integrate their digital and analog planning and studying. It's a simple plan with an easy layout to follow, and teens love it. It has daily, weekly, and monthly sections with more than enough room for everything.

Dated Bilingual Middle High School Student Planner

Bilingual English and Spanish planners are wonderful for really any child in the U.S. but especially good for Spanish speakers and Spanish learners. The planner has plenty of guidance as to what to put where and plenty of space in which to do it. It's also a great option for middle school students!

2023-2024 Academic Planner

At-a-Glance planners are favorites of teachers I spoke with because they aren't distracting, but they're also very guided and have plenty of room. Even if your child decides to use markers in it, the pages don't bleed like some thinner-papered planners. These lay flat, allowing the student to look at everything at a glance.

Student Planner 2023-2024

A big part of why this one will be so popular is because of the design on the outside — celestial images are hot right now. But what's inside is even more important, and you'll find a well-laid out planer with 380 stickers, goal areas, weekly, daily, and monthly spaces ready to be filled out.

2023-2024 Monthly Planner

If you need to motivate your student, gifting them a package like this is a wonderful way to do it. It has everything a kid could want for planning, pens, stickers, tabs, and a design that's alluring even for the planner-shy.

Again, it has weekly, daily, and monthly spaces with great paper and lines that aren't too close together.

2023-24 Monthly & Weekly Academic Planner Kit

There's so much to love about this extremely durable zippered planner starting with the fact that it's not just an undated planner — it's an entire planner system.

Useful school supplies like fine-liner pens, sticky notes, tabs, note stickers, and highlighters are all included. That means that you can color-code by program or activity, highlight deadlines, coordinate your needs, and get everything put down exactly when you need to begin because you are the one filling in the date.

2023-2024 Academic Year Weekly and Monthly Planner

This notebook-sized student planner from Blue Sky helps plan out projects by week while also including a bird's-eye view of the entire month when opened to each tab.

It also provides more than enough space for writing down due dates and monthly appointments, and it lays everything out neatly on a clean-lined spread.

What we love about this one is that it's a smaller size, perfect for the front pocket of a backpack. There's even a section for jotting down yearly goals for the academic year to stay on track through the semesters.

The Jag Academic Planner

Whether you're a consistent planner user or go weeks without writing down anything, this gorgeous, blank weekly planner is perfect. It feels grown up and ready for adulthood. Each page allows you to fill in the year and the date so that you can plan your way.

With generous space to write down daily tasks, assignments, and social engagements, you'll never miss a beat. Thanks to the sections for goals, important dates, and to-do lists, you'll be the image of productivity and organization.

Panda Reusable Academic Daily Planner

Undated planners are gaining popularity, and this one keeps track of way more than just your day-to-day schedule.

The top-rated Panda Planner includes daily, weekly, and monthly pages, all designed with the goal-oriented user in mind. It helps break big goals into smaller tasks and lets users get as granular as they'd like with long-term planning. This means that you can plan their semester by the week, month, or the whole chunk.

The best part is that the cloud-integrated planner is totally reusable, as users can jot down tasks and notes with the smudge-proof pen, scan them with the compatible app, and erase the notes with the included cloth. It'll likely be the only planner-and-notebook combo that you'll ever need.

Daily Planner 2023-2024

With weekly practices designed to inspire and encourage self-care, you will find this planner to be incredibly useful. Its lined pages are the perfect place to jot down notes, how you're feeling, or your progress and goals for that month. The weekly and monthly view allows you to write down detailed daily plans and broader monthly events.

The color-coded sections make finding a specific month quick and easy. You can design their planner to look as trendy as you want with the chic included sticker pack.

Simple Elephant Planner 2023-2024

Straight to the point and focused on productivity, the Simple Elephant Planner is designed to keep you motivated and ready to achieve your goals.

School is far more than just going to class and going home. The Elephant Planner is designed for everything in between. With weekly and monthly pages, you can keep track of your bigger and smaller assignments.

Your will be setting and completing goals like a pro with the yearly goal tracker. The gratitude and affirmation pages help you shape a mindfulness practice while keeping you focused on what you want to achieve during the academic year. Plus, the mindmap pages allow you to create a mini vision board to engage with your more creative side, which is great for art majors or students involved in theatre.

Watercolor Checkered Academic Planner

In the planner community, many would hail Erin Condren as the brand that ushered them into an organization obsession .

Designed with students in mind, this academic planner has a section to manage projects and exams, pages for notes, and the standard weekly/monthly calendar grid. Customize this planner with your name in eye-catching metallic gold for an added pop.

Erin Condren's planner keeps everything from sorority parties to work study and dissertation dates in their place. It's also easy to find what you need when you need it, thanks to the specific tabbing on the sides.

Hardcover Daily Planner 2023-2024

Some of us are all about the low-key aesthetic, and this planner fits the bill. Simple and small enough to toss in your backpack, this planner will get plenty of use.

The weekly planning pages feature boxes to an open plan for dates, allowing maximum customization. Structured to last, the simple planner has a sleek look that is truly unisex and mature.

Planner Set

Who says that using a planner has to be boring? This colorful set comes with everything you need to become a planning pro.

Complete with stickers, pens, and markers, you'll be able to customize their agenda to your exact taste. Each month starts with a page for you to jot down reminders, like phone calls to make and texts to return.

The weekly and monthly view will keep you on top of your assignments, while the included accessories will make writing down homework due dates a bit more fun.

What to Consider

Choosing the right planner for the right person is no small task, especially for college students dealing with the beginning of their life as an adult. There's a lot to jot down when you consider work and school schedules that include not only term-long projects but also goals for the future, grade calculations, and important notes about prerequisites and scheduling. Planners are pretty individual things, so check in with your kid about their preferred style. My own 15-year-old son prefers to have a larger planner with more room because he's visually inclined in that way, but my 12-year-old daughter is just the opposite. Her planner is precise, but notebooks are for figuring things out.

A good student planner should have space not only for assignments but also for schedules, notes, and important email addresses and numbers, such as the At a Glance planner . It's also a good idea to give yourself the option of having multiple views of the dates — a month at a glance, a week, and a daily breakdown. It's not 100% necessary, but it is extremely useful. You also want your student planner to be durable, just like the Feela planner system , because planners get pretty beaten up over time. Think about it — they're thrown in backpacks , tossed into desk drawers, and even jammed into lockers, so they need to stand up to some knocking around. Flimsy is fine for something that stays at home but not for an academic planner that needs to travel.

Cat Bowen has been covering parenting and home for over a decade. At Best Products, she has tested hundreds of products for parents and for the home, often spending dozens of hours per product to ensure her reviews are accurate and informative. Prior to joining the team, she was at Romper where she covered everything from breastfeeding to child sleep habits to abortion rights access. You can find her work on Bustle , Romper , and more. Cat is a bit of an intellectual magpie and perpetual student, most recently receiving a graduate degree in gender studies where she examined a topic that vexes so many — pockets in women’s clothing.

Melanie Yates is the senior service editor of Best Products, where she writes and reports pieces pertaining to the etiquette, dilemmas, and how-tos of gift-giving for different occasions. Previously, she was the site's senior home editor, covering all things decor- and bedding-related since 2015. Her digital byline can also be found on Bustle, House Beautiful , and Elle Decor . A longtime classical-music enthusiast, Melanie spends her off-hours enjoying performances big and small across New York City.

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How we tested

• Best overall
• Best for elementary school
• Best for middle and high school
• Best for college
• Best for lefties
• Best budget

What else we considered

Note-taking tips, the 6 best school notebooks.

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With a master's degree in education and years of teaching under my belt, I've seen my fair share of notebooks.

Some students, school districts, and colleges have made the switch away from paper and gone completely digital . However, research has shown that students who write their notes down — as opposed to typing them — perform better on tests.

As a teacher, I've seen this firsthand. Students may not internalize their notes as well when they don't write them out by hand. It's also easier for them to get distracted when using a device — it's almost impossible for them to ignore a notification.

You don't need to splurge to get a good notebook for school, but there are some things to consider when shopping for this ubiquitous school supply. Andy Beauchamp, a second grade teacher in Minnesota, advises parents to wait until they hear from their child's teacher before purchasing notebooks. Always keep in mind that different teachers may have different requirements.   

To find the best notebooks, I conducted research, talked to current teachers, and tested 12 popular options, which were provided as editorial review samples by their manufacturers. My testing included writing, ripping out pages, spilling water on them, and more — which you can read about in the next slide.

Here are the best school notebooks

Best overall - Five Star Advance 3 Subject Notebook See at Amazon The Five Star Advance 3 Subject Notebook with moveable pocket dividers keeps notes in great shape through the school year and beyond.

Best for elementary school - Amazon Basics Wide-Ruled Composition Notebook See at Amazon The Amazon Basics Wide-Ruled Composition Notebook helps kids perfect their handwriting and the sewn binding eliminates the danger of wires for younger kids. 

Best for middle and high school - Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject Notebook See at Walmart The Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject Notebook is simple, versatile, and exceptionally durable with a water-resistant plastic cover.

Best for college - Hamelin 1 Subject Spiral Notebook See at Walmart The Hamelin 1 Subject has 150 pages of college-ruled paper to accommodate notes-intensive courses, and it comes with access to a note management app. 

Best for lefties - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, XL See at Amazon The Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, XL is ideal for lefties because the pages lie flat and ink doesn't smudge. 

Best budget  - Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook See at Amazon The simple Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook does the job at half the price of similar notebooks.

After researching and selecting the top contenders for this guide, I received samples of each one on my short list and put them through the following testing criteria we designed for this guide:

• Writing test: I wrote in each notebook with various writing utensils to make sure there was no bleeding through pages. None of the pages bled with typical pencils and pens. I did not test with markers, highlighters, or Sharpies. 
• Rip test: I tore pages out of each notebook to test how cleanly and easily they came out. Teachers often ask students to rip pages out to hand in, and many teachers don't like when pages are uneven and have jagged edges. 
• Typical student test: I threw them, stepped on them, tried to rip them by pulling on the cover, and tried to pull the coil off of notebooks that had one.
• Water test: I spilled water on the cover of each notebook and let it sit for 15 minutes before assessing damage. 

Best overall: Five Star Advance 3 Subject Notebook

Pros : Cloth cover protects coils, moveable pocket dividers, extremely durable plastic cover

Cons : Some resistance when writing, may not be ideal for young students

In my experience as a teacher, the two main reasons notebooks get ruined are ripped covers and snagged wires. The college-ruled Five Star Advance Notebook takes care of both of these problems with a durable plastic cover and a fabric wire guard.

With room for three subjects and protective coverings, this notebook will last through an entire school year and even longer. In our tests, the cover protected the pages from water damage, and it was difficult to pull the wires out from under the fabric guard. 

Its durability makes it ideal for saving notes from higher-level courses to refer back to later. The moveable dividers add versatility as well. Maybe one class only uses 50 pages while another uses 75 — you won't waste pages like you would with a fixed divider. I found the pages ripped out cleanly and didn't leave any jagged edges. A nice added feature is the pen/pencil holder. 

When compared to some of our other picks, writing utensils didn't glide quite as smoothly over the paper. However, this isn't a big deal for the average student. The only age group this notebook might not be ideal for is lower-elementary school due to its size. 

If for some reason this notebook doesn't last, it also has Five Star's one-year guarantee (misuse and abuse are not covered).

Best for elementary school: Amazon Basics Wide-Ruled Composition Notebook

Pros : Pages are securely sewn in, the wide-ruled paper is ideal for perfecting handwriting, includes schedule and conversion chart

Cons : Cover is plain, can't tear pages out

While I typically recommend notebooks with more durable covers, I like the Amazon Basics Composition Notebook specifically for elementary school kids because it has wide spacing between lines. This is ideal for writers who are still perfecting their technique. The sewn binding also prevents problems spiral notebooks can cause for young kids.

Beauchamp agrees that young children benefit from a sewn binding. "Spiral notebooks make practicing writing mechanics and using a full line challenging for students," she said. "About halfway through the year, the spiral begins to come undone if not taken care of, and can be harmful to students as it is quite sharp. Composition notebooks eliminate those problems." 

In our tests, the cardboard cover tore easily, but there was no wire to pull loose. The cover held up well to the spill test; it showed water damage, but it didn't seep through to the paper. Like most composition notebooks, there aren't any perforations to tear pages out, so the edges ripped unevenly when I tried to pull them out. Ease of writing was average — slightly rough but what you'd expect from a notebook at this price point.

The notebook is available in solid or marbled covers in blue, yellow, green, red, and black. While these colors are nice, young kids might be disappointed that there aren't fun designs. 

A handy conversion chart and a space to write a schedule are included on the inside covers. The schedule space can help young kids learn to tell time and follow routines.

Best for middle and high school: Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject Notebook

Pros : Durable, water-resistant cover; built-in pockets; colorful covers are easy to organize; loops on wires prevent snagging

Cons : Interior pockets aren't very durable

As both a student and a teacher, the Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject was my favorite notebook. While some other notebooks quickly succumb to wear and tear as the year goes on, many Five Star notebooks look good as new even on the last day of school. 

The durability of this notebook is largely due to its water-resistant cover. "Notebooks with stronger, thicker covers seem to survive the everyday wear and tear of being thrown in backpacks and lockers," according to Alissa Martin, a high school teacher in Pennsylvania. "Often, buying a more expensive notebook will save money in the end because it won't need to be replaced due to a cover falling apart or ripping, or the wiring coming apart." 

In our tests, the cover of this notebook did not rip and it protected the pages from spilled water. The edges of the wire loop back on itself to prevent snagging. There are also two interior pockets for storing handouts, worksheets, and loose paper. While I like this feature, the pockets are made of cardboard that is not very durable. The ink bleed-resistant paper has perforations, and the pages ripped out well in our testing. Out of all of our top picks, this was the roughest to write on but not unusual for this type of notebook.

A 100-page one-subject notebook is usually enough for one class. Teachers may request wide-or college-ruled paper. If they don't give a preference, middle school students might prefer wide-ruled while high school students might gravitate toward a college-ruled notebook.  Five Star offers both options. It also comes in many different colors, ideal for organizing classes by color.

Best for college: Hamelin 1 Subject

Pros : Durable, works with Scribzee app to manage and send notes, includes organizational stickers, writing utensils glide smoothly on paper

Cons : Wire pulls out easily, cost adds up if you need to purchase multiple notebooks

Of all the notebooks I've used throughout my life — from elementary to grad school — the ones I've held onto the most are the ones from my undergrad years. That's why the Hamelin 1 Spiral Subject notebook with its sturdy cover is our pick for the best college notebook. Not only will the notebook itself last, but electronic versions of your notes can last forever if you take advantage of the Scribzee app . 

According to Meghan Huber , assistant professor in mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, "Choosing the right notebook paper is critical, now more than ever, since most classes are taught online. Especially in STEM courses, students might be required to upload their homework and exam problems to show their work."

This is where students will really appreciate the Scribzee app that serves as a companion to the notebook. Students can take pictures of their notes and turn them into PDFs, send them to other people, organize them into folders, and add additional content like images. Uploading homework and exam problems to send to professors is a breeze. 

For further organization, the included peel-and-stick labels can be used to create dividers, label sections, and add bookmarks. Papers can be stored in one double-sided pocket in the front, which is somewhat flimsy card stock like that of the Five Star. The notebook comes in blue, red, white, black, purple, green, and yellow. 

The thick cover protected the pages well in our water test. The paper was very smooth to write on, and the pages tore out easily. The only test this notebook didn't do well on was the wire pull test — the spiral wire that binds the notebook pulled out very easily. Traditionally, this is more of a problem with middle and high school students who get the wire stuck on their lockers. However, the pros of this notebook outweigh that one con, especially for college students.

Best for lefties: Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, XL

Pros : Paper lies flat, minimal smudging, bookmark and folder included, many size and color options 

Cons : Pages aren't perforated

Moleskine notebooks are known for their high quality and the brand has many loyal followers. This was my first time trying a Moleskine, and I was sold. 

To determine the best school notebook for lefties, however, my left-handed husband helped me test and make the final decision. This notebook came out on top in his testing for two reasons. First, the paper lies flat, so it wasn't uncomfortable and he didn't have to waste half the page. Second, ink and pencil smudged the least out of all the notebooks we tested. After decades of having ink smudged all over his hands, my husband was thoroughly impressed. 

These two factors, while great for lefties, aren't the only reasons this is an excellent notebook. In our tests, the hardcover protected the pages from water, and pens and pencils glided smoothly over the paper. Additional features include a bookmark ribbon, an elastic closure, and a durable expandable folder inside the rear cover. Although the pages do not have perforations, they tore out the best of all the non-perforated notebooks we tested. They come out evenly as long as you take your time.

The Moleskine classic has a very sleek look, and it's easy to customize: There are 10 color options, six sizes, four paper types, and two cover options (note that I did not test the softcover). Its durability and versatility make this a solid choice for left-handed notetakers.

Best budget: Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook

Pros : Affordable, multiple color options, page perforations and binder holes  

Cons : Coil can get snagged, cover rips easily

Is the Mead 1 Subject the best notebook out there? No. Can you beat $2 or less for a school notebook? Also no. This notebook almost always can be found for $2, too. It certainly has its drawbacks, but as a teacher, it was one of the most popular notebooks I saw in the classroom simply because you can't beat the price. 

It comes in a variety of colors for students to choose from and is a typical wire-bound notebook with a cardstock cover. The pages include perforations and three-ring holes, so students can rip them out for graded assignments or put them in a binder. 

With such a low price comes some drawbacks, however. The cover is thin and was easily ripped in our tests. It also allowed water to seep through in our water test. The wire coil can get snagged easily, and I've seen this ruin Mead notebooks in my classroom. 

The ease of writing is average, similar to the Amazon Basics Composition Notebook . The perforated pages tear out evenly, but if you don't take your time, you might get the jagged edges that go around the wire.

There are certainly better notebook options out there, but the cost of school supplies can add up very quickly. If your budget is tight and you're looking for ways to save, the Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook can do the job.

• Mead Composition : This notebook is very similar to the Amazon Basics Composition Notebook . It came in slightly more expensive than the Amazon option, which is why it didn't make the cut. 
• Mead Primary Composition Notebooks : This is a good option for very young kids. They use the red baseline ruled lines to help kids learn how to write. Because most kids would outgrow them by second grade, we went with a wide ruled composition notebook pick for elementary school instead. 
• Rocketbook Core : This is a unique eco-conscious notebook. Students can write on the reusable paper with FriXion pens , then use the Rocketbook app to store a digital copy of their notes and erase the page with a damp cloth. This technology worked well when I tried it, but it may not be the best option for students. For one, it's not cheap for a notebook that might get destroyed or lost, and if students lose their FriXion pen, the notebook is useless. They also won't be able to tear any pages out to hand to a teacher. It would be a better fit in classrooms with 1:1 technology than those without. 
• Black n Red Ruled Hardcover : This notebook had high-quality paper and the hardcover protected the pages very well. However, the cover was so hard and the binding so tight that it was difficult to get the notebook to lie flat. 
• Cambridge Professional :  This was a nice notebook that I found to be similar to the Hamelin . The very thick paper made it difficult to rip off along the perforated line, however. Hamelin also edged this notebook out because of its compatibility with Scribzee.

Efficient note-takers successfully create a balance between trying to write down every word their teacher says and not writing enough. Here are a few note-taking tips: 

• Keep notes organized with dates, titles, and sections. "Different sections of a notebook can help students learn to organize, especially if it's notes within one subject area," according to Martin.
• Having multiple notebooks can help keep students organized. "Keep a notebook for each class plus a catch-all notebook," Huber said. "This additional notebook should be with the student at all times and can be used for anything from scratch paper to making a shopping list to a stand-in for that forgotten notebook."
• Try using highlighters or colored pens to color-code notes. 
• Use shorthand and abbreviations. This helps you write your notes quickly so you can spend more time listening. It also helps ensure you'll be able to understand your notes later. 
• Underline or otherwise mark important or key notes. 

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

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Homework management system: Calendar vs. assignment notebook

Katie November 15, 2021 executive function , homework , organization , productivity

By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.

I’m frequently asked about the difference between a calendar and an assignment notebook. They are not the same. At all. While both are essential pieces of a student homework-management system, they each have a unique function. The bottom line: Neither a calendar nor a basic assignment notebook is sufficient alone, and they should instead be used together.

All student planners (assignment notebooks) come with a weekly spread. A weekly spread could be on one page of the planner or it could span two pages.

Some student planners come with a monthly calendar. Usually, a monthly calendar spans two pages, with or without monthly tabs for easy flipping. A calendar by itself, without a weekly spread, is not a sufficient homework management system.

When choosing an assignment notebook ( here’s how to pick one ), pick one with both a monthly calendar and a weekly spread. ( Here’s a good, basic assignment notebook suggestion , or this one too .) Why? An ultimate homework management system requires that students keep track of two different types of information:

• Time-sensitive information
• Tasks and assignments

If you’d prefer a single, one-page homework tracker, try this daily homework tracker here or this weekly homework planner here . I have made them with love, of course.

What about digital calendars?

Digital calendars are excellent, as long as you use them consistently. If you only use your digital calendar sporadically, you won’t trust it, and if you don’t trust it, it won’t work. If you want to use a simple assignment notebook with just a weekly spread, and then use a digital calendar for the calendar component, go ahead. 

Here is my complete step-by-step tutorial on how to use Google Calendar for school .

What goes on a calendar?

The calendar section of an assignment notebook is for time-sensitive information, excluding daily homework assignments. This includes the following items:

• Project deadlines
• Tests and quizzes
• After school meetings
• Field trips and special events
• Early releases and early dismissals
• Practices and games
• Appointments
• Reminders to bring something to school on a particular day

Again, the calendar section is not where you write your daily homework assignments.

What goes in an assignment notebook?

The weekly spread of an assignment notebook is for nothing other than homework assignments. This is where you simply list out the homework you have to do for each class. Don’t forget that studying for tests is an implied assignment. Teachers won’t always tell you to study before a test, because that’s the expectation – so write down your study sessions as if they are homework assignments.

In each daily space, list your assignments by class, like below:

• Math: worksheet; page 167 in textbook #4-28
• English: read chapters 4 and 5 in To Kill a Mockingbird
• Science: Edpuzzle
• History: write 3rd body paragraph for essay; find another primary source
• Spanish: Study imperfect vs preterite endings for Friday’s quiz

Write down all assignments on the day they’re assigned, not on the day they’re due. For example, if you are assigned a math worksheet on Monday that’s not due until Thursday, write math worksheet in Monday’s space, not Thursday’s space. If you don’t get to it Monday, rewrite it in Tuesday’s space on Tuesday. This post here explains exactly how to use 3 specific symbols in your assignment notebook for this exact purpose.

Once you write down all your assignments, get to work and do them. Don’t know what to do first? Here’s a simple 4-step method for prioritizing homework .

Final notes on the perfect homework management system

The calendar vs. assignment notebook debate isn’t that complicated, but it certainly comes up a lot with my students and their parents. The truth is that you really need both in order to have a fully functioning homework management system. Whether you use a digital calendar or an analog calendar doesn’t matter too much, but I hold tight to my suggestion of using an analog assignment notebook. Whatever you do, you can not rely on your memory for keeping track of homework and due dates; that’s not a thing, it’s silly, and you are way smarter than that.

Are you a parent? Here’s my FREE downloadable 10-page Guide To Teaching Your Child Time Management Skills . It’s really free. Nothing spammy or weird.

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10 Best Planner Apps for Students (Free & Intuitive)

Student life can be a wild ride, right?

Homework, assignments, class schedules, upcoming exams – it’s like a never-ending rollercoaster. But guess what? We have solutions for you.

Here are the 10 best planner apps for students, tested and approved, to help you conquer the chaos and ride that rollercoaster like a pro.

Say goodbye to missed deadlines and hello to seamless planning and efficient time management. Let’s dive right in!

I. How to choose the best student planner app for your needs

Here are 4 key factors to consider:

1. Free Version. Money matters, especially for us students. Look for free planner apps with generous feature offerings.

2. User-Friendly Interface. A good student planner app should help you get stuff done, not get lost in itself. Look for apps with clear navigation menus and well-designed icons.

3. Feature Set. Think about what’s essential for your study style, and check if the app has what you need – calendars, to-do lists, collaboration, compatibility with other productivity apps! And hey, the ability to personalize it with categories and labels is a plus.

4. Cross-Platform Compatibility . Make sure your app plays well with the devices you’re frequently using.

We noticed most students are glued to their mobile devices these days, so most planner apps we recommend below are available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

II. 10 Best Planner Apps for Students for 2024

Below are the 10 highest-rated planner apps for students we found for you.

Availability : iOS | Android | web

Imagine having a personal assistant who can keep your class schedules in check, handle your to-do lists like a pro, and make group assignments feel like a walk in the park.

Well, meet Upbase!

It ticks all the boxes: a great free version, a user interface that’s easier to navigate than your campus, and privacy controls.

Whether you’re in high school or college, this trusty sidekick will make your study life a whole lot easier. Here’s why it’s the coolest:

A. Generous Free Version

Upbase’s free version is like finding money in your old jeans – unexpected and awesome. Here’s the good stuff it packs:

• Unlimited users and tasks .
• Daily, monthly, and weekly schedule , with a time-blocking feature.
• Task priorities, start and due times, durations, etc.
• Shared/private projects.
• Real-time chat tool and discussions
• Collaborative docs, files, calendars, and links.

B. Comprehensive feature set

Upbase is not just a school planner app; it’s a toolkit for academic success that you can easily access from the left-side menu.

i) Schedule

Centralize all your schedules in one place. Easily make plans for the upcoming week, day, and month. That’s what the Schedule page can do for you!

It has four views: Daily Planner, Weekly Planner, Week Calendar, and Monthly Calendar, each integrated with a drag-and-drop feature, making scheduling 2x faster.

And hey, don’t skip these secret weapons if you want to skyrocket productivity:

• Pomodoro timer.
• Notepad for taking quick notes.
• Daily Notes for daily journaling.

Perfect for managing homework, assignments, and group projects. Each list is like a project hub where all information is organized within reach.

For group assignments, you can delegate tasks, add priorities, set deadlines, and attach files. You can also create knowledge bases, organize files, post announcements, communicate with your team, and more.

The cool thing is: you get control of who can access each list .

This is crucial for college students who often work on multiple group projects simultaneously. They can ensure that only the relevant team members have access to a particular list, maintaining privacy and security.

Want to use lists as a solo? Easy-peasy! Just hide the collaborative tools with a few simple clicks.

This tool lets you access Slack-style channels, so you can keep the entire conversation within Upbase.

It also supports direct messages, so you can chat 1-on-1 with anyone on your team.

This feature allows you to categorize, search, and filter tasks in your workspace. You can filter tasks by one or multiple tags – a capability that other planner apps lack.

Take your task management experience to the next level with filters.

The feature lets you create a custom filter of multiple criteria such as lists, assignees, due dates, tags, priorities, etc.

vi) My Tasks

A private place where you can easily keep track of all assigned tasks and tasks you create. You can show tasks on a list or on a Kanban board and choose how to group them.

C. Great customizability

Make Upbase yours. Tailor it to your preferences and style:

• Personalize list icons and colors for a tailored look.
• Group similar lists into folders for intuitive navigation.
• Choose between List and Board views for tasks.
• Show/hide tools based on your needs for a clutter-free experience.

This study planning app is free to start and offers full access to all the Premium version features.

Availability : Web browsers | Windows | macOS | Android | iOS

Notion is like the cool kid on the block when it comes to study planning apps.

Unlike other apps, it gives you the freedom to design your own school planner, notes, and task lists.

You can also link related information, keeping your subjects, courses, and projects cohesive.

Working on group projects? Notion allows you to share pages with your classmates, delegate tasks, and more.

In short, Notion is the best planner app for students who value customization, seek an all-in-one solution, and are comfortable with a slight learning curve.

Key Features

• Slash command & rich text format options
• Databases, tables, and pages
• Rich template inventory (such as project planner, homework planner, school planner, etc.)
• Able to create custom workflows, planners, and databases
• Easy to link related information together
• Accessible across devices
• Steep learning curve
• No real-time chat tool
• Time-taking for initial setup

3. Google Calendar

Availability : Web | Android | iOS | Desktop

Google Calendar is a user-friendly student planner app, thanks to its clean calendar interface with various color-coding options.

For example, you can assign blue for classes, green for homework, and red for exams. So, when you spot blue in your calendar, you’ll immediately recognize it as a class.

But what truly sets Google Calendar apart from other student calendar apps is its seamless integration with other Google services. This makes it the best planner app for students who are either already part of the Google ecosystem or considering joining.

• Rich color-coding options
• Seamless integration with Google apps
• Day, week, month, and year calendar views
• Simple to use
• Manage your to-do list schedules, emails, etc. in one place
• Easy to distinguish different activities
• Weak task management capability
• Not sync well with non-Google apps

This student calendar app is typically included for free as part of Google’s suite of apps.

Availability : iOS | Mac | iPad | Apple Watch | Android | Windows | Web

Todoist is one of the few student planner apps that utilize natural language processing for task creation.

For example, when you jot down “Math assignment due Friday at 5 PM”, Todoist transforms your words into an actionable task named “Math assignment” with a due date at 5 PM on Friday.

Pretty cool, right? But that’s not all!

You can add notes, create a reminder, or add labels to this task.

Furthermore, this school planner allows you to create projects, share tasks with your group, and delegate work.

• Due dates & reminders
• Labels and filters
• Recurring tasks
• Natural language processing
• Available on multiple devices
• Never miss any important deadlines
• Easy to sort and filter tasks by your needs
• Lack of start dates
• Unable to assign a task to multiple members
• Only support 5 collaborators per free project

Availability : Web | iOS devices | Android devices | macOS | Windows

Trello is the best planner app for students, and here’s why it rocks.

First off, Trello’s intuitive Kanban-style interface is a breeze to navigate. It’s like digital sticky notes that actually keep you on track of upcoming tasks.

Secondly, it’s got all the features most students might need like due dates, labels, priorities, and reminders.

And if you’re teaming up on a group project, Trello enables you to invite friends, assign tasks, and share files.

• Kanban-style interface
• Easy to track a project’s progress
• Save time on repetitive tasks
• Suit different preferences and styles
• Too basic subtasks (no due dates or assignees)
• The calendar view is available only on the Premium plan and up

6. Power Planner

Availability : iOS | Android | Windows

Power Planner is a good college student planner app for both iOS and Android users.

What makes Power Planner special? It’s got your back for all things school-related, such as grade and GPA calculation, homework management with automatic reminders, and schedule tracking.

Plus, Power Planner offers nifty features like widgets for quick task check-ins and offline mode.

But note that while Power Planner is free to download, it includes an in-app purchase for premium features, such as the ability to add more than one semester and five grades per class.

• Grade and GPA calculation
• Automatic reminders
• Quick task check-ins
• Offline mode
• Easy to track grades
• Keep your class schedule in check
• Able to use when Wi-Fi is unavailable
• It takes time and effort for the initial setup
• Occasional synchronization issues
• Lack of collaboration features

Free with an in-app purchase of $1.99.

7. myHomework – Student Planner App

Availability :

What’s the deal with the myHomework Student Planner App?

Well, it’s super easy to use, with no confusing stuff here. It’s like having a friendly assistant to keep your academic life on track without any tech headaches.

Unlike many student planner apps, myHomework is accessible whether Wi-Fi is available or not. It’s also compatible with multiple devices, including phones, tablets, and computers.

So, whether you’re online or offline, your schedule is right at your fingertips – upcoming events, homework, exams, it’s got you covered.

And it won’t let you forget with those handy reminders.

In short, if you want a friendly, no-fuss solution for tracking assignments and organizing subjects, myHomework is the best planner app you can think of.

• Reminders & notifications
• Due date reminders
• Assignment tracking
• Upcoming homework widgets
• Offline access
• Little to no learning curve
• Able to access your schedule and assignments offline
• Simple to keep track of lectures, labs, and assignments.
• In-app ads in the free version
• Collaboration features are only available on the paid version

8. iStudiez

Availability : iOS | macOS | Android | Windows 10

Alright, imagine iStudiez as your digital planner buddy! Why’s it cool?

Well, iStudiez is not just a study planner app, it’s like your academic superhero. You can track your grades, manage assignments, and nail your class schedule. Plus, it sends you handy reminders so you’re always on top of things.

You can access iStudiez offline no matter what device you’re on.

So, if you’re all about keeping your school life organized and stress-free, iStudiez is the study planner app you’ve been looking for.

• Grade tracking
• Customizable subjects
• Tailored specifically for students
• Easy to keep tabs on your grades and GPA
• Access your schedule even without an internet connection
• Learning curve
• Occasional syncing issues between devices

iStudiez Pro is initially free with no ads. The paid version costs $2.99 USD on mobile and $9.99 USD on desktop, offering full features and synchronization.

Availability : iOS | Android

What makes Egenda stand out from other school planners is its simplicity.

No complex menus or tech mysteries. This planner app for students offers a straightforward and user-friendly interface that even non-experienced students can start using with ease.

And guess what? Egenda is accessible offline – only a few study planner apps offer this functionality for free.

So, if you’re seeking the best planner app for students that’s mobile-dedicated and straightforward to use, Egenda is right up your alley.

Note: Unlike other apps, Egenda has no web or desktop versions.

• Daily reminders
• Sort by class, completion, and due date
• Easy to sort tasks by specific needs
• Accessible in areas with limited or no internet connectivity
• Unable to use across devices
• Lack of advanced features available in some other daily planner apps.

This planner app for students is free to download, with in-app purchases ($2.99 per item).

10. My Study Life

Availability : iOS | Android | Windows | Web

My Study Life is like the Swiss Army knife of student planner apps.

It’s got everything a student needs, all wrapped up in one neat package and synced seamlessly across devices, so your schedule and assignments are always up-to-date, no matter where you are.

Homework, exams, class schedules – this study planner app handles it all. It’s like having a personal academic assistant that fits right in your pocket.

If you’re in search of an all-in-one planner app for students, My Study Life is the way to go.

• Customizable school planner
• 3 Different types of tasks: Revision, Reminder, & Assignment
• Class, task, and exam reminders
• Offer comprehensive academic-focus features
• Easy to track tasks, exams, and revision progress
• Accessible even without an internet connection
• Unable to rearrange tasks
• No calendar feature for task due dates

III. Which Study Planner App is Best For You?

Alongside smart planning practices, having a good planner app in your arsenal is essential. We’ve introduced you to the 10 best study planner apps for students out there; now, it’s your turn to make an informed decision.

Need our suggestion? Sure, give Upbase a try!

It offers seamless synchronization across devices, intuitive assignment tracking, and a user-friendly interface that simplifies academic organization. With Upbase, you can stay on top of your assignments, never miss a deadline, and make the most of your study time.

So, why wait? Sign up for a free Upbase account and embark on a successful study path. Your future self will thank you!

1. What is a student planner app?

Student planner apps are digital tools designed to help students stay organized, manage their to-do list, view upcoming classes, and improve time management skills.

2. Are student planners worth it?

Student planners are real game-changers to make study life easier. They help with organization and keeping track of homework assignments and upcoming deadlines.

3. What is the best planner for a student?

The best planner apps for students depend on individual needs, but some good choices include apps like Todoist, Upbase, and Google Calendar, which offer user-friendly interfaces and versatile features tailored for students’ organization.

4. What is the best online planner for school?

Here are some of the best online planners for school: Todoist, Upbase, and Google Calendar. They are all free to start, simple to set up, and easy to use, offering a wide array of features to streamline your school life.

5. What is a good free planner app?

One great free school planner app is Upbase. Its free version offers:

• Built-in calendars for hours, days, weeks, and months.
• Private and shared to-do lists with unlimited users for group projects.
• Real-time chat and rich collaboration features for seamless teamwork.
• Additional features like note-taking, bookmarks, and Pomodoro timers.

Furthermore, Upbase is user-friendly and accessible on web browsers, the Google App Store, and the Apple App Store.

One place for all your work

Tasks, messages, docs, files, chats – all in one place.

• Help center
• Terms of service
• Privacy policy
• iOS mobile app
• Android mobile app

Never forget a class or assignment again.

Unlock your potential and manage your classes, tasks and exams with mystudylife- the world's #1 student planner and school organizer app..

School planner and organizer

The MyStudyLife planner app supports rotation schedules, as well as traditional weekly schedules. MSL allows you to enter your school subjects, organize your workload, and enter information about your classes – all so you can effortlessly keep on track of your school calendar.

Homework planner and task tracker

Become a master of task management by tracking every single task with our online planner – no matter how big or small.

Stay on top of your workload by receiving notifications of upcoming classes, assignments or exams, as well as incomplete tasks, on all your devices.

“Featuring a clean interface, MyStudyLife offers a comprehensive palette of schedules, timetables and personalized notifications that sync across multiple devices.”

” My Study Life is a calendar app designed specifically for students. As well as showing you your weekly timetable– with support for rotations – you can add exams, essay deadlines and reminders, and keep a list of all the tasks you need to complete. It also works on the web, so you can log in and check your schedule from any device.”

“MyStudyLife is a great study planner app that makes it simple for students to add assignments, classes, and tests to a standard weekly schedule.”

“I cannot recommend this platform enough. My Study Life is the perfect online planner to keep track of your classes and assignments. I like to use both the website and the mobile app so I can use it on my phone and computer! I do not go a single day without using this platform–go check it out!!”

“Staying organized is a critical part of being a disciplined student, and the MyStudyLife app is an excellent organizer.”

The ultimate study app

The MyStudyLife student planner helps you keep track of all your classes, tasks, assignments and exams – anywhere, on any device.

Whether you’re in middle school, high school or college MyStudyLife’s online school agenda will organize your school life for you for less stress, more productivity, and ultimately, better grades.  

Take control of your day with MyStudyLife

Stay on top of your studies. Organize tasks, set reminders, and get better grades, one day at a time.

We get it- student life can be busy. Start each day with the confidence that nothing important will be forgotten, so that you can stay focused and get more done.

Track your class schedule on your phone or computer, online or offline, so that you always know where you’re meant to be.

Shift your focus back to your goals, knowing that MyStudyLife has your back with timely reminders that make success the main event of your day

Say goodbye to last minute stress with MyStudyLife’s homework planner to make procrastination a thing of the past.

Coming soon!

MyStudyLife has lots of exciting changes and features in the works. Stay tuned!

Stay on track on all of your devices.

All your tasks are automatically synced across all your devices, instantly.

Trusted by millions of students around the world.

School can be hard. MyStudyLife makes it easier.

Our easy-to-use online study planner app is available on the App Store, the Google Play Store and can be used on desktop. This means that you can use MyStudyLife anywhere and on any device.

Discover more on the MyStudyLife blog

See how MyStudyLife can help organize your life.

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Top 7 Homework Planner Apps for Students

Whether you are attending classes, completing your assignments, studying for a quiz, project work, extra-curricular activities, or squeezing some time for friends and family. You’d agree that organizing and planning goes a long way. That’s why a homework organizer or a homework planner app can be a lifesaver to keep track of all your assignments, tests, submission deadlines, and exams. I did the research and shortlisted the perfect homework planner apps for Android and iOS. Let’s check those out.

Read:  Best Notes App for Windows to Increase Productivity

Homework Planner Apps for Students

1. student planner- homework agenda & notes.

The first app on the list is a simple homework and notes management app. It keeps track of homework, assignments, projects, and to-do lists. The layout is minimal, all the tasks are neatly organized with a colored bookmark for easy identification. You can mark a task complete and remove it from the pending list.

Courses can be added easily and color-coded as well. The calendar shows any upcoming deadlines so you can prioritize accordingly. The tasks have a progress bar that you can adjust as you make progress which enables you to get a quick summary without actually opening every task.

You can also break your assignments in small chunks as subtasks that would make finishing a task much easier and the progress bar will fill automatically. It also allows you to attach media files to your assignments or projects for easy access to the important information in one place.

• Progress bar
• Deadline Reminders
• Calendar View
• No option to sync data to the cloud

Student Planner is a great app for all the students, it has all the necessary features like Deadline reminders, subtasks, progress bar, color-coded tasks, and courses. It can significantly increase your productivity when used regularly. You can get this app for free in the Play Store.

Install Student Planner- Homework Agenda ( Android )

2. Student Planner

Student Planner is another fast and simple homework management app which is wrapped by a beautiful and intuitive material designed UI. What Student Planner adds to the table is the inclusion of a schedule or time table which you can use to either store your class schedule or it might even be a study schedule for your exams.

You first start by adding your subject and the schedule then you can add an assignment or set a reminder. The due assignments are arranged as separate cards and can be swiped away once done with.

•  Simple and easy to get started with
•  Fast and small in size
•  Beautiful Minimal UI
•  Option for Schedule
• No sync/backup
• Timetable implementation not perfect

I would recommend this app to anyone who is looking for a simple homework management app with timetable support and a minimal UI.

Install Student Planner ( Android )

Egenda is simple. Open the app, add all the classes or subjects to the app, and once that is set up, you have the option of adding a new Homework, Quiz, Project, or Test and choose the respective subject deadlines. The app also arranges the due work in cards that can be swiped away when done. But what I love the most about this app is that the fact it allows you to go subject-wise and view all your upcoming tests, projects, or pending assignments which is a huge convenience for planning your schedule ahead of time instead of the previous day.

Unfortunately, the app doesn’t have a timetable option, but in its latest update, it added a  Calendar View  where you can see your whole month at a glance with your assignments, tests, and projects.

•  Subject-wise sorting
•  Calendar View
• No timetable support

Egenda provides some great tools for Homework and Test planning and I am sure anyone would find them extremely convenient and useful. But keeping its single con in mind, go for this app if you are not too keen on having a schedule or timetable.

Install  Egenda  ( Android  |  iOS )

4. ChalkBoard

The next app on our list is ChalkBoard, which I found out to be a pretty smart homework planner app. Chalkboard strikes a perfect balance between simplicity and features.

Although the setup process is a little longer than the previous three apps, as you have to feed meticulous details about the classes, teacher, and schedule. It is worth the effort.

On the home screen, you are shown upcoming classes, events tab, and upcoming tests. ChalkBoard fetches the dates for every subject from the Timetable for your future classes. Little features like these make the app stand out from the rest and give an overall great experience. You can also view classes and assignments subject wise.

• Proper Timetable
• Ability to add teachers for subjects
• View tomorrow’s classes as well as assignments/tests/quizzes
• Smart features
• Little longer to set up
• No calendar view

If you are looking for a homework planner as well as a school planner, Chalkboard is the app as it strikes a great ground with almost all the features one might need while not being too bulky.

Install ChalkBoard ( Android )

5. School Planner

School Planner is a full-fledged planning application designed for students to manage their career as a student. Along with your homework and timetables, School Planner offers you to keep track of your grades and attendance, add contacts for teachers, add recorded lectures, and even multiple planners.

The app supports backing up of all your data via Google Drive, Calendar View along with a weekly report, attaching snapshots to your assignment reminders, student accounts from ClassViva, and a lot more. In spite of so many features, the app doesn’t feel slow at all and delivers a powerful performance with its beautiful design.

• Full-fledged student companion
• Feature-packed and free
• Supports sync and backup
• Widget Support
• Tedious setup procedure
• Big in size
• Complex, not so smooth learning curve

While it is not for someone who is looking for a fast and easy way into homework management, School Planner is a great student companion app and serious students will surely get the most out of hit.

Install School Planner ( Android )

6. My Study Life

My Study Life comes with its own web app and syncs with the Android app, essentially making your data accessible from any device as long as it has a browser.

It implements a goal-centric circular tracker that shows your progress. The Calendar view combines your timetable, deadlines, and shows all your classes and assignments, projects in a single place.

• Refreshingly new UI
• Access from anywhere through its web app
• Sync and Backup
• Lengthy setup process

If you study from your computer or laptop, My Study Life makes it easy to access your homework planner on your phone from your computer, while not compromising on features and being completely free. What more can you ask for?

Install My Study Life ( Android  |  iOS )

7. iStudiez Pro

Like School Planner, iStudiez Pro includes grading and subject wise organization of tasks. iStudiez Pro takes it further with the integration of Google Calendar that allows you to directly get all your holidays, exam schedule, routine from Google Calendar itself.

It also offers separate apps on all platforms including iOS, Mac, and Windows. All the apps sync seamlessly between themselves, so studying on your computer consulting your planner won’t be an issue.

• Google Calendar Integration
• Cross-Platform
• Cumulative Price

If Google Calendar integration and cross-platform support is a must for you, iStudiez Pro is definitely the app you want.

Install iStudiez Pro ( Android   |  iOS )

So this was our roundup of the best homework planner apps for Android. We genuinely think that there is an app for every need and we hope that you found a Homework Planner that suits your need whether you are a high school student or a college senior. So which one was your favorite or did we forget to add yours? Let us know in the comments below.

Also Read:  Take a Picture of Handwriting And Convert to Text – Android Apps

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Student Planners: A Playbook for Life with ADHD

Between homework, books and projects, keeping a child organized for school can be tough. but adhd adds an extra set of rules. learn how to choose the best student planner to keep your child on the road to classroom success..

Most teachers agree that planners are essential. Students who use them usually earn As and Bs. Students who don’t often miss deadlines and lose points on tests, classroom assignments, and projects.

Many students — especially those with ADHD — don’t like using a planner. They think it’s a hassle. My students find planners restricting. “I’m a laid-back person, so planners don’t work for me,” they say. I tell them, “Even laid-back people need to keep track of assignments, deadlines, and appointments. I have never met a student who wants to lose track of things.”

I compare planners to a playbook in sports. A planner can serve as a playbook for their life by helping students play offense to manage their homework and to make time for “fun stuff” that they want to do. It also helps them play defense, guarding against the things that pull them off track.

Then I explain why using a planner has been so challenging for them. “You need to use your planner several times a day, but every time you need it, it’s difficult to access. By the time you find it, open it, and flip to the correct page, your teachers have moved on … and you get lost.” They usually nod, appreciating the fact that I understand their pain.

Then I give them tips to use their planner.

[ Free Resource: Your Free Guide to Solving Disorganization at School ]

How to Set Up a Planner

1) USE THE RIGHT PLANNER. The ideal planner will be thin, with a spiral binding and a weekly page layout. Avoid bulky planners and leather covers.

2) USE A BINDER CLIP TO MARK YOUR CURRENT PAGE. Every extra page-flip adds stress to an ADHD brain. A binder clip becomes a “handle” for one-flip access.

3) KEEP A PEN IN THE SPIRAL BINDING to avoid the “pen hunt” that often brings use of a planner to a screeching halt.

How to Use a Planner

1) KEEP THE PLANNER ACCESSIBLE. Students should keep their planner in the front pocket of their book bag or a binder that they carry to their classes. It should take no more than two small actions to retrieve their planner.

2) REVIEW “TRANSITION POINTS” clearly. Now that students can access their planner quickly, they should try to anticipate when to use it. Common transition points include: Sunday evening (see below), the time in each class to record assignments and due dates as they are announced, at the locker as they are packing up at the end of the day, at home to track the assignments they need to do, and a before-bedtime final check, ensuring that all of their assignments, books, and supplies are in their book bag.

3) WRITE QUICKLY. Encourage your child to use “texting” language, so she can keep up with the rest of the class.

4) NEVER RELY ON MEMORY. Students with ADHD/ADD often say that their assignments are so simple that they can remember them without writing them down. The problem is that they forget, or they use valuable mental bandwidth trying to remember. Students with ADHD have the most to gain from writing in their planner, taking pressure off their frontal cortex.

[ Read: 9 Secrets to a Super Effective Planner ]

How Parents Can Help

A meeting at the beginning of the week (on Sunday evening) works miracles in improving the use of a planner! Everyone in the family grabs their planners or calendars to discuss the week ahead.

Parents can start by telling family members about their weekly schedule — everything from deadlines at work to carpool plans. This sets the stage for children to respond with their plans. This is a great way for the family to coordinate and avoid last-minute conflicts. Most important, it drives home the importance of “thinking forward.”

When students with ADHD use their planners consistently, it’s a “pass” to great grades!

[ Free Resource: Your Guide to Solving Disorganization at School ]

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myHomework Student Planner and Digital Hall Pass system

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Creating an Assignment with a Class Notebook Page

Sara Wanasek

Take full advantage of Microsoft Teams by using both Class Notebook and the Assignments feature . Class Notebook is a great place to house your content and different work from your students. But, to track their work and grade it, you’ll want to use Class Notebook in conjunction with the Assignments feature.

If you aren’t tracking when students turn in their work or grading their work in the Class Notebook pages, you can just distribute the pages to students and review them manually. 

Create an Assignment with a Class Notebook Page

Create a Page to Assign

First, make sure you are logged into your Microsoft EDU account so that you have access to both the Class Notebook and Assignment pivot in Teams.

To be able to make an Assignment based on a Class Notebook page, we first need to have a Class Notebook page that we plan on assigning to our students.  

To do that, under the General Channel we can go to the Class Notebook pivot. If you have never used the Class Notebook before, it will prompt you to create your notebook. If you need help with this, check out this Step-by-Step guide .

I create the page I plan on assigning in the Teacher-Only Space. This way my students won’t see the page until it is assigned. Click the + Page at the bottom in the correct section and add in your content for the students to complete.

Tip: You can add PDFs to Class Notebook pages and set them as the background for students to easily write and add text on top of. To do this, you can insert a file into your page as a Printout. Then, you will need to use the Desktop application of OneNote and right-click on the PDF and click Set as Background. Now students will not be able to move the PDF around on the page.

Create an Assignment & Attach the page  

Now that the page is created, the next step is to create the Assignment.  

Head into the Assignments pivot , and Create a New Assignment. If you need a refresher on creating and grading assignments, check out How to Use Assignments in Microsoft Teams: Quick 12 Minute Tutorial for Teachers . 

Add in the title and description for the Assignment. The next step is to attach the Class Notebook page. Click Attach a Resource , and click the Class Notebook option from the list on the side. Then, navigate to where you have placed the assignment, and attach it.

Lastly, you must choose where you want to place this assignment in the individual student notebook space. Once it is attached, you now can see that students can edit their own copy of the page.

Fill out the remainder of the assignment details, and click assign at the top!  

Review & Grade the Assignment  

Once the students have completed their work and turned in the Assignment, you can review it and grade it. Just view this assignment in the  Assignment pivot like you would any other assignment. Then, add in your feedback and grade it.  

In addition, you can go through the Class Notebook and choose to R eview Student Work. You can go through each individual student notebook to review their work and give them feedback. In doing it this way, however, you won’t have the opportunity to give the assignment a grade. So it is recommended to review and grade from the assignment tab.  

See how easy that was? Now you are a Pro at both Class notebook and the Assignments tab in Teams. If you have any other questions on how to take full advantage of Microsoft Teams, let us know in the comments below!

About Sara Wanasek

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The 6 best tablets for handwritten notes in 2024

Finding a good tablet for handwritten notes can be a frustrating task. Tablets are a dime a dozen nowadays, but only a select few are designed specifically for taking notes. Most opt for vibrant screens for streaming movies or try to serve as laptop replacements. That means if you're looking for a spiral notebook replacement, you've got your work cut out for you.

Thankfully, once you know where to look, you'll find plenty of incredible tablets for notetaking. Many of these are custom-built for the task, offering displays that simulate paper as best as possible while also cutting out glare. Most also come with their own pen, allowing you to get as close to "real" notetaking as possible on their digital screen.

Need help sifting through your options? Here's a look at the best tablets for handwritten notes, which includes products from Amazon, Remarkable, Boox, and other traditional tablets that work well for this task. If you're looking for something a bit different than a tablet, be sure to check out the best smart notebooks of 2024 for more great options.

Kindle Scribe

The best tablet for handwritten notes.

• Slim and lightweight design
• E-ink screen looks fantastic
• Tried-and-true Kindle reading
• Superb writing experience
• Weeks of battery life
• Very competitive pricing
• Few formatting tools for writing
• Limited Kindle app integration

The Kindle lineup is primarily seen as a premium class of eReaders, but you might consider the Kindle Scribe to be an "eWriter." While it still functions as an eReader, the big draw of the Kindle Scribe is the ability to take notes on the screen with the included Basic Pen, making it easy to jot down your ideas without any fuss.

Not only do you have the option to take down notes on a screen styled after traditional, physical notebooks, but you can even take handwritten notes directly in books or on blank pages. That gives you impressive versatility to write the way you like. Your notes can then be converted to text and shared with contacts via email. If you need to edit your notes, the Scribe lets you use a Lasso tool to cut, copy, paste, or move them.

Other highlights include a variety of brush types (including a fountain pen for calligraphy or a pencil for sketching), the ability to import documents from Microsoft Word, a two-column layout so you can see multiple pages, and a useful Folders and Subfolders feature to help keep everything organized. The device doesn't support cellular networks, is not waterproof, and doesn't support color images, but if you need a tablet that excels at taking notes, the Scribe is hard to beat.

ReMarkable 2

The best premium tablet for handwritten notes.

• Thin design
• Realistic writing experience
• Responsive screen and software
• Limited storage
• Doesn't support color images

The ReMarkable 2 is one of the main competitors of the Kindle Scribe, offering a paper-thin display and premium Marker Plus pen that makes taking digital notes feel shockingly natural. Part of what makes the ReMarkable 2 so compelling is its luxurious design, which is just 0.19-inches thick and comes extremely close to simulating a "real" writing experience on paper.

Aside from its cool design, the ReMarkable 2 gets nearly everything else right. This includes a distraction-free design that uses no pop-ups or pesky notifications, a UI that lets you quickly organize all your files, and a pen that comes with a built-in eraser. You can even convert your handwritten notes into typed text. And since the tablet integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive, you should never have a problem accessing all your files.

As you'd expect, the ReMarkable 2 includes standard features such as the ability to undo your last action, resize objects, or set up layers to better manage your note taking. But one notable drawback is its built-in storage, which caps out at just 8GB. That means you'll want to make use of cloud storage options if you're an avid notetaker. But beyond that caveat, there's little to knock about this remarkable tablet.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9

The best galaxy tablet for handwritten notes.

• Vibrant AMOLED display
• Premium hardware
• Water and dust resistant
• Doesn't use an e-ink display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 isn't built specifically for taking notes. But with an included S Pen and large 11-inch display, it’s a versatile machine that does much more than let you jot down your thoughts. It's also shockingly thin despite all the tech packed inside, clocking in at 0.23-inches thick.

For a full-fledged tablet, that's a pretty tiny footprint. Samsung equipped the Tab S9 with an 11-inch AMOLED display – which is a big departure from the displays on the ReMarkable 2 and Kindle Scribe. That makes this tablet not just great for taking notes, but also watching movies, playing games, or surfing the web. It also means that it's not quite as fun to write on as the other tablets, but for users who want their tablet to pull double duty as an entertainment center, it's nice to have all those other options.

Rounding out the Tab S9 is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset for blistering fast performance, and option for up to 512GB SSD, and an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. That last feature could make this mighty compelling if you plan to bring it with on vacation, as trying to take notes by the pool with a device lacking waterproofing could be a disaster.

If you want something bigger, you'll find the Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra available with larger displays.

Boox Tab Ultra C Pro

The best android tablet for handwritten notes.

• Lightweight design
• Built-in camera
• Supports black and white and color images
• Expensive for what it offers

It may not be as popular as the Scribe or ReMarkable 2, but the Boox Tab Ultra C Pro is a great Android tablet for handwritten notes. Part of its allure is support for both black and white and color images, while its Android operating system makes it great for diving into third-party apps.

Clocking in at just 450 grams, the Tab Ultra C Pro is light and portable. It boasts a striking exterior chassis, which is largely a matte black and looks both refined and professional. The only object breaking up its smooth exterior is a camera block, which can function as a scanner. And while the touchscreen should be fine for most folks, you'll find an optional keyboard attachment available that turns the tablet into a bonafide laptop replacement.

Taking notes on the Tab Ultra C Pro is similar to most other tablets on this list, as it offers an anti-glare display, a split-screen mode for multitasking, and supports multiple document formats. There's even a microSD card slot if you need extra storage for all your files.

The Android operating system isn't quite as exciting as Windows, but it works well with the Tab Ultra C Pro and turns the device into a multifaceted tablet. Be sure to give it a look if you want something off the beaten path that excels at taking notes but doesn't forgo other conveniences.

Apple iPad Pro

The best mac tablet for handwritten notes.

• Sleek and modern design
• Bright, vivid, gorgeous display
• Wild performance from the M2 chip
• Apple Pencil hover feature
• iPadOS 16 is super robust
• Stage Manager needs more work
• Lackluster, awkward front camera
• Prohibitively expensive

Apple is known for making expensive, yet premium, products, and the iPad Pro is no exception. A variety of models are up for grabs, but the 12.9-inch model with support for Wi-Fi and cellular is one of the best available, making it a well-rounded tablet for almost every task.

Unfortunately, the Apple Pencil is not included with the iPad Pro. But if you do pick it up, you'll get a powerful note-taking tool that offers low latency, tilt sensitivity, and a cool feature that lets you double tap to quickly change the writing utensil you're using. And while the iPad Pro doesn't have an e-ink display, its Liquid Retina display is so vibrant and responsive that taking handwritten notes shouldn't be an issue.

This tablet is powered by the M2 chip, resulting in short load times and applications that are quick to respond to your input. You'll also be able to save your files to iCloud for easy access and download various other apps through the popular App Store. It's not cheap, but the iPad Pro is a luxurious tablet that does a bit of everything – so if you don’t need the unique e-ink display of a dedicated writing tablet, this one is worth a closer look.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

The best windows tablet for handwritten notes.

• New colors look great
• Design and build quality are top notch
• SQ3 is a solid alternative
• Type Cover keyboard is excellent
• High resolution webcam
• No headphone jack
• Upgrades still too expensive
• Limited performance improvements

The Surface Pro 9 is a nice all-around tablet that works well for handwritten notes. It's primarily designed as a laptop replacement, equipped with high-end hardware that's ideal for businesses, schoolwork, or even some light gaming, but if you add on a Slim Pen (sold separately, unfortunately), you'll have a smooth way to take digital notes.

Inside this model of the Surface Pro 9 you'll find an Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB SSD, and 16GB RAM, making it one of the most powerful tablets on the market. The tablet is built with a 13-inch touchscreen that offers a 2880 x 1920 resolution, along with a slim profile so you can easily lug it around with you to meetings or lectures.

If you plan on taking notes, you'll need to tack on the Slim Pen 2. The unique stylus includes a haptic motor for tactile feedback, registers over 4,000 pressure levels, and gets up to 15 hours of use before needing a recharge. It's unfortunate that it's not bundled with the tablet, but at least it gets you plenty of cool features if you do decide to pick one up.

How we chose the best tablet for handwritten notes

There are a ton of tablets floating around in the market, but not all of them offer a great writing experience. Some are designed to be alternatives to laptops, while others are designed primarily for reading or consuming content. That means you'll need to pay close attention to the product you pick out, as each tablet comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. With that in mind, here's how we chose the best tablets for handwritten notes.

Smooth writing experience

Above all else, a tablet for taking notes needs to work as a suitable replacement for pen and paper. Whether you're drawing diagrams, writing out a journal entry, or anything in between, writing on the tablet's screen needs to be an enjoyable experience. Ideally, a pen is included with your purchase – but if it's not, the company should at least offer one as a standalone product. Along with writing, going back and reviewing your notes should be simple, as should erasing sections of your work or deleting entire pages.

In short, taking notes on the tablet should be just as intuitive and second nature as taking notes in a traditional spiral notebook. If not, then you'll want to keep searching.

Easy to read display

A display can make or break a tablet. After all, a tablet is essentially just one big touchscreen display. For this list, we looked for products that offered high-quality resolutions and provided users with a great viewing experience. The list is primairily composed of two types of products – ones that use some sort of "e-ink" display and ones that use a traditional, high-resolution display. For example, the Kindle Scribe uses a black and white display with excellent anti-glare properties, making it great for taking notes. However, the iPad Pro is also solid as a note-taking machine, though it uses a Liquid Retina display that works well for movies or gaming.

Products like the Kindle Scribe are typically better for taking handwritten notes, but users who prefer versatility might enjoy the vibrant display offered by the iPad Pro. Be sure to consider how you're going to use your tablet, and if you're using it for more than just notes, screen quality needs to be a consideration.

Portability

Whether you're bringing your tablet to a conference call, lecture, or the library, a good tablet is lightweight and easy to toss into your backpack. We made sure that all the products on this list are streamlined and won't weigh you down with extra baggage. They're also durable and built to last a long time before needing to be upgraded or replaced. Some also offer additional products such as covers or carrying cases, allowing you to personalize their appearance and make them better withstand demanding travel schedules.

Design quality and additional features

Tablets aren't just for taking notes. And if you're spending hundreds of dollars on one, there's a good chance you'll want it to do more than just serve as a digital pen and paper. While the most important factor we considered on this list was the handwritten note experience, we also looked at what other features were available on the device. This includes things like access to the internet, the ability to download apps, or even the option to use it as a traditional PC.

Overall design quality was also considered, as there's no point shelling out cash for a tablet that'll break down within the year. Every tablet on this list is manufactured by a trusted brand like Microsoft, Amazon, or Apple, ensuring that you're all but guaranteed to get a premium device free of defects.

Operating system

Tablets run on all sorts of operating systems, from custom-built Linux systems to Windows or Android. All of these are perfectly suitable choices for a note-taking tablet, but each works different from the next. Products built with custom operating systems are typically the best for note taking, as they've been optimized for this feature. However, products running Android or Windows might offer better access to other applications, allowing you to branch out beyond taking notes.

Pricing and performance

There are some remarkably expensive tablets available in 2024, and not all of them have earned their price tags. We made sure that all our picks have enough firepower and the performance to back up their price. Of course, that doesn't mean this list is loaded with budget picks. Some products earn their hefty price tags by packing in robust processors, incredible displays, and a smooth writing experience. But the items on this list all give you a good bang for your buck, whether they cost $200 or $2,000.

This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.

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Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites beyond Digital Trends, including The Wall Street Journal , Metacritic , GameSpot , and Slickdeals . He holds a degree in Biology and previously worked as a Medical Editor.

When not playing video games, he can be found running, reading, or checking out the latest series on Netflix.

Getting a monitor of the right size is an important but tricky business. With 24-inch monitors being the starting point for so many and ultrawide monitors bringing in the hype, if you prefer 27-inch monitors it is easy to feel left out of the limelight. However, as mentioned in our monitor buying guide, though 24-inch monitors are the baseline, 27-inch monitors are increasingly popular. Sometimes that can mean a company redesigns a well-received monitor into a 27-inch version or even makes one special.

In any event, if this size is for you — a hair bigger than standard, but not ultrawide — here are the monitors we're looking at from popular monitor brands that we think you'll enjoy most. The best 27-inch monitors

Whether it's engineering or game design, 3d modeling and CAD work has become very big in the past few years, especially with a lot of folks starting to do it at home for things like 3D printer files. Of course, not every laptop you pick up can handle doing that sort of work, so if you plan to do either, then going for a laptop that is fit for the job is important. To that end, we've collected our five favorite laptops across various price ranges and needs so that you can pick the perfect laptop for you. The Best Laptops for 3D modeling

Buy the if you want the best overall laptop for 3D modeling. Buy the if you want the best-performing laptop for 3D modeling. Buy the if you want the best Apple laptop for 3D modeling. Buy the if you want a thin, light, and portable laptop for 3D modeling. Buy the if you want a budget-friendly 3D modeling laptop.

It's been a long time since Windows tablets have been a thing. Today, Windows tablets really aren't meant to be used as standalone devices like iPads or Android tablets. They're meant to be connected to a detachable keyboard as a 2-in-1 laptop, not necessarily just as a touch device.

That being said, there are still a few good options, including the latest development in Windows tablets, which include devices with foldable screens.