Comparison
Flyout vs Tot
Tot is one of the most elegant text apps on the Mac, and its constraint is the whole point. Iconfactory put it plainly when asked whether you can add more than seven dots: “No. Seven dots is a feature that helps control clutter.” That is a real design philosophy, and for some people it is exactly right. If you have ever hit the eighth note, this page is for you.
| Feature | Tot | Flyout |
|---|---|---|
| How many notes | Seven — a deliberate hard limit, plus 100,000 characters per note | As many as you like |
| Organisation | None — the seven dots are the structure | Folders and tabs |
| Search | Within the dot you have open | Across every note, from the panel |
| Images in a note | Text only | Paste, drag in, resize |
| Reminders | None | On a whole note, or on one selected line |
| Opening it | Menu bar, or a hotkey you record yourself | Screen edge or hotkey — and it slides away on its own |
| Price | Free to download; a $19.99 in-app unlock per platform (Mac and iPhone sold separately) | $18 once, on two Macs |
Where Tot wins
Tot is on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch as well as the Mac, it syncs over iCloud, it has Shortcuts actions and automatic JSON backups, and it lets you flip a note between plain text and rich text. It is also free to try in the App Store, which Flyout is not. And the seven-note ceiling is not a bug — if it keeps you tidy, keep it. Flyout is for when the notes have started to pile up and you need folders, images and a deadline or two.
Checked against each app’s own documentation in July 2026. These apps ship often — if you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Is Flyout right for you?
If you live in the keyboard — writing code, tracking tasks, keeping notes next to your editor — Flyout keeps up. Try it free for 7 days; no account, everything stays on your Mac.