You had four meetings again today. And somewhere between your inbox and your to-do list, the notes from the second meeting disappeared. Agenda tries to solve this problem by linking notes to dates and calendar appointments. A note-taking app that takes time seriously.
Who is behind Agenda?
Agenda was founded in 2016 by Alexander Griekspoor and Drew McCormack through their company Momenta B.V. in Aalsmeer. Both are scientists who experienced years of frustration with note-taking apps that didn’t account for time. Notes were always separate from when something happened, forcing you to constantly search for context.
Their solution was an app that directly links notes to specific dates and calendar events. This naturally creates a timeline of projects, where you can see exactly what was discussed or decided when. The concept was well-received: in 2018, Agenda won an Apple Design Award, a prestigious recognition for app design.
What also makes Agenda special is its business model. Instead of a traditional subscription, they chose a ‘Cash Cow’ model: you pay for a year of updates, but all features you unlock during that period can be kept forever. Even if you don’t pay again afterward. An honest approach that is rare in the app world.
Who is Agenda for?
Agenda is built for people who live in the Apple ecosystem. If you have a Mac, iPhone, or iPad and attend a lot of meetings, this app is interesting. Project managers who want an overview of what was discussed when will find a logical workflow here. The app requires you to place notes in time, which helps with finding information.
But there are clear limitations. Do you use Windows or Android? Then you can’t use Agenda. The app is exclusively for Apple devices. This is also a problem for teams working cross-platform. And if collaboration with colleagues is important to you, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Agenda is primarily a personal note-taking tool.
What can Agenda do?
The free version of Agenda offers core functionality: date-focused notes, basic integration with Apple Calendar, and a timeline view. For advanced export, color usage, and collaboration features, you need a paid plan. Here are the main capabilities:
- Date-oriented notes: You can link each note to a specific date or time period. This is the core of Agenda. Your notes automatically get a place on a timeline, making it easy to find later what happened when. You can also create notes without a date, but the power is in the time link.
- Apple Calendar integration: Agenda pulls your appointments from Apple Calendar and lets you link notes directly to them. Before or during a meeting you can make notes that remain linked to that specific appointment. Later you can see at a glance what was discussed in which meeting.
- Apple Reminders integration: You can link tasks from Apple Reminders to notes. Useful for directly converting action items from meetings into concrete to-dos. The integration isn’t perfect, but works for basic task management.
- Project timelines: You organize notes into projects. Each project gets a timeline where you can see how it develops. This works well for long-term projects that you regularly meet about or work on. The timeline provides overview without you having to actively put in effort.
- On the Agenda: A special view where you can mark notes that are currently relevant. This helps maintain focus among all projects and notes. You decide yourself what’s ‘on the agenda’, regardless of the date.
- Linking notes: You can create relationships between different notes via links. This creates a web of related information, which is especially useful for complex projects with many interdependencies.
- Apple Pencil support: On iPad you can sketch and make handwritten notes with Apple Pencil. The implementation is functional, but not as advanced as in apps specifically focused on drawing.
- iCloud synchronization: All your notes synchronize via iCloud between your Apple devices. This also means the developers have no access to your data. Everything stays in your personal iCloud account.
What does Agenda cost?
Agenda has a free version that you can use indefinitely. You can create notes, link them to dates, and use basic integrations. For many people, this is enough to evaluate the app and maintain for simple use.
The Premium plan costs 34,99 dollars per year, which comes to about 2,92 dollars per month. This unlocks all premium features released in that year. What’s special is that you get to keep these features forever, even if you don’t pay again after a year. You’ll only miss out on new features added after that.
There is also a lifetime option for 119.99 dollars. Then you get lifetime access to all current and future premium features. For people who know for sure they want to use Agenda long-term, this is more financially attractive than the annual plan.
New users get a 7-day free trial of the premium features. Enough time to test whether the paid options are worth the investment for your workflow.
What should you watch out for?
The biggest disadvantage is the platform limitation. No Windows, no Android, no web version. If you have even one device that’s not from Apple, you can’t use Agenda there. For teams that work cross-platform, this is a dealbreaker.
Text editing on iOS is less than in other note-taking apps according to users. Text selection doesn’t always work intuitively, especially on iPhone. This is frustrating if you edit or restructure a lot of text. On Mac this is less of a problem.
Agenda has a learning curve due to its unique structure. Most note-taking apps work with folders or tags. Agenda forces you to think in projects and timelines. This is powerful once you understand it, but in the beginning it feels unnatural. You have to adapt your workflow to the app.
Export options are limited in the free version. You can export notes, but advanced options like bulk export or specific formats are behind the paywall. If data portability is important, you need to test this in advance.
Collaboration is largely absent. You can share notes, but true real-time collaboration like in Notion or Google Docs isn’t there. Agenda remains a personal tool. For teams working together on notes, this is a shortcoming.
Users report crashes with split-view on iPad, especially with larger files. The app can also show lag with projects that have many notes. These are technical issues that disrupt the experience, especially if you use the app intensively.
Agenda alternatives
If Agenda doesn’t quite fit, there are alternatives that emphasize other aspects:
- NotePlan: Choose this if you want complete control over your data in plain Markdown files. NotePlan is more flexible for tech-savvy users and works with local files you can manage yourself. It also has calendar integration, but with more customization options.
- Bear: Go for Bear if you’re looking for a beautiful, simple writing app without calendar integration. Bear focuses on pure writing and organization via tags. It’s more elegant for long texts, but lacks the timeline functionality of Agenda.
- Evernote: Choose Evernote if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem. It works on all platforms, including Windows and Android. More expensive and less fast than Agenda, but the cross-platform support is unbeatable for mixed teams.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to questions that often come up about Agenda:
Is Agenda a subscription?
Not in the traditional sense. You pay for 12 months of updates. All features you unlock during that period, you can keep using forever, even if you don’t pay again afterwards. You’ll only miss new features that are added after your subscription period.
Is there a Windows or Android version?
No. Agenda is exclusively developed for Apple devices: macOS, iOS and iPadOS. No plans have been announced for other platforms. If you use Windows or Android, you need to look at alternatives.
Where are my notes stored?
Agenda stores notes in your personal iCloud account. This means the developers have no access to your data. Everything stays within your Apple ecosystem, which is an advantage privacy-wise.
Conclusion
Agenda solves a specific problem: notes that are disconnected from time. If you have a lot of meetings and use Apple devices, the timeline approach can really help with finding information. The business model is fair and the design is sleek. But the platform limitations are really a problem. No Windows, no Android, limited collaboration. For solo Apple users who want overview of projects over time, Agenda is a logical choice. For teams or people with mixed devices, not so much.
