Mac apps
The best screen-edge notes apps for Mac
I got to this category through Slack calls: someone asks for something mid-conversation and I either hunt for pen and paper or cmd-tab to a notes app, which means losing the window I was actually looking at.
Side by side
| App | What it is | How it opens | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SideNotes | A notes panel on the right edge, with folders and colours | Screen edge, menu bar, or a hotkey | $19.99 once, five Macs · macOS 13+ |
| Unclutter | A clipboard, a file shelf and notes, dropped down from the top edge | Move to the top of the screen and scroll down | $19.99 once · macOS 10.13+ |
| Flyout | A rich-text notes panel on the screen edge, with reminders | Screen edge or a hotkey | $24 once, five devices across Mac + iPhone + iPad · macOS 14+ / iOS 18+ |
| Apple Quick Note | Free, built into macOS, opens from the bottom-right corner | Bottom-right hot corner, then click the peel — or Fn-Q | Free with macOS |
Every claim about another app on this page comes from that app’s own documentation or App Store listing, checked in August 2026. Flyout’s current price, Mac/iPhone/iPad support and local agent access were checked on 5 October 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 These apps ship often — if something here has gone out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
The edge names a behaviour. The panel lives off-screen, you reach it with a gesture or a hotkey, and it goes away on its own — a floating window does none of that. That narrows the field a lot: there are four apps here, and one of them is built into macOS.
SideNotes$19.99 once, five Macs · macOS 13+
A notes panel on the right edge, with folders and colours
The best-known app in this category and the most direct comparison to Flyout. It documents folders, colours and note reordering, Markdown formatting, search, snippets, an AppleScript API, Apple Shortcuts support, automatic backups and iCloud sync. Images and file shortcuts go in a note — a shortcut being a link to the file where it already lives, not a copy inside the note. It ships in nine languages and has a separate iPhone and iPad app. Its documentation does not mention syntax-highlighted code blocks, reminders, tables or tags.
Pros
- Folders, colours and an AppleScript API with Shortcuts support
- Automatic backups and iCloud sync
- A separate iPhone and iPad app
Cons
- No documented code blocks, reminders, tables or tags
- A file attachment is a shortcut to where it already lives, not a copy inside the note
Unclutter$19.99 once · macOS 10.13+
A clipboard, a file shelf and notes, dropped down from the top edge
Unclutter comes at the edge from a different angle: the notes pane is one of three, alongside clipboard history and a file drop zone. If what you actually want is somewhere to park files and paste history, this is the one that does all three at once. Its notes are plain text — pasting strips formatting — and the developer states plainly that Unclutter does not sync on its own; you point its folder at a cloud drive. It runs on much older macOS than anything else here and ships in eleven languages.
Pros
- Clipboard history and a file shelf in the same panel as notes
- Runs on much older macOS (10.13+) than anything else here
Cons
- Notes are plain text — pasting strips formatting
- No sync of its own; you point the notes folder at a cloud drive yourself
Flyout$24 once, five devices across Mac + iPhone + iPad · macOS 14+ / iOS 18+Our app
A rich-text notes panel on the screen edge, with reminders
Flyout is our app. Its screen-edge panel holds code blocks, tables, images, tags and reminders on a note or a single line. Tasks can have a status such as in progress or in review, with custom statuses in Settings. You can choose an app theme and one of 38 note colours. Files are copied into the note, and Markdown export includes an assets folder. The web license includes iPhone and iPad access; optional iCloud sync uses your own account. The iPhone app also runs on iPad, and the Mac app requires macOS 14 or later. On Mac, you can pair Codex, Claude Code or Claude Desktop with Flyout, allow the whole library or only selected folders, and grant permissions for searching, reading, creating notes or setting reminders. Encrypted notes are excluded. Deletions require approval in Flyout. Agent access is off by default, and note content you let an agent read may be sent to its AI provider. Flyout has no built-in AI generation or voice capture.
Pros
- Custom task statuses beside code, tables and images
- Reminders on a note or one line
- Mac, iPhone and iPad included; app themes and 38 note colours
Cons
- Mac, iPhone and iPad apps included
- macOS 14 is the floor — nothing older
For macOS 14 Sonoma and later. iPhone and iPad app included. No account, no subscription.
Apple Quick NoteFree with macOS
Free, built into macOS, opens from the bottom-right corner
Worth trying before you buy anything, because it is already on your Mac and it syncs to your iPhone for nothing. The corner is a hot corner rather than a full edge, and you get one note at a time: to reach an older Quick Note you open the Notes app. Code gets a monospaced style with no language and no highlighting, it is not a Markdown editor (macOS 26 added Markdown import and export), and a note cannot carry a due date — those live in the separate Reminders app.
Pros
- Free and already installed
- Syncs to iPhone for nothing
Cons
- One note at a time — older Quick Notes live in the separate Notes app
- No syntax highlighting, and a note cannot carry its own due date
Which one fits
You want notes on your iPhone too
Apple Quick Note if you want a free option on iPad, because it already syncs there. SideNotes covers iPhone and iPad through a separate mobile purchase. Flyout’s iPhone app also runs on iPad and is included with the Mac license.
You want the clipboard and a file shelf in the same panel
Unclutter. Nothing else here tries to be three tools, and its notes pane is enough for short text.
A note of yours will hold code, a table or a deadline
Flyout. Those are the things the other three do not document — and they are the reason we built it.
You are on macOS 13 or older
SideNotes or Unclutter. Flyout needs macOS 14.
Questions people ask
- What is the difference between a screen-edge panel and a floating note?
- A floating note is its own window that sits wherever you leave it — you can put it beside your document and it stays there. A screen-edge panel lives off-screen until you reach for it, then slides away when you are done. Flyout and SideNotes are edge panels; if you want a note that actually floats over your work, Apple Quick Note is closer, and Unclutter’s notes pane drops from the top edge rather than sliding in from the side.
- Do any of these run on Windows?
- No — all four are macOS-only. SideNotes and Unclutter do not document a Windows build either.
- Can I use one of these without an internet connection?
- Yes. None of the four requires an account to open, and Flyout, SideNotes and Unclutter all work offline — sync, where each one has it, is something you turn on rather than something the app needs to function.
- Is there a free option?
- Apple Quick Note is free and already on your Mac. The other three are paid: Unclutter and SideNotes are one-time purchases, and Flyout has a 7-day free trial ahead of its one-time price.
Try Flyout
Free for 7 days, no account. It is $24 once and works on five devices across Mac, iPhone and iPad — macOS 14 or later, iOS 18 or later.
For macOS 14 Sonoma and later. iPhone and iPad app included. No account, no subscription.
Prefer a one-to-one comparison? All comparisons