Mac apps
Sticky notes for Mac: the best apps
The Mac already comes with sticky notes. The app is called Stickies, it is in your Applications folder, and a note you leave on the desktop is still there after a restart. It does not sync, it does not search across notes, and it does not organise anything — which is why the other five apps on this page exist.
A sticky note is doing one of two jobs, and the apps split along that line. Either you want the note visible on the Mac desktop while you work — a number to read back, a name you will forget — or you want somewhere to put a thought in one second and come back to it later.
For the first you want windows that float. For the second, something you can reach and dismiss without moving anything. Decide which job you are shopping for first; the apps below are not really competing with each other.
Stickies
The one already on your Mac
Apple has shipped Stickies for decades: a note stays on the desktop, and it is still there after a restart. There is no sync, no search across notes and no organisation beyond moving windows around. If you have never tried it, do that first — it is free, and for a phone number you need for ten minutes it is the correct answer.
Antnotes
Floating sticky windows with a free tier
Antnotes is the closest thing to Stickies with the rough edges filed off: notes are separate floating windows you can resize, recolour, make transparent, pin on top, and roll up into a thin strip when they are in the way. Rich text, images and links go in, there is search, and closed notes go to an archive instead of disappearing. The free build covers the basics; app attachment, colour favourites and font presets are in the paid one. It runs on very old macOS.
Noticky
Sticky windows that stay above fullscreen apps
The modern take on the floating note, and the one to look at if your problem is fullscreen: it documents notes that stay visible above fullscreen apps, which is where Stickies gives up. Markdown with live rendering, iCloud sync, colour-coded tags, export to PDF, Markdown or plain text, and two things nothing else here has — Touch ID lock on a note, and hiding notes from screen sharing and recordings. It needs macOS 15.
FlyoutOur app
A notes panel on the screen edge rather than sticky windows
This is our app, and it is the odd one out on this page: Flyout does not scatter windows on your desktop. The notes live in a panel parked on the screen edge, which you pull out with the pointer or a hotkey and which slides away when you move off it. That is the wrong shape if you want a number sitting on the desktop all day, and the right shape if you want a real editor a gesture away — code blocks with syntax highlighting, tables, tags, images, and reminders on a note or on a single line. Notes are plain Markdown, sync runs on your own iCloud account.
Tot
Seven colour-coded dots, in the menu bar
Not a sticky note app at all, but it comes up in this search often enough to answer here. Tot gives you exactly seven notes — Iconfactory has said the limit is the feature — with iCloud sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch, Shortcuts actions, and a switch between plain and rich text. If seven is enough, it is one of the most pleasant text apps on the Mac. If you have ever wanted an eighth, Tot is not your app.
SideNotes
A notes panel on the right edge, with folders and colours
Like Flyout, SideNotes is a panel rather than sticky windows, and it is the more established of the two. Folders, colours, note reordering, Markdown, search, snippets, an AppleScript API, Shortcuts support, automatic backups, iCloud sync, nine languages, and a separate iPhone app. Its documentation does not mention syntax-highlighted code blocks, reminders, tables or tags.
Side by side
| App | What it is | How it opens | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stickies | The one already on your Mac | Launchpad or Spotlight — the windows stay where you put them | Free with macOS |
| Antnotes | Floating sticky windows with a free tier | Global hotkey, or right-click services | Free (Simple Antnotes); paid version for the extras · macOS 10.10+ |
| Noticky | Sticky windows that stay above fullscreen apps | ⌘⇧N, or the menu bar | $6.99 once · macOS 15+ |
| Flyout | A notes panel on the screen edge rather than sticky windows | Screen edge or a hotkey | $18 once, five Macs · macOS 14+ |
| Tot | Seven colour-coded dots, in the menu bar | Menu bar, or a hotkey you record yourself | Free to download; $19.99 in-app unlock per platform |
| 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+ |
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
You want a note sitting on the Mac desktop all day
Stickies if it is temporary and you want it free, Antnotes if you want it to survive and be organised, Noticky if you work in fullscreen.
You want the same notes on a second Mac or a MacBook
Stickies and Antnotes do not document sync. Noticky, SideNotes and Flyout all sync over your own iCloud account.
You want a note locked, or hidden while you share your screen
Noticky. It is the only app here that documents either.
You want notes out of the way until you reach for them
Flyout or SideNotes. Both are panels on the edge rather than windows on the desktop.
You want it free and you want it now
Stickies is already installed and Antnotes has a free build. Try both before spending anything.
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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