Work · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Scratchpad
Simple Notes Widget for Mac
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Scratchpad launched in 2017; newer entries below may have overtaken it.
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Hey! I made Heynote entirely for my own use case. For many years, I always had an Emacs instance running with the scratch buffer open, even long after I had abandoned Emacs as my programming editor in favor of more recent IDE:s. The simplicity of having just one big scratch buffer appeals to me, but I still want to separate the different things I jot down somehow (without using tabs or similar). Previously, my solution was to insert a bunch of blank lines between the notes, but hitting C-A would still select the entire buffer. That's why I came up with the concept of "blocks", which turned…
2023 · heynote.com · its alternatives →
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Unclutter▲192Access notes, files & pasteboard clips quickly on your Mac
2015 · unclutterapp.com · its alternatives →
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Tyke▲362Mac menu bar app that @torrez really needed to take notes
2017 · tyke.app · its alternatives →
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Textpad▲200Simple online notepad, no fancy stuff. Just write.
2016 · textpad.surge.sh · its alternatives →
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Jot▲115Simplest notes app for the Mac Menu Bar the world has seen.
2020 · getjot.app · its alternatives →
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Apptivate▲126Launch Mac apps with custom keyboard shortcuts
2016 · apptivateapp.com · its alternatives →
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Create quick reminders with presets
2016 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
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Notchkin▲136A notes app that lives in your MacBook's notch.
Jun 2026 · notchkin.app · its alternatives →
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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 →