# Google Keep

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-keep/

13 people recommended Google Keep in Hacker News comments, 3 had mixed feelings and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 12 months, in 12 threads. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend Google Keep for simple notes and reusable checklists that work on phone and desktop. The most common complaint is its weak text input.

Summary written by Claude from 18 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 17 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Reusable checklists and default lists (3 comments in the sample): "Those are great because you can reset the checklist each day for reuse" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47324634)) "solved it for me by creating a default packing list in google keep" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49256591)) "The checkbox system just works." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45794054))
- Works on mobile and desktop (3 comments in the sample): "It's extremely useful, since the phone takes up much less room on the counter than the laptop does." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45923335)) "Sometimes the mobile app experience is better than the mobile browser for me, though." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47661749)) "Easy to use on desktop or mobile, can "share" anything with it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46236782))
- Useful for everyday memory (3 comments in the sample): "Google Keep does this well and it's a life saver sometimes" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46214749)) "Keep is one of the most important apps in my life." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46238211)) "helpful for longer things" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47156409))
- Simple and easy to use (2 comments in the sample): "It's pretty bad input method, but its simplicity kept me using it for years." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46238368)) "I'm a big fan of the simplicity and ease of use." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46847487))

## Other note-taking apps people recommend

- [Obsidian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/obsidian/): 306 recommend, 104 mixed, 114 criticize
- [Org mode](https://hackerapproved.com/p/org-mode/): 133 recommend, 30 mixed, 29 criticize
- [Notion](https://hackerapproved.com/p/notion/): 43 recommend, 37 mixed, 96 criticize
- [Logseq](https://hackerapproved.com/p/logseq/): 30 recommend, 19 mixed, 23 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Google Keep", https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-keep/ (13 recommend, 3 mixed, 4 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.