Comparison
Flyout vs Unclutter
Unclutter is the closest thing on this page to Flyout in spirit: it lives at the screen edge and slides into view when you reach for it. But it is really three tools in one window — clipboard history, a file shelf, and notes — and the notes pane is the smallest of the three. Paste formatted text into an Unclutter note and, in the vendor’s own words, you get “pure formatting-free text”. If the notes pane is the reason you opened it, this is the comparison.
| Feature | Unclutter | Flyout |
|---|---|---|
| The editor | Plain text — pasting strips formatting; links are the only thing kept | A full editor: headings, task lists, code, colour |
| Code | No code blocks documented | Real code blocks with syntax highlighting |
| Images in a note | Not documented — files live in a separate pane | Paste, drag in, resize |
| Reminders | None documented | On a whole note, or on one selected line |
| Sync | “Unclutter doesn’t perform any sync tasks on its own” — you point its folder at a cloud drive | Real iCloud sync through your own Apple ID |
| Folders for notes | A flat, searchable list | Folders you drag notes into |
| Price | $19.99 once | $18 once, on two Macs |
Where Unclutter wins
Unclutter has been shipping since 2012 and it does two things Flyout does not do at all: clipboard history and a file shelf you can drop anything onto. It opens at the edge four different ways (scroll, modifier, dwell, hotkey), it runs back to macOS 10.13, it is on Setapp and the App Store, and it keeps its files as ordinary items on disk in a folder you choose. If you want a shelf at the top of your screen, it is a fine one. Flyout is only about the notes — and it treats them as documents rather than sticky notes.
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 These apps ship often — if you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.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.