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Mac apps compared

The Best Notes Apps for Mac in 2026

Eight Mac note-taking apps compared on the things that matter once the honeymoon is over: privacy, offline use, encryption, export and what you actually pay.

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Updated September 2026 · By the Dash team

Every Mac ships with a capable notes app, so a third-party one has to earn its place. We compared the eight apps people actually switch between, looking at five things: whether it works fully offline, whether the provider can read your notes, how easy it is to get your data out, how it feels to write in every day, and what it costs over five years rather than one month.

We build Dash, so it is on this list. We have tried to be fair: each app below gets the same “best for”, price, privacy, pros and cons treatment, and we say plainly where Dash falls short.

The short version

  • Best for most people: Apple Notes, if you are happy inside iCloud.
  • Best for privacy: Dash, for notes that stay on your device and encrypted by default.
  • Best for Markdown purists: Bear on Apple platforms, Obsidian if you want plain files everywhere.
  • Best for teams and databases: Notion, with Craft as the prettier document-first option.
  • Best open source: Joplin for bring-your-own sync, Standard Notes for a long encryption track record.

The 8 best notes apps for Mac, ranked

  1. 1.

    Apple Notes

    The app already on your Mac. Fast, free, and better every year, with locked notes, tags and Smart Folders.

    Best for
    Anyone who lives inside iCloud
    Price
    Free
    Privacy
    iCloud holds a key unless Advanced Data Protection is on
    • Free and preinstalled
    • Handwriting and scanning on iPad and iPhone
    • Locked notes use end-to-end encryption
    • Unlocked notes are readable by Apple unless you enable Advanced Data Protection
    • Export is limited to PDF and copy-paste
    • No Windows or Linux
  2. 2.

    Dash

    Our app

    A private, encrypted notes app for Mac and iPhone. Notes stay on your device by default, every note can be locked with AES-256, and sync is optional and end-to-end encrypted.

    Best for
    People who want privacy without giving up a modern editor
    Price
    $14.99 one-time on Mac; free on iPhone and the web
    Privacy
    Offline by default; relay only ever sees ciphertext
    • Lock any note or the whole app; Touch ID and Face ID
    • Wiki-style [[links]], folders, tags, focus mode, local AI
    • Open source (MIT), exports to Markdown, PDF, DOCX and more
    • No Windows or Linux app yet
    • Sync is a separate subscription
    • Younger ecosystem than the big names
  3. 3.

    Bear

    A beautiful Markdown editor with tags instead of folders. One of the most polished writing experiences on the Mac.

    Best for
    Writers who love Markdown and tags
    Price
    Free; Bear Pro subscription for sync and themes
    Privacy
    Syncs through iCloud; no note-level encryption
    • Gorgeous typography and themes
    • Nested tags and cross-note links
    • Excellent export options
    • Sync and themes need the subscription
    • Apple platforms only
    • No password on individual notes
  4. 4.

    Obsidian

    Local Markdown files, a graph view and thousands of community plugins. The power-user choice.

    Best for
    Tinkerers building a personal knowledge base
    Price
    Free for personal use; paid Sync add-on
    Privacy
    Files stay local; Obsidian Sync is end-to-end encrypted
    • Your notes are plain files you own
    • Endless plugins and customization
    • Cross-platform
    • Steep learning curve
    • Encryption and mobile polish depend on plugins
    • Easy to spend more time configuring than writing
  5. 5.

    Craft

    Design-led documents with blocks, pages inside pages and beautiful sharing.

    Best for
    Structured docs you want to share or present
    Price
    Free tier; paid plans for more storage and features
    Privacy
    Cloud-synced; provider holds your data
    • Polished, native feel on Mac and iOS
    • Great for outlines and long documents
    • Publishing and sharing built in
    • Cloud-first by design
    • No note-level encryption
    • Free tier limits
  6. 6.

    Notion

    Databases, wikis and team workspaces. More of an everything-app than a notes app.

    Best for
    Teams and project tracking
    Price
    Free personal plan; paid plans per user
    Privacy
    Everything lives on Notion servers; no end-to-end encryption
    • Powerful databases and templates
    • Collaboration is excellent
    • Web, desktop and mobile
    • Needs an internet connection for most things
    • Your content is readable by the provider
    • Slow for quick capture
  7. 7.

    Joplin

    Open-source Markdown notes with end-to-end encrypted sync to the cloud of your choice.

    Best for
    Open-source fans who want to bring their own storage
    Price
    Free; optional Joplin Cloud subscription
    Privacy
    End-to-end encrypted sync (opt-in)
    • Sync to Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud or Joplin Cloud
    • Web clipper and plugins
    • Cross-platform
    • Utilitarian interface
    • Encryption must be switched on
    • Less native-feeling on Mac
  8. 8.

    Standard Notes

    End-to-end encrypted notes since 2016, now part of Proton. Simple, sturdy and audited.

    Best for
    Security-first users who want a trusted name
    Price
    Free tier; paid plans for rich editors and more
    Privacy
    End-to-end encrypted everywhere
    • Long security track record
    • Cross-platform
    • Two-factor authentication
    • The free editor is plain text
    • Richer editors are behind the subscription
    • Interface feels dated next to newer apps
Try the private one — Dash for Mac, $14.99 one-time

How to choose a notes app for your Mac

Decide where your notes should live. Cloud-first apps (Notion, Craft, Google Keep) are convenient, but the provider can read everything. Local-first apps (Dash, Obsidian, Apple Notes with Advanced Data Protection) keep the master copy on your Mac.

Check what “encrypted” means. Encrypted in transit and at rest is table stakes and still lets the company read your notes. End-to-end encryption, where only your devices hold the keys, is the bar that matters. Dash, Standard Notes, Joplin and Obsidian Sync clear it; Notion, Craft and Bear do not.

Try the export before you commit. A notes app is a ten-year decision. Make sure you can leave with Markdown, PDF or DOCX files, not a proprietary archive.

Add up the subscription. A $10-a-month plan is $600 over five years. Apple Notes and Obsidian are free, and Dash is $14.99 once for the Mac app, with sync as the only optional subscription.

Why we built Dash the way we did

We wanted the feel of a modern block editor with the privacy of a paper notebook. So Dash stores notes on your Mac as encrypted files, locks individual notes or the whole app with AES-256-GCM, unlocks with Touch ID, and never talks to a server unless you switch on Dash Sync, which encrypts everything on your device first. The code is open source under the MIT license, so you can check every claim on this page yourself.

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Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Obsidian alternatives

Simpler, encrypted or free options if Obsidian is too much.

Notes app with password protection

How to lock notes with a password, Face ID or Touch ID.

How to lock notes on iPhone and Mac

Step by step for Apple Notes, and what locking actually protects.

Private notes, on your Mac and iPhone

Dash is $14.99 one-time on Mac and free on iPhone. Notes stay on your device unless you choose to sync them.

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