CiNotesSide by side
| Program | Takes PDFs | Search | Jailbreak on OS 5.5+ | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TI-BASIC program you type | No | No | No | Free |
| BasicNote CE | No | Find and replace | No | Free |
| Python App file (Python Edition only) | No | No | No | Free |
| Notes CE / Text Editor CE | No, plain text | Depends on the viewer | Yes | Free |
| CalcPlex Notes | Editable text; formulas and scans as pictures | Find words in an open note; jump to headings | Yes | Free |
| NoteFolio | Made for the black-and-white models. No CE version. | |||
| CiNotes | Yes, figures as pictures | One search across every note | Yes | Free up to 300 typed words; PDFs from $3 |
“Jailbreak” here means the free one-time setup that lets OS 5.5 and newer run programs written in C or assembly. It’s arTIfiCE plus AsmHook2, and the jailbreak guide covers every OS. Without it, those programs show ERR:INVALID.
TI-BASIC notes
A program full of Disp or Output( lines needs no extra software. It’s also slow to make, awkward to move around in, and not built for hundreds of entries.
BasicNote CE
BasicNote CE is a text editor written entirely in TI-BASIC, so it runs on any OS with no setup. You type notes on the calculator itself, and it has find and replace. It’s a good pick for a few pages you’re happy to type by hand.
The Python App (TI-84 Plus CE Python only)
On a Python Edition, a .py file made of comments opens in the Python App’s editor with no setup. It has to sit in RAM to open, so a RAM clear erases it unless you archived a copy. Notes on a TI-84 Plus CE Python walks through it.
NoteFolio on the TI-84 Plus CE
NoteFolio was a TI app for the older black-and-white TI-83 Plus and TI-84 Plus, and there’s no CE version. People still search for one because it was the standard way to keep notes on those calculators. On a TI-84 Plus CE, you need something built for the CE.
Notes CE and other text converters
Notes CE (also known as Text Editor CE, by MateoConLechuga) is the classic free option. On Windows, you drag a .txt file onto the ConvText converter, then send the converted files plus the viewer through TI Connect CE. TI84CalcWiz, which hosts it, also has an experimental web page that turns typed text into a .8xv file. This works well if your material is already clean plain text. On OS 5.5 or newer the viewer needs the jailbreak, and you start it as TFILES.
CalcPlex Notes
CalcPlex Notes is a free notes maker that runs in the browser. You type or import notes (PDF, Word, EPUB, Markdown, LaTeX or pictures), and it sends them with its PLEXNOTE viewer. PDF text stays editable; formulas and scanned pages can be kept as pictures. On the calculator you can scroll, jump between headings and use ALPHA to find words. Like the others here, PLEXNOTE needs the jailbreak on OS 5.5 or newer. It also has a TI-84 Evo mode that uses the Evo’s Python App, which CiNotes doesn’t support.
CiNotes
CiNotes is for people starting from a PDF, a study guide, a long question bank, several sections of notes, or anything that needs search. It builds the calculator data, a search index, and a viewer that highlights matches and remembers where you stopped. Figures and diagrams come through as pictures. How it works.
Search everything
One word searches every note in the library at once.
Understands question sets
Questions, answer choices, answers, and rubrics stay together.
Offline
Everything lives on the calculator. No phone, no Wi-Fi.
Both CE models
The TI-84 Plus CE and the TI-84 Plus CE Python Edition.
CiNotes survives a normal RAM clear.
A TI-BASIC notes program sitting in RAM disappears with a RAM clear. CiNotes keeps everything in Archive memory instead, so your notes are still waiting after a clear.
Which should you pick?
- Under 300 words and you want search: paste it into CiNotes for free.
- You already have a TXT workflow you like: keep using your free converter.
- You don’t want any setup: type notes into BasicNote CE or a TI-BASIC program, or use the Python App on a Python Edition.
- You’re starting from a PDF: use something that reads PDFs, instead of copying every section by hand.
- You need one question out of hundreds: pick something with search.
Related: jailbreak a TI-84 Plus CE on any OS, notes on a TI-84 Plus CE Python, sending files from a Chromebook, and every way to put notes on a TI-84.