Work · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Notes SE

Simple light-weight notepad on all Apple devices

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Notes SE launched in 2022; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Indigo Notes for Apple Watch▲74

   A simple but powerful notes taking app

   2019 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   SideNotes▲311

   A beautiful note taking app with superpowers. It shows and hides on the side of your monitor to manage your notes distraction-free. Keep your notes organised, personalised and always at your fingertips. Markdown, tasks, pictures, colors, folders included.

   2025 · apptorium.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Writer▲134

   Beautiful, fast, native notes app with Markdown

   2021 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Scratchpad▲382

   Quick notes, always available

   2024 · sindresorhus.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Magic Notepad by timeOS▲574

   If Apple Notes and ChatGPT had a baby

   2024 · timeless.day · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Alternote ▲263

   Gorgeous OS X note-taking app with Evernote integration.

   2015 · alternoteapp.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Letterspace▲446

   A simple note-taking app on iOS & Mac

   2015 · programmerbird.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Evernote Web - Oct 2014▲435

   Dictate notes, perform searches, and see recent content.

   2014 · evernote.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   SideNotes for iPhone and iPad▲110

   Your quick notes with you

   2022 · apptorium.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Supernotes 3▲427

    Take notes everywhere

    2023 · supernotes.app · its alternatives →

11. 11
    NoteTabs▲129

    Native macOS text editor with horizontal tabs & auto-restore

    Jan 2026 · notetabs.azurewebsites.net · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Writer▲81

    Beautiful, secure and fast text editor and notes app.

    2021 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Quick Note▲149

    Colorful sticky notes for Mac

    2024 · quicknoteapp.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    NotePlan 3▲264

    Native (Mac & iOS) note-taking based on local Markdown files

    2020 · noteplan.co · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Brain;Notes▲61

    Scrapbook-like notepad app using sticky notes for iPadOS

    2022 · brainnotes.magickworx.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    I wrote a local-first notes app for Mac, with data longevity in mind▲128

    Noteship is a note taking app for Mac that combines notes, todos, and reminders and is based on simple files and folders.

    2021 · noteship.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Notepad▲77

    Simple app to take notes.

    2022 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Notepad▲113

    A rich, distraction-free alternative to sticky notes 📋

    2018 · notepad.microtheta.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Dumbnote▲141

    Offline-first Markdown note app. No lock-in. Just write.

    2025 · dumbnote.app · its alternatives →

20. 20
    PeekNote▲176

    Lightweight always-on-top notes for devs & multitaskers

    2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Cryptware Notes▲60

    A simple and minimalistic notepad app

    2022 · cryptwareapps.firebaseapp.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Element Note▲128

    Your digital notebook, reimagined

    2022 · elementnote.app · its alternatives →

23. 23
    FSNotes 5 for iOS▲83

    Notes manager to make your life easier

    2022 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    FSNotes▲101

    File system notes manager

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →