Mac apps
The best note taking apps for MacBook
Nothing on this page depends on which MacBook you bought. Every app here publishes a minimum macOS version and nothing else, so an Air runs the same software as a Pro; the choice is about what you want a note to be.
Three questions separate them: does the note stay a file you own, does it sync without a subscription, and do you need it on anything that is not an Apple device. Answer those first and most of this list rules itself out.
Apple Notes
The one already on your MacBook
Apple’s own guide documents folders, tags, Smart Folders, locked notes, shared notes and folders, scanned documents and search, all syncing over iCloud to iPhone and iPad. It is free and installed, which makes it the honest starting point — a week with it tells you what you are actually missing. There is no Windows or Android app; iCloud.com is the only way in from another platform.
Obsidian
Your notes as plain Markdown files in a folder you choose
Free without limits for personal use and no sign-up. Because every note is a Markdown file on your own disk, Time Machine, Git and any other editor keep working on them, and nothing has to be exported later. Links between notes are what people stay for. Sync across devices is a paid add-on ($4 per user per month billed annually, $5 monthly) or you point it at storage you already have. Obsidian asks organisations to buy the $50 commercial licence but states it is not required.
Joplin
Open-source notes with encrypted sync
Open source and free on macOS, Windows, Linux, Android and iOS, with a terminal client as well. Rich text or Markdown, and it is the only app on this page whose site documents end-to-end encryption on the sync itself. Sync runs through Joplin Cloud, Dropbox or OneDrive, so you can keep the app free and pay nothing if you already have one of those. The interface is the price you pay for that.
Notion
Documents, databases and a wiki in one workspace
For a lot of students "notes" means a page per course, a table of assignments and a database that filters — that is what Notion is for, and no plain note app replaces it. The free plan is unlimited for one person, with 5 MB file uploads and 7 days of page history. It needs an account, and the Mac app is the same product as the web one rather than a native rewrite.
Bear
Markdown notes for Apple devices only
The most pleasant typing surface here if you write in Markdown and stay on Mac, iPhone and iPad. The free version keeps notes locally and exports to TXT, Markdown, TextBundle, RTF, PDF, JPG, HTML, DOCX and ePub. iCloud sync is the thing you pay for, along with OCR search inside PDFs and images, 28 themes and 15 app icons — $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.
FlyoutOur app
A notes panel on the screen edge rather than a library you open
This is our app, and it answers a narrower question than the rest of the page: it is not where you would keep a semester of lecture notes. Flyout is the panel you pull from the edge of the screen while you are working on something else, write in, and let slide away. Notes are plain Markdown with syntax-highlighted code blocks, tables, tags, images, reminders on a note or on a single line, and a password-locked vault. Sync runs on your own iCloud account. One payment covers five Macs.
Goodnotes
Handwriting and PDF markup, built for a stylus
It comes up in MacBook searches constantly, so it is worth being clear: Goodnotes was built for handwriting on an iPad, and on a MacBook you are typing or marking up PDFs with a trackpad instead. It runs on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Windows, Android and the web. The free tier stops at three files and watermarks exports, and syncing your library across platforms is a Pro feature.
Side by side
| App | What it is | How it opens | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Notes | The one already on your MacBook | Dock, Spotlight, or Quick Note from a hot corner | Free with macOS |
| Obsidian | Your notes as plain Markdown files in a folder you choose | Dock or Spotlight | Free for personal use · Sync $4/user/month billed annually · commercial licence $50/user/year |
| Joplin | Open-source notes with encrypted sync | Dock or Spotlight | App free · Joplin Cloud from €2.99/month (€2.40 billed yearly) |
| Notion | Documents, databases and a wiki in one workspace | Dock or Spotlight | Free plan · Plus $10 per member per month · Business $20 |
| Bear | Markdown notes for Apple devices only | Dock or Spotlight | Free tier · Pro $2.99/month or $29.99/year |
| Flyout | A notes panel on the screen edge rather than a library you open | Screen edge or a hotkey | $18 once, five Macs · macOS 14+ |
| Goodnotes | Handwriting and PDF markup, built for a stylus | Dock or Spotlight | Free (3 files) · Essential $11.99/year · Pro $35.99/year |
Every claim about another app on this page comes from that app’s own documentation or App Store listing, checked in August 2026. Prices are what the developer lists; App Store prices vary by region. These apps ship often — if something here has gone out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Which one fits
MacBook Air or MacBook Pro
It does not decide anything. None of these apps documents a requirement beyond a macOS version — Flyout needs macOS 14 or later, and the others publish their own minimums.
You want it free and you want the notes to stay yours
Obsidian or Joplin. Both keep the notes in open formats; Joplin adds end-to-end encrypted sync, Obsidian charges for sync but not for the app.
You also use Windows or Android
Notion, Joplin or Goodnotes. Apple Notes, Bear and Flyout are Apple-only, and that is not going to change for you.
You take notes by hand
Goodnotes, and be honest about the hardware — it wants an iPad and a stylus, not a trackpad.
You want the note in reach while you work on something else
Flyout for a panel on the screen edge, or Apple Quick Note if free matters more than what the note can hold.
Try Flyout
Free for 7 days, no account. It is $18 once and works on five Macs — macOS 14 or later.
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