I found a spiritual successor to Google Keep’s Android app and can’t stop raving

While Google Keep gets the job done, it’s still basic at best. I tried several Keep Notes alternatives, but most were complicated, overkill for my workflow, and outdated due to a lack of a Material You theme. Here is where I stumbled upon Bundled Notes, which quickly checked all the boxes for me. It’s a beautifully designed, incredibly flexible, and surprisingly affordable powerhouse that elevates my note-taking game on my budget Android phone.

Bundled Notes won me over, with its stunning Material You UI to its unique bundle system, powerful features like Kanban boards for project management, and a seamless web app experience. I think this is the spiritual successor to Google Keep we’ve been waiting for.

Beautiful Material You UI with smooth animations

One of the first things that struck me about Bundled Notes is its gorgeous interface. This isn’t another app that slaps on Material Design and calls it a day. The implementation is so good that it leaves Keep Notes in the dust. Along with dynamically adapting to your system’s color palette, Bundled Notes is filled with subtle animations that add a layer of polish and sophistication rarely seen in the Android world (let alone in note-taking apps).

For instance, when you pin a task, it smoothly glides to the top of the list with a satisfying little bounce. Even the simple act of assigning a colorful tag to a note is a visual treat. These little touches make Bundled Notes feel alive and unique to Keep Notes rivals. Bundled Notes is a testament to how powerful and intuitive Material You can be when implemented with minute details.

Flexible bundles for your note-taking workflow

Bundled Notes takes an innovative approach with a “bundle” system. Think of it as supercharged folders with more flexibility. When creating a new folder, you can choose a structure (Note, List, or Board) that suits your needs.

Note is ideal for collecting thoughts, ideas, or research. List is perfect for tasks, groceries, or anything requiring a structured, checklist-style approach. You can give each bundle a descriptive name, add a detailed description to provide context, and assign colorful tags to find your relevant notes quickly. You also have ample configuration options to customize bundles.

An ideal option for managing personal projects

Here is where Bundled Notes truly shines. I wanted a note-taking app that excels at basic project management. I didn’t want to switch to Trello or Notion for my small projects. Bundled Notes offers a Board bundle with columns like To Do, Doing, and Done by default (these are customizable).

Suppose you are planning a vacation. You can set up columns like To Do, Booking, Itinerary, and Completed. Then, add tasks as cards and move them across the columns as you progress. If you want to add more details to a specific task, use the rich text editor, insert images, add web links, and more to keep everything organized and connected.

It’s a game-changer for someone who wants to handle personal projects and notes within a single app.

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A feature-packed solution that puts Google Keep to shame

Google Keep’s simplicity was no longer sufficient for my requirements. On the flip side, Bundled Notes is packed with features designed to streamline my life.

I like how Bundled Notes has a dedicated Files & Photos tab where I can manage and find my related files and media library. Like Gmail, there is an option to customize swipe gestures to fly through notes like a pro. How can I forget the rich text editor, which lets me insert checkboxes, code blocks, headings, lists, and lock confidential notes with a password? There is also a reminder functionality that ensures I never miss an item on my grocery list.

Other goodies include pinning your frequently used bundles on the home screen and widgets and saving a specific bundle as a reusable template. Its extensive feature set is ideal for casual note-takers and productivity enthusiasts.

Affordable subscription that unlocks a web version

Unlike other note-taking apps (looking at you, Evernote), the Bundled Notes Pro plan is affordable. It costs $2.20 per month or $20 per year and unlocks web app access for desktop users, unlimited bundles and notes, and 15GB of space for files and photos.

Shortcomings of Bundled Notes

Bundled Notes sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Before you move your notes, let me warn you about several shortcomings that may be deal-breakers for some. First, Bundled Notes isn’t available on iOS yet (only in Beta) and doesn’t have desktop apps either.

Besides, there is no direct way to move notes from Google Keep, and it doesn’t support end-to-end encryption (although it’s planned for future updates).

The holy grail of note-taking apps

Bundled Notes redefined what a note-taking app can be. It’s not limited to jotting down quick notes like Google Keep. It’s about organizing your life in a beautiful, intuitive, and powerful way. For me, it easily earns a badge for a true Google Keep successor. Give it a try, and you might wonder how you lived without it.

While Bundled Notes nailed advanced features, it misses out on AI integration. If it’s a must-have addition to your workflow, check out our dedicated guide on the top AI note-taking apps on Android.