Cant seem to find a proper notes app

I don’t think physical notebooks help with encryption and sync between laptop and mobile.

You’re asking a lot for free

Yeah, a lot of things are worth the money when we consider the labor, time, effort, and peace of mind they are saving. Obsidian sync is $10/mo and I use it to jot notes or look something up like 50 times a day

Don't need to worry about syncing if you just take the notebook with you.

Actually using Word to it's fullest extent is a skill honestly.

The correct response.

Obsidian obsidian git is just not working for me and the syncthing thing doesnt look reliable Skill issue

UNLIMITED storage and note capacity Not possible, no solution exists if using cloud based notes app. Not sure about offline version, but sync will be major pain. You have to first check your storage space requirements, then proceed ahead with required options.. OneNote, Google Keep I know offer large capacity storage with google drive and onedrive.. (used to save notes) Try OneNote free verison (I am using same) allows 5GB free space. Most of your requirements are fulfilled

Not free but a one-time fee: UpNote. Double check the version history feature though, I’ve never used it. I’m not sure how you could get all of what you’re asking for free because someone has to pay for cloud storage. Not sure why a business would want to cover that cost for you forever?

For your skill level, Microsoft Word?

I pay for Bear notes because its only a few bucks a month and an excellent experience. I have another notes app but its even more expensive so I won't even bother suggesting that one. It's unlikely you'll find something truely UNLIMITED and free but I think for your case you just need a few GB storage and whatever limits being not invasive for you. Beggars can be choosers in 2026 but you're choosing which limitation you want. If you're finding "bugs" in Google Docs you'll probably find all of these options quite difficult. Logseq is the opensource version of obsidian (difficult to use), Tana has a free version and is powerful but too complicated for most people, Craft is lovely for writing but free plan limits might not suit, Affine free plan might suit but Im not a huge fan of this kind of interface. You mentioned you're writing a novel, there are tailored note taking apps for writers, e.g. Novlr. Again, I'd consider paying for Ulysses if you're taking writing seriously.

Why should someone give you all that for free? Do you know that RND and server hosting costs money?

I'm not sure what you are planning to take notes for but as a premed, I find remnote has been really good!

if you're writing a lot you should consider a licence for scrivener (not free). Otherwise i'd say onenote, I use it a lot and never had a problem with the sync. it doesn't lag as google doc, but it may not be the best from phone.

UpNote

I settled on Obsidian, but not because it's perfect. I stopped expecting my notes app to organize everything for me. Now I use Obsidian mostly as a place to capture ideas, and I rely on search and AI retrieval much more than perfect folder structures. That mindset made a much bigger difference than switching apps.

Honestly you are asking for a unicorn, but Joplin is probably the closest you will get. It covers almost everything on your list and handles large notes way better than obsidian for me. Just sync it with something like Dropbox or OneDrive and you should be set.

Apple notes, but you should be ios/mac user, if you want it for free..

Notemaster by kabukisoft was the greatest notes app i ever had, until they randomly withdrew it from the app store about a decade ago. It still syncs flawlessly to dropbox, but alas if i ever lose my phone it is gone forever.

Try a physical notebook. You can buy lots with different sections to split things up.