Why Mac-Native Note Apps Matter
Taking notes on your Mac should feel effortless, not like wrestling with clunky software. The right note-taking app can transform how you capture ideas, organize information, and actually find stuff later when you need it. Thing is, most people are either stuck with Apple Notes (which is fine but basic) or trying to force-fit apps that weren't really built for Mac in the first place.
Paper notebooks have their charm, sure. But let's be real: searching through physical notebooks for that one thing you wrote down three months ago is a nightmare. Digital notes give you instant search, cloud sync across devices, and the ability to link ideas together in ways paper never could. Plus, you're not constantly buying new notebooks or losing important information when you spill coffee on your bag.
The Mac has some of the best note-taking apps available anywhere, period. We're talking native apps built specifically for macOS that take full advantage of the platform: keyboard shortcuts that make sense, beautiful typography, smooth performance, proper iCloud integration. These aren't web apps pretending to be desktop software, they're genuinely great Mac applications.
This list covers the best note-taking apps for Mac in 2026. We've included everything from lightweight markdown editors to full-featured knowledge management systems. Whether you're a student trying to organize class notes, a professional managing meeting notes and project documentation, or just someone who wants to remember their ideas, there's something here that'll work for you. If you're also hunting for better email apps for Mac, we've got a separate guide for that too.
How We Chose These Note-Taking Apps
Not every note-taking app deserves a spot on your Mac. Here's what actually mattered when we evaluated these tools:
Mac-native design and performance: Does it feel like a real Mac app or a clunky web wrapper? We prioritized apps that respect macOS conventions, use native frameworks, and run smoothly without eating your battery. If it feels slow or out of place on a Mac, it didn't make the cut.
Sync reliability: Your notes are worthless if they don't sync properly between devices. We tested how well each app handles iCloud sync or its own cloud infrastructure. Apps with sync issues or frequent data conflicts got dinged hard.
Organizational systems that scale: Taking notes is easy. Finding them later is hard. We looked for apps with strong organizational features: tags, folders, backlinks, search, or whatever system they use. Can you actually find your notes six months from now, or will they vanish into a digital black hole?
Writing experience: You're going to be typing in this app constantly. Does it feel good? Is the editor responsive? Are the formatting options helpful without being overwhelming? We spent hours actually writing in each app to see how they felt in real use.
Export and data ownership: Your notes shouldn't be held hostage. We checked whether you can easily export your data in standard formats (Markdown, HTML, PDF) or if you're locked into proprietary formats that make switching apps a nightmare.
Active development and support: The Mac evolves fast. Apps need to keep up with new macOS versions, Apple Silicon, and changing user needs. We looked at update frequency, bug fixes, and whether developers actually respond to feedback.
We also considered real user experiences from communities like r/macapps and various productivity forums. Apps with consistent complaints about data loss, abandoned features, or terrible customer support were excluded, no matter how popular they are.
NotePlan
NotePlan is for people who want their notes, tasks, and calendar to actually work together instead of living in three separate apps. The Mac version is where this app really shines. Yeah, it's available on iPhone and iPad too, but the desktop experience gives you way more screen real estate to see everything at once, which is kind of the whole point.
What makes NotePlan different is how it combines note-taking with time-blocking and task management. You can drag notes and tasks directly into your calendar, turning abstract to-dos into actual time commitments. The command bar makes capturing things ridiculously fast: hit a keyboard shortcut, type your thought, done. No clicking through menus or breaking your flow.
The AI features (summarize, rewrite, expand) are genuinely useful, not just marketing fluff. If you've got messy meeting notes, the AI can clean them up and pull out action items automatically. It's the kind of feature that seems gimmicky until you use it a few times and realize it's saving you real time.
Markdown support means your notes are future-proof. You're not locked into some proprietary format that'll be worthless if you switch apps in five years. Everything is plain text under the hood, stored locally and synced via iCloud. The sync is reliable, and having everything in iCloud means it integrates perfectly with the rest of your Apple ecosystem.
Best for
People who want notes, tasks, and calendar unified in one Mac-native app. Professionals juggling meetings, projects, and deadlines who need time-blocking features. Users who appreciate AI assistance for note cleanup and action item extraction. Anyone tired of switching between multiple productivity apps throughout the day.
Not ideal if
You prefer specialized tools for each function (separate note app, task manager, calendar). You hate learning new workflows or keyboard shortcuts. Budget is tight since it's subscription-based. You don't care about time-blocking or calendar integration. Mobile usage is your priority over desktop.
Real-world example
A product manager uses NotePlan for daily planning. Morning review: check calendar for meetings, pull in tasks from the backlog, time-block the day. During standup, takes quick notes using Markdown. After the meeting, AI extracts "Review Sarah's PR" and "Update roadmap deck" as action items, automatically added to the task list. Drags both into calendar slots for that afternoon. End of day, reviews what got done, pushes incomplete tasks to tomorrow.
Team fit
Best for individuals and small teams (1-10 people) who want unified productivity system. Freelancers, consultants, and knowledge workers with varied daily schedules. Less suited for large teams needing shared project management or students on tight budgets.
Onboarding reality
Moderate. Basic note-taking is immediate, but mastering time-blocking, task management, and keyboard shortcuts takes 1-2 weeks. The learning curve pays off once muscle memory kicks in. Templates help accelerate setup for common workflows.
Pricing friction
$12.99/month or $104.99/year (iOS/Mac), $8.99/month or $71.99/year (Mac only). No free tier, but 14-day trial available. The annual price equals about 10 months, so yearly saves money if you're committed. Some people balk at yet another subscription.
Integrations that matter
iCloud sync (native), Apple Calendar (two-way sync), Reminders import, various Markdown tools via plain text files.
Bear Notes
Bear Notes is gorgeous. Like, ridiculously beautiful for a note-taking app. It's been a Mac favorite for years because the design is clean, the typography is perfect, and it just feels right at home on macOS. Yeah, there are iPhone and iPad versions too, but the Mac app is where you really appreciate the design work.
The bigger screen on Mac makes working with Bear's features way more practical. Themes look stunning on a large display, the markdown editor gives you plenty of room to write without feeling cramped, and tables are actually usable instead of being squeezed into a phone screen. The free version is decent for basic note-taking, but the Pro version ($3/month) is where Bear really opens up.
One thing that sets Bear apart: it stores notes locally by default. Your data lives on your device, not on some company's servers. For people who care about privacy and data ownership, this is huge. The Pro version adds iCloud sync, which is seamless and fast, connecting your Mac with iPhone and iPad perfectly. But even then, you're using Apple's infrastructure, not trusting yet another third-party service with your personal information.
The markdown implementation is excellent. It's not intimidating like some power-user tools, but it's not dumbed down either. You get all the formatting control you need without the interface getting cluttered. Tags work brilliantly for organization: just type #tag anywhere in your note and it's instantly categorized. Way faster than dragging notes into folders.
Best for
Writers who care about aesthetics and writing environment. Mac users who want beautiful, native app design. People who value local-first data storage and privacy. Anyone who prefers tags over folders for organization. Markdown enthusiasts who want clean, distraction-free writing.
Not ideal if
You need team collaboration features or shared notes. Budget is super tight (though $3/month is reasonable). You want web access or Windows/Android support. Advanced features like databases or complex linking are required. You prefer rich text over Markdown.
Real-world example
A freelance writer uses Bear for all client work. Each project gets tagged #clientname. Research notes tagged #research, drafts tagged #drafts, final copy tagged #published. During writing sessions, full-screen mode with Solarized Dark theme. Markdown for formatting (headers, lists, bold) without touching the mouse. When invoicing, searches #published + date range to see completed articles. iCloud sync means quick edits on iPhone between meetings.
Team fit
Best for individuals and solo professionals. Writers, bloggers, students, researchers. Not designed for teams or collaborative work. Sweet spot is Mac users who also use iPhone/iPad for mobile capture.
Onboarding reality
Very easy. If you can type, you can use Bear. Markdown basics take maybe 30 minutes to learn (**, ##, -, []()). Tagging is intuitive. Most people are productive within an hour. The interface doesn't overwhelm new users.
Pricing friction
Free tier is functional but limited (no sync, no themes, no export options). Bear Pro is $2.99/month or $29.99/year. The annual price is basically 10 months, so yearly makes sense. Compared to Evernote or Notion, it's affordable. Main friction: free tier feels crippled without sync.
Integrations that matter
iCloud sync (Pro only), export to PDF/HTML/DOCX/MD, x-callback-url for automation, iOS Share Sheet, macOS Services.
Bear Notes is a minimal, markdown note-taking application perfect for iOS and Mac.
Obsidian
Obsidian is the tool for people who want to build a serious personal knowledge management system, not just take random notes. It's got a bit of a learning curve compared to simpler apps, but the payoff is huge if you stick with it. The Mac app is solid, fast, and gives you complete control over your data.
The "local first" philosophy means everything lives on your Mac in plain markdown files. You own your data completely. No company servers, no risk of the service shutting down and taking your life's work with it. Your notes are just files in a folder (called a Vault) that you can back up, version control, or do whatever you want with. This is a massive difference from cloud-only apps where you're basically renting access to your own information.
If you want sync, you've got options. The free route is using iCloud Drive or Dropbox to sync your vault folder across devices. Works fine, though you might occasionally hit sync conflicts if you're editing the same note on multiple devices simultaneously. Obsidian's paid sync service ($10/month) handles this better with proper conflict resolution and end-to-end encryption, plus it's faster and supports version history.
The graph view is what blows people's minds the first time they see it. Every note you link to another note creates a connection, and Obsidian visualizes your entire knowledge base as an interconnected network. It's literally like seeing your brain's thought patterns mapped out. Sounds gimmicky, but it's genuinely useful for discovering unexpected connections between ideas you didn't realize were related.
Best for
People building long-term knowledge systems (researchers, writers, students). Mac users who want complete data ownership and local files. Markdown enthusiasts comfortable with plain text. Anyone who values flexibility and customization over out-of-box simplicity. Users planning to keep notes for decades, not just months.
Not ideal if
You want something that just works immediately without setup. Team collaboration and real-time editing are priorities. You prefer rich text over Markdown. Beautiful design matters more than functionality. You're uncomfortable with file-based organization.
Real-world example
A PhD student uses Obsidian for dissertation research. Each paper gets a note with summary, key quotes, methodology. Notes link to concept pages ("machine learning", "ethics", "bias"). Graph view shows which concepts appear across multiple papers. Daily notes for thoughts and TODOs. When writing chapters, searches for concept tags, finds all relevant research, sees connections in graph. After graduation, vault is still useful because it's plain files, not locked in proprietary format.
Team fit
Best for individuals doing deep knowledge work. Students, researchers, writers, developers. Works for small technical teams who can share vaults via Git. Not designed for non-technical teams or real-time collaboration.
Onboarding reality
Moderate to heavy. Creating notes and basic linking is easy. Mastering plugins, templates, and building effective vault structure takes weeks. The community has excellent guides. Expect 2-4 weeks before it clicks. Some people never get past the learning curve.
Pricing friction
Core app is free forever (unlimited notes, all features). Paid options: Sync ($10/month), Publish ($10/month for hosting public notes). Most people use free version with iCloud/Dropbox sync. No forced upgrades or feature restrictions. Only pay if you want premium services.
Integrations that matter
700+ community plugins (Dataview, Calendar, Kanban, Tasks, etc.), iCloud/Dropbox sync, Git version control, Zotero (research), Readwise (highlights), various automation tools.
Agenda
Agenda Notes does something very unique with its note-taking application, and it's very popular among Mac users. The Mac application is free, but there is a premium version that upgrades the entire experience. The user interface is beautiful and works very well for those who want a combination of markdown and a way to plan ahead with a focus on dates.
This app is perfect for Mac users who are very date-oriented, such as those with numerous meetings, trips, board meetings, or projects that are closely tied to specific dates and want to plan them in line with their tasks and notes.
Best for
Professionals with lots of meetings and date-dependent work. Project managers tracking initiatives by timeline. Anyone who thinks chronologically about notes and needs calendar context. Mac users who want beautiful native design with date-based organization.
Not ideal if
Your notes aren't tied to dates or events. You need powerful linking or database features. Budget is extremely tight (premium features require payment). You want cross-platform access beyond Apple ecosystem. Advanced Markdown or code blocks are essential.
Real-world example
A consultant manages client projects in Agenda. Each project has notes tied to meeting dates. Before client call, reviews last meeting's notes. During call, creates new date-stamped note. "On the Agenda" feature pins active projects for quick access. Can see project evolution chronologically. When writing proposals, scrolls through timeline to recall what was discussed and when.
Team fit
Best for individuals with meeting-heavy schedules. Consultants, managers, executives. Works for anyone who needs to connect notes to calendar events. Less suited for students, researchers, or collaborative teams.
Onboarding reality
Easy. The timeline view is intuitive. Creating date-stamped notes is straightforward. Premium features have slight learning curve but nothing complicated. Most users productive within an hour.
Pricing friction
Free version is usable. Premium is $24.99/year or $74.99 lifetime (one-time payment). The lifetime option is appealing compared to endless subscriptions. Free tier has limitations that push toward paid version.
Integrations that matter
Apple Calendar integration, iCloud sync across Mac/iOS/iPad, export to various formats.
Agenda Notes is a note-taking app with calendar focus for managing dates & notes.
OneNote
Microsoft OneNote got a new lick of paint a few years ago. The application has a really high score on the Mac App Store, but it still feels very old-fashioned, like Microsoft Word, in its general design and function.
If you're looking for a beautiful Mac application for taking notes, this probably isn't the one.
However, it is super functional, allowing you to use it for various tasks, from memory writing to sketchbooks, which lets you organize and create visuals on the screen with features like automatically converting hand-drawn shapes if you're using it alongside an iPad or other device.
Best for
Microsoft 365 subscribers who want included app. Teams already using Microsoft ecosystem (Teams, Outlook, SharePoint). People who need unlimited free storage with Microsoft account. Users comfortable with traditional Microsoft interface. Anyone needing handwriting and drawing features.
Not ideal if
You want modern, Mac-native design. Speed and performance are priorities (it can feel sluggish). You prefer minimalist, distraction-free writing. Markdown is your preferred format. Privacy concerns about Microsoft cloud.
Real-world example
A teacher uses OneNote for lesson planning. Each class is a notebook, each unit a section. Embeds PDFs, images, YouTube videos in notes. Uses iPad with Apple Pencil to handwrite annotations during class. Everything syncs to Mac for organizing and printing. Unlimited storage means years of materials accessible. Shared notebooks with co-teachers for curriculum planning.
Team fit
Best for organizations already in Microsoft ecosystem. Schools, enterprises, and teams using Microsoft 365. Less appealing for individuals wanting sleek Mac experience or startups preferring modern tools.
Onboarding reality
Easy if you've used Microsoft products. The notebook/section/page hierarchy makes sense. Sync can be confusing at first. Performance issues may frustrate Mac users expecting native app speed.
Pricing friction
Completely free with Microsoft account (5GB storage). Microsoft 365 subscription ($6.99-9.99/month) includes OneNote plus Office apps and 1TB storage. For subscribers, it's essentially included at no extra cost.
Integrations that matter
Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive sync, Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Sticky Notes.
Note-taking and organising app perfect for students, academics and general notes.
Craft
Craft is a document application at heart, but it is really popular for note-taking and is very well-loved on iPhone and Mac for the native feel it provides across the experience. The Mac version comes with pretty extensive abilities, like managing the cards that you can add to each of your Craft documents to help bring them to life and create internal wikis for yourself.
This feature is becoming increasingly popular among those who want an easy-to-use experience. You can also create a range of features like reminders, a Table of Contents, and Attachments for each document you create within this platform.
This is one of the reasons why Craft was a winner of the App Store Best App of the Year and a finalist in the Apple Design Awards, which is always something to consider when looking at these Mac apps.
Best for
Mac users who want beautiful, native design. Teams needing shared docs with easy collaboration. People creating polished documents that mix notes and rich media. Anyone who values aesthetics alongside functionality. Users invested in Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, iPad).
Not ideal if
You need advanced PKM features like backlinks or graph view. Budget is tight (free tier is limited). You want local-only storage without cloud dependency. Markdown purists who prefer plain text. Cross-platform to Windows/Android is required.
Real-world example
A startup team uses Craft for company wiki. Product roadmap has rich cards with Figma embeds, timelines, and status updates. Meeting notes include table of contents for easy navigation. Shared folder for team access, everyone can edit. Export polished docs to PDF for investor updates. Mobile apps mean quick updates from anywhere.
Team fit
Best for small to medium teams (2-20 people) who value design. Startups, creative agencies, design teams. Works for individuals too. Less suited for large enterprises or teams needing advanced project management.
Onboarding reality
Very easy. The interface is intuitive and visually guides you. Creating beautiful docs happens naturally. Collaboration features are straightforward. Most users productive immediately.
Pricing friction
Free tier allows unlimited docs but limits features. Pro is $5/month per user. Business is $10/month per user (adds teams, admin, etc.). The free tier is generous enough for personal use but teams quickly hit limitations.
Integrations that matter
iCloud sync, Figma embeds, various file attachments, export to PDF/Word/Markdown, iOS/Mac native integration.
Evernote
Evernote is evolving into a very different application from what it was years ago. It now aims to be a planner app, allowing you to organize your calendar, tasks, and documents all in one location.
Evernote's Mac version supports a variety of new features, such as viewing your tasks and plans in a single place, as well as powerful tools for organizing meeting notes once you connect with your Google Calendar.
The focus has shifted away from Evernote being just a note-taking application, and the Mac version showcases a well-designed, comprehensive app. The Evernote Mac version has worked faster and more smoothly. While the app had performance issues in the past, these seem to have been resolved.
Best for
Power users with massive note collections. Professionals needing robust search and OCR. People who clip web content regularly. Teams wanting shared notebooks and collaboration. Users who need task management integrated with notes.
Not ideal if
Budget is tight (pricing is steep). You prefer simple, minimalist apps. Local-first storage is important to you. You're building a new system from scratch (alternatives may be better value). Privacy concerns about cloud storage.
Real-world example
A lawyer uses Evernote for case management. Web clipper saves relevant legal articles and precedents. Document scanner captures signed contracts (OCR makes them searchable). Each case has a shared notebook with paralegals. Tags like #contract, #litigation, #discovery organize content. Search finds everything instantly across thousands of notes.
Team fit
Best for professionals and teams with heavy documentation needs. Law firms, consultancies, research teams. Works for individuals with large archives. Less appealing for students or casual users due to cost.
Onboarding reality
Moderate. Basic note-taking is easy. Mastering notebooks, tags, search operators, and web clipper takes time. The new interface is cleaner than old versions. Performance has improved significantly.
Pricing friction
Free plan is very limited (60MB monthly upload, 2 devices, basic features). Personal is $14.99/month or $129.99/year. Professional is $17.99/month. This is expensive compared to alternatives. Many longtime users complain about price increases.
Integrations that matter
Google Calendar, web clipper (Chrome, Safari, Firefox), Slack, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Google Drive.
Reflect Notes
Reflect Notes is a really beautiful application on Mac, offering a great way to experience PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) note-taking similar to Obsidian, but with the added benefit of end-to-end encryption across your devices.
The Mac version of Reflect is also invested in AI, helping you transcribe voice notes from the app, generate custom prompts, and create key takeaways and action items using artificial intelligence.
The application is exceptionally well-built for Mac, making it easy to take notes during meetings and, more recently, manage tasks as well. If you're a Mac user who uses Kindle, Google Chrome, Safari, or Readwise, Reflect is a great choice because it offers excellent integrations with these platforms, allowing you to consolidate all your knowledge into one place.
Reflect Notes works incredibly well on Mac, making it perfect for users who want something visually appealing and regularly updated, potentially outpacing the development cycle of Obsidian on Mac. It also emphasizes security, ensuring that your notes are end-to-end encrypted once you've subscribed.
However, it's important to note that Reflect offers a more premium experience compared to Obsidian, which is reflected in its pricing.
Best for
Professionals who want PKM with beautiful Mac-native design. Users who value end-to-end encryption and privacy. People who read a lot (Kindle, Readwise integration). Anyone who wants AI-assisted note-taking without complexity. Mac users willing to pay premium for polished experience.
Not ideal if
Budget is tight (it's expensive). You want local-first files or need offline-first architecture. Extensive plugin ecosystem is important. You prefer open-source tools. Teams need collaboration (it's designed for individuals).
Real-world example
An executive uses Reflect for daily notes and meeting capture. Morning routine: voice memo with thoughts while commuting, AI transcribes and summarizes. During meetings, quick typed notes with backlinks to projects and people. Kindle highlights auto-sync via Readwise. Weekly review searches backlinks to see all references to key initiatives. End-to-end encryption means sensitive strategic notes stay private.
Team fit
Best for individuals: executives, entrepreneurs, researchers, writers. Not designed for team collaboration. Perfect for knowledge workers who want premium personal productivity tool.
Onboarding reality
Easy. The interface is clean and unintimidating. Backlinking works automatically. AI features are opt-in. Most users comfortable within days. Less overwhelming than Obsidian but still powerful.
Pricing friction
$10/month or $100/year (individual). No free tier, but 14-day trial available. This is premium pricing territory. Some people find it expensive compared to free alternatives like Obsidian or Apple Notes.
Integrations that matter
Readwise (reading highlights), Kindle sync, Chrome/Safari web clipper, Zapier, API for custom integrations.
Reflect Notes is a networked thought note-taking tool for notes, daily notes & tasks.
Notion
Notion is a great note-taking tool for Mac users thanks to its flexibility, AI writing support, Notion templates for easy starting, and collaboration features. It's important to note that Notion isn't just a notes app, it's an app with many levels that allow you to create project management systems, ways to organize data, and much more.
For now, in terms of note-taking, you can create pages and use AI to support writing such as generating, summarizing, and rewriting text. You have tons of flexibility with your notes and can create powerful wikis and documents inside Notion. Use headings, tables, lists, add videos, and more by using the Notion Blocks.
Best for
Teams needing shared workspace for notes, docs, wikis, and databases. Individuals who want all-in-one tool for personal productivity. People who value flexibility and customization. Users comfortable with slight learning curve for powerful features. Anyone building knowledge bases or team documentation.
Not ideal if
You want fast, lightweight note-taking. Local-first storage is important. You prefer Markdown files you own. Performance is critical (can feel slow with large databases). Privacy concerns about cloud-only storage. You just need simple note-taking.
Real-world example
A remote team uses Notion as central workspace. Company wiki has onboarding docs, processes, and guidelines. Meeting notes database tags by project and attendee. Personal workspace for each team member. Templates for recurring note types (1-on-1s, sprint planning, retrospectives). AI helps summarize long documents. Everything searchable, linkable, shareable.
Team fit
Best for small to large teams (2-500+ people). Startups, remote teams, product teams. Also works for individuals wanting comprehensive personal system. Less suited for people wanting simple, fast note capture.
Onboarding reality
Moderate. Basic pages and notes are easy. Mastering databases, relations, formulas takes weeks. The flexibility is both strength and weakness. Templates help accelerate learning. Expect 1-3 weeks before team is fully comfortable.
Pricing friction
Free for individuals (unlimited pages, blocks). Plus is $10/month per user. Business is $15/month per user. Enterprise requires sales contact. For teams, costs add up quickly. Free tier is generous for personal use.
Integrations that matter
Slack, Google Drive, Figma, GitHub, Jira, Asana, hundreds via Zapier, API for custom integrations.
Which Note-Taking App Should You Choose?
So which note-taking app should you actually pick for your Mac? Here's how to narrow it down based on what you actually need:
If you want notes + tasks + calendar in one place: NotePlan is your answer. The integration between these three is seamless, and the time-blocking features make it easy to turn abstract notes into concrete action. Perfect for people who hate switching between multiple apps.
If design and writing experience matter most: Bear Notes takes this easily. The themes are beautiful, the markdown editor is smooth, and the whole app just feels good to use. For people who spend hours writing and want something that doesn't make their eyes tired, this is it.
If you're building a serious knowledge system: Obsidian wins for PKM work. The graph view, backlinking, and local-first approach make it ideal for connecting ideas over time. Bit of a learning curve, but worth it if you're serious about building a second brain.
If everything revolves around dates: Agenda is specifically built for date-based note-taking. Meetings, projects, events: if your work is tied to specific dates and you want your notes organized that way, this is the most natural fit.
If you need team collaboration: Notion or Craft are your best bets. Both handle shared documents and team wikis well, though Craft is faster and more Mac-native while Notion has more powerful database features.
If you want something familiar and stable: Evernote has been around forever and still works. It's not the shiniest option anymore, but if you've been using it for years and it works for you, there's no urgent reason to switch. OneNote is similar: old-school, Microsoft-flavored, but functional.
Don't overthink this. Pick one, use it for a month, and see if it sticks. Most of these have free trials or free tiers, so you're not making an expensive commitment. The best note-taking app is the one you'll actually use consistently, not the one with the most features.
What's the best free note-taking app for Mac?
Free vs paid note apps
Obsidian is completely free and ridiculously powerful. You only pay if you want their sync service or to publish notes publicly. For pure local note-taking, it costs nothing and gives you everything you need. Apple Notes is also free and perfectly fine if you just need basic note-taking without getting fancy.
Bear has a free tier, but it's pretty limited. You can't sync between devices or use themes, which kind of defeats the point of using Bear. The Pro version is only $3/month though, which is reasonable.
Craft and Notion both have generous free tiers that work well for personal use. Craft's free plan gives you unlimited documents with some feature limitations. Notion's free plan is solid for individuals but gets limited if you want advanced features or large teams.
Honestly, if budget is tight, start with Obsidian or Apple Notes. They're both completely functional for free and you won't feel like you're missing critical features.
Which Mac note apps use markdown?
Markdown support and plain text notes
Obsidian, Bear, and NotePlan all use markdown natively. Your notes are stored as plain .md files, which means they're future-proof and portable. You can open them in any text editor, process them with scripts, or migrate to another app easily.
Craft supports markdown export and has some markdown-like formatting, but it's not pure markdown under the hood. Notion has a markdown import/export feature, but the native format is proprietary blocks.
If data portability and future-proofing matter to you, stick with the pure markdown apps: Obsidian, Bear, or NotePlan. Your notes will outlive any app because they're just text files.
Do these note apps work offline on Mac?
Offline access and local storage
Obsidian works completely offline by default since everything is local. Bear also stores notes locally and works offline perfectly. NotePlan stores notes locally and syncs via iCloud, so offline access is solid.
Notion and Evernote are cloud-first apps. They have offline modes, but they're not great. You'll hit limitations and the sync when you come back online can be buggy. If you regularly work without internet (flights, commutes, spotty wifi), avoid these.
Craft has decent offline support because it uses iCloud, but it's still more cloud-dependent than something like Obsidian. For true reliable offline access, go with Obsidian or Bear.
Final Thoughts
The Mac has some of the best note-taking apps available on any platform. Whether you need something simple and beautiful (Bear), a full knowledge management system (Obsidian), or an all-in-one productivity hub (NotePlan), there's a Mac-native app that'll fit your workflow.
The key is matching the app to how you actually work, not just downloading the most popular one. If you're constantly in meetings, Agenda's date-based approach makes sense. If you're building long-term knowledge, Obsidian's linking system is unmatched. If you just want something that looks good and works smoothly, Bear delivers.
Start with one app. Use it consistently for at least two weeks before deciding if it's right for you. Note-taking apps are only useful if you actually use them, and that means finding one that fits naturally into your daily routine instead of feeling like extra work.
Your Mac deserves better than scattered notes across random apps, sticky notes, and emails to yourself. Pick one of these apps in 2026, commit to it, and actually build a system for capturing and organizing your thoughts. Your future self will thank you when you can actually find that brilliant idea you had six months ago.