Stik is a free, open-source quick-capture note app for macOS. Press ⌘⇧S from anywhere on your Mac, and a floating post-it appears instantly. Type your thought, press Escape, and you're back to work in under 3 seconds. Notes are saved as plain markdown files in ~/Documents/Stik/. Built with Tauri and Rust for native performance.

Yes, Stik is completely free. It is also open source under the MIT license. There are no premium tiers, no subscriptions, and no in-app purchases. You can view and contribute to the source code on GitHub.

Does Stik require an account or cloud service?

No. Stik requires no account, no cloud service, and no sync setup. It works entirely offline and stores everything locally on your Mac. Your notes never leave your machine unless you choose to share a folder via git.

Where are Stik notes stored?

Notes are stored as plain markdown (.md) files in ~/Documents/Stik/ on your Mac. Each folder in Stik corresponds to a real folder on disk. You can open, edit, move, or back up your notes with any tool — they're just files.

What format are Stik notes saved in?

Stik saves all notes as plain Markdown (.md) files. This means your notes are future-proof, portable, and compatible with any text editor. There is no proprietary format or database lock-in.

Does Stik have AI features?

Yes. Stik features on-device AI for semantic search (find notes by meaning, not just keywords) and smart folder suggestions (automatically suggests the right folder as you type). All AI processing runs locally on your Mac using Apple's NaturalLanguage framework — zero data is sent to any server.

How fast is Stik for capturing notes?

Stik is designed for sub-3-second capture. Press ⌘⇧S, type your thought, press Escape to close. The app launches instantly thanks to its native Rust/Tauri architecture — no Electron overhead, no web app loading times. It's one of the fastest note capture experiences on macOS.

Yes, Stik is fully open source under the MIT license. The source code is available on GitHub at github.com/0xMassi/stik_app. Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome.

What is the keyboard shortcut to capture a note in Stik?

The global keyboard shortcut is ⌘⇧S (Command + Shift + S). This works from any application — a floating post-it window appears instantly. Other shortcuts include ⌘⇧M for folder selection, ⌘⇧P for search, and ⌘⇧1-9 for jumping directly to assigned folders.

How does Stik compare to SideNotes, Apple Quick Note, and Drafts?

Unlike SideNotes ($9.99) and Drafts ($4.99/mo), Stik is completely free and open source. Unlike Apple Quick Note and Drafts, Stik saves notes as plain markdown files you fully own. Unlike all three, Stik includes on-device AI semantic search and stores everything locally with no cloud dependency. Stik is the only open-source option with git-based sharing for team collaboration.

April 7, 202612 min read

Best Open-Source Note Apps for Mac (2026)

Name: Stik
Availability: InStock
Author: Massi

Not every app that calls itself open source actually is. Here are the note apps for Mac with real OSI-approved licenses, ranked by what they're best at.

Massi · 0xmassi.dev

open source note taking app macfree note app mac open sourceFOSS note appmacOSnote takingopen sourceprivacymarkdownlocal-first

"Open source" doesn't mean what you think it means

Half the note apps described as "open source" online aren't actually open source. Obsidian? Proprietary. Free to use, but closed source. Anytype? Source-available under a custom license that restricts commercial use. Not OSI-approved.

This matters because the whole point of choosing open source is trust. You can read the code. You can verify there's no telemetry. You can fork it if the company dies. If the license isn't an actual open-source license (MIT, GPL, AGPL, Apache), you don't get those guarantees.

Every app on this list has an OSI-approved open-source license. I checked the GitHub repo and license file for each one. If it's "source-available" or uses a custom license, it's not on this list.

The best open-source note apps for Mac

Joplin (AGPL-3.0)

Joplin is the most established open-source note app. 54,000+ GitHub stars, active since 2017, stable enough to trust with your data.

Notes are written in Markdown and stored in a SQLite database. This means they're not individual .md files you can browse in Finder, but the internal format is Markdown and export is straightforward. End-to-end encryption is available for all sync targets.

The sync flexibility is Joplin's strongest feature. Joplin Cloud is the paid option (from ~$3/month), but you can also sync via Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, S3, or a self-hosted server. If you want a note app where you control every part of the stack, Joplin is the most battle-tested option.

The UI is functional. Not ugly, not beautiful, just functional. It looks like an Electron app from 2018, which it is. The mobile apps work but feel dated next to Bear or Apple Notes.

License: AGPL-3.0. Server uses a separate personal-use license. Storage: Markdown in SQLite. Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, CLI. Mac app: Electron. Best for: Self-hosters who want maximum sync flexibility with E2E encryption.

Logseq (AGPL-3.0)

Logseq is an outliner-first note app with 42,000 GitHub stars. Think Roam Research, but open source and local-first.

The outliner approach means every note is a hierarchy of bullets. Blocks can reference other blocks across your entire graph. If your brain works in nested lists rather than long paragraphs, Logseq feels natural.

Currently, Logseq stores notes as plain Markdown or Org-mode files. That's changing. The upcoming "DB version" switches to SQLite for performance reasons (large graphs were taking minutes to load). The DB version has been in development for over two years and is still in beta. This matters because it directly affects whether your notes remain portable plain text.

Daily journals, bidirectional linking, a graph view, and a plugin ecosystem round out the feature set.

License: AGPL-3.0. Storage: Markdown/Org files (classic) or SQLite (DB version, beta). Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android. Mac app: Electron. Best for: Outliner thinkers who want daily journals with block-level linking.

Notesnook (GPL-3.0)

Notesnook is the most polished open-source note app for people coming from Evernote. 14,000 GitHub stars, modern UI, zero-knowledge encryption, and cross-platform sync that just works.

Everything is encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2. Your notes are unreadable to anyone without your password, including the Notesnook team. Both the client apps and the sync server are open source, which is rare. Most "open-source" note apps have open clients but closed servers. Notesnook opens both, so you can self-host the entire stack.

The free tier gives you 50 notebooks and 50 MB of storage. Essential ($1.99/month) and Pro ($6.99/month) expand the limits.

What it lacks is the power-user features Obsidian and Logseq provide. No graph view, no bidirectional linking, no plugin system. If you're switching from Evernote and want privacy, it's the best fit. If you're switching from Obsidian, you'll feel constrained.

License: GPL-3.0. Server also open source. Storage: Encrypted SQLite. Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web. Mac app: Electron. Best for: Privacy-first users who want a polished, encrypted Evernote replacement.

Zettlr (GPL-3.0)

Zettlr is the academic's note app. 13,000 GitHub stars, plain Markdown files, and the best citation management of any note app.

Type @ and Zettlr pulls up your Zotero or BibTeX library. Insert references in Pandoc format, then export to PDF, DOCX, LaTeX, or 30+ other formats using Pandoc. LaTeX math rendering is built in. Version 4.3.1 shipped April 2026.

It also supports Zettelkasten-style linking with [[wiki-links]] and has a graph view for visualizing note connections. Notes are plain .md files with YAML frontmatter, no database.

If you're not writing academic papers, most of Zettlr's best features won't matter. But if you are, nothing else comes close.

License: GPL-3.0. Storage: Plain .md files with YAML frontmatter. Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux. No mobile. Mac app: Electron. Best for: Academics and researchers who need citation management with plain Markdown.

FSNotes (MIT)

FSNotes is what Apple Notes would be if it stored plain Markdown files. 7,300 GitHub stars, native macOS app (Swift + AppKit), and available on iOS too.

The interface looks familiar: sidebar, note list, editor. But underneath, every note is a .md file stored wherever you choose. iCloud Drive sync between Mac and iOS works out of the box. Git versioning is built in for tracking changes.

FSNotes handles 10,000+ notes without lag, which is impressive for a native app built by a solo developer. Syntax highlighting for 30+ languages, Mermaid diagram rendering, MathJax support, and AES-256 encryption for individual notes.

The trade-off is scope. FSNotes is a note manager, not a knowledge graph. No bidirectional links, no graph view, no plugin ecosystem. It's a simple, fast app for people who want their notes as files.

License: MIT. Storage: Plain .md files. iCloud Drive sync. Platforms: macOS (native), iOS. Mac app: Native (Swift + AppKit). Not Electron. Best for: Apple users who want a native, fast notes app with plain Markdown file storage.

MarkEdit (MIT)

MarkEdit is TextEdit for Markdown. Open a .md file, edit it, save it. No library, no vault, no organization. Just a native Mac editor that weighs about 3 MB.

Built with Swift and AppKit, it launches instantly and follows macOS conventions. CodeMirror 6 powers the editor with syntax highlighting, line numbers, and customizable themes. Handoff, system spell check, and all the standard macOS behaviors work as expected.

MarkEdit is not a note app. It's a file editor. There's no way to browse, search, or organize a collection of notes. You open files one at a time. But as a lightweight, native Markdown editor, it's hard to beat.

License: MIT. Storage: Opens/saves standard .md files. Platforms: macOS only. Mac app: Native (Swift + AppKit). 3 MB. Best for: Developers who need a fast, lightweight .md file editor.

QOwnNotes (GPL-2.0)

QOwnNotes is the most actively maintained app on this list in terms of release frequency. Version 26.4.6 shipped April 6, 2026. Over 10,300 commits. The developer ships updates almost daily.

It stores notes as plain .md files and integrates tightly with Nextcloud and ownCloud for sync, versioning, and shared folders. If you run Nextcloud, QOwnNotes is the best note app for your stack.

The Mac version is built with Qt/C++, not Electron, so it's lighter and faster than most apps on this list. Scripting support lets you extend it with custom actions.

The UI is utilitarian. It looks like a Qt desktop app from 2014. There's no mobile app — you'd use a different Markdown app on your phone and sync via Nextcloud.

License: GPL-2.0. Storage: Plain .md files. Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD. No mobile. Mac app: Qt/C++ (not Electron). Lightweight. Best for: Nextcloud users who want plain Markdown files with native server integration.

Standard Notes (AGPL-3.0)

Standard Notes is now owned by Proton (the company behind Proton Mail). This gives it long-term backing that most indie open-source projects don't have.

The focus is encryption. XChaCha20-Poly1305 + AES-256. Independently audited. Zero-knowledge architecture — the server can't read your notes even if compromised. They describe it as a "100-year note app."

The free tier is basic. Paid plans ($90 or $120/year) unlock rich editors, spreadsheets, and other extensions. Those prices are high compared to Notesnook, which offers similar encryption at a lower cost.

Notes are stored in an encrypted format, not plain files. Export to Markdown is available, but your daily storage is not .md files on disk. This is the price of zero-knowledge encryption.

License: AGPL-3.0. All clients and server open source. Storage: Encrypted (proprietary format). Exports to Markdown. Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web. Mac app: Electron. Best for: Security-maximalists backed by the trust of Proton's infrastructure.

AFFiNE (MIT)

AFFiNE is the most ambitious project on this list. 67,000 GitHub stars. Docs, whiteboards, and databases in one workspace. Think Notion + Miro, but open source and local-first.

It uses CRDTs for conflict-free sync, which means real-time collaboration works without a central server resolving conflicts. Built-in AI features include a copilot, workspace search, and content generation.

The Community Edition is MIT-licensed and self-hostable. Cloud sync is available on free and paid plans ($6.75/month Pro, $10/seat Team).

AFFiNE stores data in a CRDT-based format, not plain files. It's local-first in behavior (works offline, syncs later) but not in the "your notes are just files" sense. Export to Markdown and HTML is available.

If you need a simple note app, AFFiNE is overkill. If you're looking for an open-source workspace that replaces Notion, it's the most credible contender.

License: MIT (Community Edition). Storage: CRDT/OctoBase (proprietary format). Exports to Markdown. Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web. Mac app: Electron with Rust modules. Best for: Teams who want an open-source Notion + Miro replacement.

Stik (MIT)

Stik is the one I built. It's a quick capture tool, not a knowledge management system. Press Cmd+Shift+Space, type a thought, close the window. The note saves as a plain .md file in ~/Documents/Stik/.

What makes it different from the other apps on this list is on-device AI semantic search. Search by meaning, not just by keyword, using Apple's NaturalLanguage framework. Zero data leaves your machine.

Built with Tauri and Rust, so it's near-native performance without Electron's overhead. The trade-off: macOS only, small community, early stage (v0.7.x), and not a full-featured note app.

License: MIT. GitHub. Storage: Plain .md files. Platforms: macOS only. Mac app: Tauri + Rust (near-native). Not Electron. Best for: Developers who want instant Markdown capture with on-device AI search.

Quick comparison

App	License	Stars	Mac runtime	Storage	Plain `.md` files	Price
Joplin	AGPL-3.0	54k	Electron	SQLite	No (exports)	Free + cloud
Logseq	AGPL-3.0	42k	Electron	.md files / SQLite	Yes (classic)	Free + sync
Notesnook	GPL-3.0	14k	Electron	Encrypted SQLite	No	Free + $2-7/mo
Zettlr	GPL-3.0	13k	Electron	.md files	Yes	Free
FSNotes	MIT	7k	Native (Swift)	.md files	Yes	Free
MarkEdit	MIT	4k	Native (Swift)	.md files	Yes	Free
QOwnNotes	GPL-2.0	6k	Qt/C++	.md files	Yes	Free
Standard Notes	AGPL-3.0	6k	Electron	Encrypted	No	Free + $90-120/yr
AFFiNE	MIT	67k	Electron + Rust	CRDT	No	Free + $7/mo
Stik	MIT	163	Tauri + Rust	.md files	Yes	Free

Electron vs native: does it matter?

Most open-source note apps use Electron, which bundles a full Chromium browser inside the app. This means each app uses 200-500 MB of RAM and takes a second or two to launch.

Three apps on this list avoid Electron:

FSNotes — native Swift + AppKit. Launches instantly, uses minimal memory.
MarkEdit — native Swift + AppKit. 3 MB total. Feels like a system app.
QOwnNotes — Qt/C++. Lighter than Electron, not as smooth as native Swift.
Stik — Tauri + Rust. Near-native performance, smaller footprint than Electron.

If you keep your note app open all day (and most people do), the memory difference adds up. On a MacBook Air with 8 GB of RAM, running Joplin, VS Code, and a browser simultaneously starts to feel tight. FSNotes or MarkEdit in the same scenario would be invisible.

For most people, Electron apps are fine. But if performance matters to you or you're on a constrained machine, the native options are meaningfully better.

What's NOT open source (and gets mislabeled)

These apps frequently appear in "open source note apps" lists but don't qualify:

Obsidian — Proprietary. Completely closed source. Free to use, but no source code available. The community plugins are open source, but the core app is not.

Anytype — Source available under "Any Source Available License 1.0." This is NOT an OSI-approved license. It restricts commercial use. The sync protocol (any-sync) is MIT, but the apps themselves are source-available with restrictions.

Bear — Proprietary. Closed source.

Craft — Proprietary. Closed source.

If a license isn't on the OSI approved list, it's not open source, regardless of what the marketing says.

What I'd recommend

You want the established option with sync: Joplin. Eight years of development. Sync with anything.

You want encrypted privacy: Notesnook. Modern UI, full E2E encryption, server is also open source.

You want plain files with a native Mac app: FSNotes. Fast, lightweight, iCloud sync, native Swift.

You want academic writing: Zettlr. Citation management and Pandoc export in one app.

You want a lightweight editor: MarkEdit. 3 MB, native, does one thing well.

You want a Notion replacement: AFFiNE. Docs + whiteboards + databases.

You want instant capture with AI search: Stik. Fast input, smart output, plain files.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free open-source note app for Mac?

It depends on what you need. FSNotes is the best native Mac option with plain Markdown file storage and iCloud sync. Joplin is the most established option with flexible sync and E2E encryption. Notesnook is the most polished if you want a modern Evernote replacement with encryption. All three are completely free to use.

Is Obsidian open source?

No. Obsidian is free to use but entirely closed source. The code is proprietary and obfuscated. Many community plugins are open source, but the core application is not. If you need a truly open-source alternative with similar features, Logseq (AGPL-3.0) is the closest match.

Which open-source note apps store plain Markdown files?

Logseq (classic mode), Zettlr, FSNotes, MarkEdit, QOwnNotes, and Stik all store notes as plain .md files on disk. Joplin stores Markdown in a SQLite database (not directly accessible as files). Standard Notes and Notesnook use encrypted formats.

Are there native (non-Electron) open-source note apps for Mac?

Yes. FSNotes and MarkEdit are both built with Swift and AppKit, so they're truly native macOS apps. QOwnNotes uses Qt/C++, which is lighter than Electron but not macOS-native. Stik uses Tauri with Rust, which provides near-native performance. Most other open-source note apps (Joplin, Logseq, Notesnook, Zettlr, Standard Notes, AFFiNE) use Electron.

Can I self-host an open-source note app?

Yes. Joplin supports self-hosted sync via Nextcloud, WebDAV, or S3. Notesnook has an open-source sync server you can self-host. Standard Notes offers self-hosting for its sync server. AFFiNE has a self-hostable Community Edition. For file-based apps like FSNotes, Zettlr, and Stik, you can sync plain Markdown files with any tool (Syncthing, Git, iCloud Drive).

What's the difference between open source and source-available?

Open source means the code uses an OSI-approved license (like MIT, GPL, or AGPL) that grants you the right to use, modify, and distribute the software. Source-available means you can view the code, but the license restricts what you can do with it. Anytype is source-available but not open source. This matters because only true open-source licenses guarantee you can fork the project if the company changes direction.

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