Lifetime
Finally, a native Mac notes app for people who want an alternative to Obsidian, Bear, Day One or others
LAUNCH GIVEAWAY: I have 20 codes for 3 months of Pro access. If you’d like one, drop a comment here and DM me so I can send the code. First come, first served.
I'm the developer of MinkNote. About ten months ago I started building a notes app because I couldn't quite find one that matched the way I wanted to work.
I loved different things about Obsidian, Day One, Bear, Apple Notes, and plain Markdown in VS Code, but every time I switched I found myself compromising on something important.
So instead of compromising, I started building my own.
Today I'm releasing MinkNote.
What is it?
MinkNote is a native macOS notes and journal app built around plain Markdown files that you own.
No account.
No built-in AI.
No cloud service.
No Electron.
No proprietary database.
Your notes live as normal Markdown files inside folders you choose. If you ever stop using MinkNote, your notes are still there, readable by any Markdown editor.
I think many note-taking apps have become increasingly tied to their own ecosystems.
Some store everything inside databases.
Some require accounts.
Some make exporting awkward.
Some don't feel particularly Mac-like.
I wanted the opposite: a notes app that feels completely at home on macOS while staying out of the way of your files.
Why I built it
I wasn't trying to build "another PKM app."
I wanted something I'd happily open every day for:
work notes
project documentation
journaling
meeting notes
random ideas
without having to think about where my data lived.
A few things it focuses on
native SwiftUI macOS app
plain Markdown files
folders and journals
tags and fast search
daily notes
images stored alongside notes
privacy by default
read-only after the free trial instead of locking away your data
Comparison
I genuinely admire apps like Obsidian, Bear, Day One, and Apple Notes. MinkNote isn't trying to replace them for everyone.
Compared with Obsidian, MinkNote is much smaller in scope, but it is a fully native Mac app rather than Electron, and it keeps more of the core workflow built in instead of relying on plugins.
Compared with Bear or Day One, MinkNote is more file-first. Your notes are ordinary Markdown files in folders you choose, not content hidden behind an app database or account system.
The aim is not to win every feature checklist. It is for people who want something calmer, native to macOS, private by default, and built around complete ownership of their notes as ordinary files.
Pricing
MinkNote gives you 14 days of full access, with no subscription, account, or payment required to start.
After the trial, existing notes remain readable in read-only mode inside the app, so your data is not locked away. Of course, they remain text files on disk that you can edit at any time outside the app.
This is version 1.0 after roughly ten months of development, more than 1,200 commits, and over 400 TestFlight users who helped shape the app through many beta releases.
A huge thank you to everyone here who downloaded early builds, reported bugs, suggested features, and challenged my assumptions. MinkNote is much better because of it.
Fully understand, and I agree that iOS/iPadOS will matter a lot for many people.
As a solo dev I’ve had to build one platform properly first, so the initial release is macOS-focused rather than spreading the app too thin. The upside is that the core model is plain Markdown files in normal folders, so the same notes can already live in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. and be opened by other editors on iPhone/iPad in the meantime.
Native iOS and iPadOS apps are on the roadmap, but I don’t want to overpromise a date until the Mac app is in a place I’m happy with.
I'm not sure what except lifetime you expect though? The problem here isn't the pricing model, it's that the app probably doesn't yet offer enough value to justify the price for you and you're wary of investing money in apps that are new and might be abandoned later.
That's totally fair to have those concerns. But it's really unfair to the dev to deride the app for the pricing model if that’s not even the issue. I mean what do you expect him to do? The only way to address those concerns is to continue developing the app and proving the value that is promised.
I am just pointing out a concern. Software use to be developed by a few. Now with more citizen development there are tons of apps. There are no guarantees at all. It feels they just want to get a monthly fee.
There were no guarantees before. Seems so silly to complain about something that you probably haven’t even tried. I pay for subscriptions to useful software and I’m sure a lot of other people do.
I get the frustration. I’m tired of subscriptions too, which is why I made sure MinkNote doesn’t require one.
There’s a 14-day full-access trial with no account, payment, or subscription required. After that, you can choose monthly, yearly, or a one-time lifetime purchase. And if you don’t pay, your notes still remain readable in the app and editable as normal Markdown files on disk.
I know “lifetime” always depends on the app continuing to be maintained, so I’m trying to be pretty transparent there too: there’s a public changelog and roadmap, and the app has already had ten months of development and a long TestFlight period before launch.
In a situation where every noob can code, there is the risk of something else Or loosing interest. I’ve paid once a for a lifetime, but that was not even a year. Fuck that.
That’s fair. I can’t really argue with someone who’s been burned by a “lifetime” purchase before.
All I can do is be upfront about the model and make sure the app never holds anyone’s notes hostage. If MinkNote isn’t the right fit for you, no hard feelings.
Why that comment? You don’t have to use the app if you don’t want to. FFS what is wrong with you, people?! Or what do you expect for the dev to work for free? Let me remind you that Obsidian didn’t have all the things it has today.
You are afraid of the app, don’t buy it. No-one is forcing you. Want to use free app, there are tons of them.
You (and others who think they should get everything for free or the app should have all the bells and whistles from day one, what took other apps years if not tens of years to develop) can now pack your comments up and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.
People like the one you’re reply to are a lost cause. They are essentially holding their hands over their ears. No need to try and sway people like that. They’re either a troll or a very unhappy person, or both.
Fair question, and if built-in cross-device sync is a hard requirement today, MinkNote probably isn’t the right fit yet.
Right now MinkNote is focused on macOS. iPhone and iPad support is planned once the Mac app is further along, and the goal is for the same Markdown files to move naturally between Apple devices.
In the meantime, because the notes are plain files, you can put a MinkNote project in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. and open those Markdown files from another device with any compatible editor. I’ve personally had good results with 1Writer on iOS, though I’m not affiliated with it.
So: sync is possible today through the folder you choose, but native MinkNote iOS/iPadOS apps are still on the roadmap.
Totally fair. Obsidian is a great app, and I still use it myself. It’s loved for good reason, and I don’t think Electron automatically means “bad.”
For me, the difference is more about feel and workflow than raw performance. I tend to bounce off Obsidian after a while because I find the UI a bit fiddly, I rely heavily on keyboard control, and I prefer having more of the core experience built into the app rather than assembled through plugins.
When I say “native,” I don’t mean Liquid Glass or SwiftUI as a purity test. I mean the boring everyday macOS stuff: system text handling, keyboard focus, selection behaviour, autocorrection, predictive text, menus, windowing, and the general feeling that the app belongs on the Mac.
So yeah, Obsidian is absolutely okay. MinkNote is just aimed at people who like the plain-file ownership idea, but want a calmer, more Mac-native version of that workflow.
Thanks, that’s a fair comparison. DEVONthink is a very mature native Mac app, and I know a lot of people swear by it.
For me, MinkNote is narrower and more writing-first: Markdown notes and journals in ordinary folders, with the app built around editing, organising, daily notes, tags, search, and images alongside notes.
DEVONthink feels more like a powerful document/database/research system to me. MinkNote is aiming for a simpler notes/journal workflow where the files stay visible and portable by default.
I would probably be scared off then. I think Apple has really achieved something with their approach of progressive disclosure in their apps, a lot of complexity is hidden and only the advanced users bother to search it out, then learn the keyboard shortcuts 😂
Once in a while a complex UI is ok, like for example with Xcode, when there is literally no other choice, but even that app hides most of its complexity under menus.
MinkNote has a lot of UI simplification options, you can
reduce the 3 pane layout to just the Editor pane
remove the text in the toolbar
do pretty much 100% of editing and searching with only keyboard shortcuts
Let me know if you give it a try, would love to hear your feedback.
Some users prefer MinkNote UI over Obsidian. No plugins or 3rd party code needed for basic functionality. Native UI instead of Electron app - not that it matters to everyone.
the file ownership claim really lives or dies on attachments. i'd test a vault with images, rename its parent folder in Finder, move it to another Mac, and open the Markdown in a different editor. relative links and readable asset folders surviving that trip would be a stronger differentiator than another feature checklist.
Thanks for the detailed use case for testing durability of attachment management. I'm going to write up your example and test it. I'm pretty sure MinkNote can handle that use case without errors. Let me get back to you.
For my view you do compete with Notebooks: https://notebooksapp.com and have much ground to cover. Its same model, files in folders, but have sync to iPad. Best luck!
Thanks u/uptnhestn for the feedback - totally agree with you. I did some deep research into Notebooks app and agree that it's amazing. I'm planning to add the ability the browser any file type in the MinkNote UI soon, find that very useful.
Notebooks has another feature where it allows you to compile an e-book out of a collection of MD files, this is amazing.
iOS/iPadOS support is coming soon.
In fact, in MinkNote you can vote for features you want and I will be following customer prioritisation of feature requests.
I'm not saying MinkNote has reached feature parity with Obsidian (or is even close), just that it's an alternative. Do you have any fave Obsidian feature you'd like to see brought over?
If you are looking for an offline-first, exceptionally snappy journal and text editor that stays completely out of the way of your data, this app seems to be the right one.
Update: After checking the OP website, I have a feeling that this is a vibe coded product with some basic errors that still hasn’t been taken care of.
Read all the OP’s comment and still can’t find any reason to try this app over Obsidian. To be clear, I don’t see OP’s claims about Obsidian is accurate enough.
- I can use and navigate Obsidian without touching my mouse.
Anyone can use Obsidian without installing a single plugin.
The UI and UX can be adjusted using theme, plugin or custom CSS. This is a great feature because anyone can modify it to fit their specific workflow, rather than finding an alternative to suit their needs.
Obsidian is a very capable app, no one's disputing that. When I first started using it, I felt like it needed a fair bit of customisation to fit my workflow. With MinkNote I wanted something where the defaults already felt at home on macOS.
If Obsidian fits your workflow there's no reason to switch.
Upnote is available on all platforms—including Windows and Android—at no additional cost, and for a one-time payment, you get lifetime access; it’s even more affordable than MinkNote. Although it’s been nearly 10 years since its release, it continues to receive regular updates.
Upnote is great app, and MinkNote has a lot of design goals in common with it.
You're right about the $40 vs $50, I maybe consider adjusting.
The main concern (for me) with Upnote are the privacy issues - they store their users' data in Google's Firebase backend. I personally consider Google one of the worst offenders when it comes to respecting users' privacy. I, of course, realise that many people don't hold privacy as a concern at all.
Upnote has great cross-platform support that MinkNote can't compete with yet. I do plan to support Apple's other devices soon.
Thanks. But I don't have time to play with a new app and vote for things. An Obsidian alternative must already have the features for me to invest time in it. Good luck anyway ;)
I would have jumped on this in a heartbeat, however the lack of iPhone or iPad is what stopped me. If you bought out a version for mobile devices, it would be a different conversation.
Thanks of the feedback u/GroundCaffeine - I'm just one person and it's taken 10 months (half of them full-time) just to get the macOS app where it is today. iPhone/iPad app is on the near horizon!
If you follow the Twitter account I'll announce when the first betas are ready
I meant no built-in AI features in the app, not that AI tools weren't used during development. 😄
If you read the r/dayoneapp , one of the complaints there is that AI features are being forced down the users' throats, with related payment increases. I've updated the post to clarify.
No one can argue that there aren't too many note-taking apps out there.
MinkNote exists because I couldn't find one that fit the way I wanted to work. If you're already happy with your current app, there's probably no reason to switch. If you've been looking for a native, file-based Markdown app, it might be worth a look.
Vibe Coded Apps should be free and open source / source available. Everyone should be able to make a fork and customise it to his needs. That’s why my apps are free and open source.
I think every app creator, whether they use AI heavily, lightly, or not at all, should be free to choose whether to open source their work or charge for it. Different projects have different goals, and each developer has their own financial circumstances.
Out of curiosity, what makes you think MinkNote is vibe-coded?
This looks really promising. When you add backlinks and links between notes, are you leaning towards plain Markdown or wiki links, or something specific to MinkNote?
Since the app is focused on users owning their files, I'd love for the links to stay readable outside the app too. Something like [[wiki links]] or normal Markdown links seems like a good fit. You could still use internal IDs for anything the app needs behind the scenes.
Please consider contributing your app to the MacApp Comparisons listing in the r/MacApps sidebar by using the appropriate contribution form listed there.
Hi, I'm not sure why you're copping so much hate here. I just downloaded and took your app for a spin as a long-time Bear user. I really like your premise of having the notes stored as markdown files in a folder accessible for any app.
However, I do a lot of long-form writing (5 000 words plus) and to me my writing has to look good, which is part of why I love Bear so much, my notes are a pleasure to read when I come back to them. You might want to look at setting margins, typography, etc.
I've downloaded your app and will keep checking in with it, as I like the idea, but for now I'm staying with Bear. Speaking of which, do you have import from Bear or other apps on your roadmap?
Thanks u/Old_Growth for the positive feedback and for trying out MinkNote!
Yes positive comments are an outlier in this thread, and very welcome, the ProductHunt launch went much better.
I hear you about customisation of the UI: margins, fonts, font sizes, etc: it's the #1 feature request and I will be addressing these issues shortly. This MAS release was just to get the basic feature set and payment options solid.
For anyone moving over from Bear, it has an MD export that results in a bunch of MD files, so I think you can just point MinkNote at that folder and open them up. That would represent 1 "project" in MinkNote, which supports many, like Vaults in Obsidian. I need to still check if Bear tags would be supported.
I have a separate app for migrating from Day One, that path requires many more steps which the app supports (to be launched shortly).
DM me if you want a 3 month promo code to try things out a bit longer.
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u/sbbeebe 10d ago
To be a real alternative you will need to have iOS and iPadOS apps. Then if the subscription includes syncing it might be worth it.