Alice
Even in the new world of tablets and tech, noting down your thoughts in pen and ink is a unique experience. For many businesspeople, it can be easier to think when writing in analog form; the act of writing can be a much-needed break from eye strain and distracting notifications. This is especially true when taking notes in meetings. It can seem rude to be staring at your laptop when a colleague is speaking (even if you are just taking notes), and even the slimmest laptop can feel like an intrusive barrier to interpersonal connections. With the right high-quality notebook, you can improve your creativity, productivity and teamwork. However, if you’re not a notebook nerd, it can be hard to know which features to look for. That’s why we’ve reviewed a range of products to find you the best work notebooks for business meetings, all with the crucial factors that make a good notebook: heavyweight paper, strong binding, great value and attractive design. Here are our recommendations!
Product Comparison Table: Best Business Meeting Notebook
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | Rhodia Wirebound Meeting Book | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Softcover | Amazon |
 | Moleskine PRO Notebook | $$$ | 5 stars | Best Premium | Amazon |
 | MUJI B5 Notebook (Pack of 5) | $ | 5 stars | Best Value | Amazon |
 | Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Most Eco-Friendly | Amazon |
 | LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Hardcover Notebook | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best Hardcover | Amazon |
Rhodia Wirebound Meeting Book
The Rhodia Wirebound Meeting Book is made with business meetings in mind, with premade date, notes and action headings already printed on the page. This helps you keep your ideas organised, and the attractive orange ink helps differentiate the headings from your note. The paper itself is smooth 80gsm acid-free Clairefontaine superfine vellum, working perfectly with gel, biro and fountain pens. However, it only has 80 A4 sheets – not a huge number for the price, meaning it costs quite a lot per page. That said, the soft cover is coated and waterproof. In turn, the twin-ring binding is sturdy, and sure to turn pages well without any tearing. If you do want to remove pages, they are microperforated to ensure they come away clean.
Pros
- Comes with meeting-focussed headings
- 80gsm superfine vellum paper
- Waterproof cover and smooth ring binding
Cons
- Low number of pages
Verdict
The Rhodia Wirebound Meeting Book is the best softcover work notebook for business meetings; the smooth thick paper is a joy to write on, and the pre-printed headings are a unique touch. It’s also exceptionally durable for a softcover, allowing you fold-flat flexibility without the risk of tearing or water damage. However, the number of pages is disappointing for the price, even if they are A4 sized.
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Moleskine PRO Notebook
The Moleskine PRO Notebook comes from one of the world’s most respected stationery brands. It has the iconic slim build of a Moleskine, with the signature elastic closure bands, inner storage folder and 100gsm ivory paper pages to enhance your note taking experience. However, the PRO series reorients Moleskine’s classic designs for professional users, adding a custom two-column professional layout and space for goal, project and travel planning. There are even detachable to-do lists to keep you organised. The notebook itself is reoriented too; it flips open from the top, allowing you to tear off each portrait-oriented page easily for sharing or disposal when the meeting’s done. You do pay for branding, however – this one is very expensive for a paper notebook.
Pros
- Custom professional layout
- Leather-look, storage folder and elastic closure
- 100gsm ivory paper
Cons
- Expensive
- Portrait orientation not for everyone
Verdict
The Moleskine PRO Notebook is a premium version of the classic Moleskine design, with several extra features that could really add value in a business context. However, some of these innovations might be irritating to some users – namely the portrait orientation, which could compromise the premium notebook experience by feeling more like a notepad. That said, the paper and build quality is truly unbeatable.
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MUJI B5 Notebook (Pack of 5)
The MUJI B5 Notebook (Pack of 5) offers you great value, with five notebooks for the price of one. These might seem smaller than most Western notebooks, but this is because they are made to the Japanese design; this also explains the close ruling, and minimalistic finish. It also explains why there are only 30 sheets per book. However, the paper is smooth, thick and bleed resistant, standing up to gel, biro and even fountain pens. Each notebook is bound with a different colour, making it easy to categorise your notes by time or theme. They’re even sustainably made, using plantation trees grown specifically for paper. This method produces less CO2, and even uses less chemicals, than conventional recycled paper.
Pros
- 5 notebooks for price of 1
- Minimalist Japanese design
- Made from sustainable plantation trees
Cons
- Only 30 sheets per book
- Very narrow ruled lines
Verdict
These MUJI B5 Notebooks are excellent value, averaging out at only a couple of dollars per notebook. The sustainable production process is also reassuring, considering the low price. Although they are only 30 pages thick, the cumulative volume of all the books adds up to almost as much as a regular notebook, and the close ruling allows you to fit a lot more per page. However, if you have big handwriting, narrow lines might not work for you.
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Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook
The Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook doesn’t use paper. The pages are made out of thin polyester, but still offer the classic smooth paper experience. If you write on this with a heat-sensitive pen and wait fifteen seconds for the ink to bond, your notes can be easily wiped away with a microfibre cloth. This makes the notebook’s 32 dotted grid pages completely reusable. If you want to preserve your notes, just capture an image and upload them to one of several popular storage services: Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, Slack, eMail, Evernote and more. Sophisticated AI technology even allows you to use Rocketbook’s smart titles, smart search, and email transcription for easier naming and searching of your notes. A Pilot Frixion pen and microfiber cloth are also included in the box, and it comes in over 12 colours and patterns.
Pros
- Store and organise your notes online
- Reusable polyester “paper”
- Comes with compatible pen and cloth
Cons
- Can only use certain pens
- Very expensive for a notebook
Verdict
The Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook is an innovative, eco-friendly take on the traditional notebook. The futuristic digital storage process is also a cool update on conventional filing. Although it has a small page count, all of these pages are fully reusable when you write with the right brand of pen. This could mean you’ve wasted a lot of money on expensive fountain pens, however, so make sure you’re not too attached to your current writing implements.
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LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Hardcover Notebook
The LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Hardcover Notebook comes in a huge range of over 2i cover colours: deep black, dove grey, bright yellow, hot pink, soft sage (pictured) and more. Not only that, you can also choose between dotted, squared, plain or ruled paper, all from the same 80gsm acid-free FSC-certified stock. The book itself measures 5.75 x 8.25 inches, and contains a massive 251 numbered pages. There’s also an expandable Moleskine-style pocket, 2 bookmarks, an elastic closure band and 8 perforated detachable sheets. You even get a sticker sheet for archiving, and a black table of contents. Lastly, despite being hardcover, it is thread-bound to open flat without splitting or cracking.
Pros
- Comes in a range of cover colours
- 80gsm FSC paper, range of rule styles
- 251 pages long including detachable sheets, stickers and contents page
Cons
- Some issues with ink transfer
Verdict
The LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Hardcover Notebook is the best hardcover option we reviewed. It has a huge volume of pages, and the design is extremely attractive; by picking between the wide range of 21 cover styles, you can make your notebook impossible to lose or mix up with somebody else’s. One minor issue: although the paper is thick, some users have complained of slight smudging when using certain fountain pens. Even so, this is definitely our top hardcover work notebook for business meetings.
