Free alternatives to SideNotes

The 12 closest to SideNotes

1. 

   Tot

   Seven-note text scratchpad for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch

   Free plan · from $19.99 one-time

   What is free: The Mac app and the iPhone and iPad app are free to download. Premium features, which the vendor says include text dividers and custom smart bullets, need the paid unlock.

   • Tot starts at $19.99 one-time in-app purchase, per platform. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • Tot has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • SideNotes also covers tasks.
   Tot vs SideNotesTot pricing and details
2. 

   Stickier

   Sticky notes for Mac with iCloud sync and an iPhone companion app

   Free plan · from $4.99 one-time

   What is free: The Mac app is free on the Mac App Store, and its listing shows no in-app purchases. The iPhone and iPad companion app, Stickier Mobile, is a paid download.

   • Stickier starts at $4.99 one-time purchase for the iPhone and iPad app. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • Stickier has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • SideNotes also covers Markdown and tasks.
   Stickier vs SideNotesStickier pricing and details
3. 

   Drafts

   Quick-capture notes app for Apple devices with text actions

   Free plan · from $1.99/mo

   What is free: Free to use with unlimited creating, editing and syncing of drafts, and running actions installed with the app or from the Drafts Directory.

   • Drafts starts at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • Drafts has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • SideNotes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
   • Drafts also covers transcription, dictation and workflow automation.
   Drafts vs SideNotesDrafts pricing and details
4. 

   Apple Notes

   Apple's free notes app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web

   Free

   What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

   • Apple Notes is free. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • Apple Notes has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Apple Notes lists a web app.
   • SideNotes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
   Apple Notes vs SideNotesApple Notes pricing and details
5. 

   Noticky

   Sticky notes for Mac that stay on top, even in fullscreen

   Free plan · from $4.99 one-time

   What is free: Only the iPhone and iPad app has a free version: unlimited notes and folders, and 1 wall with up to 8 notes. The Mac app has no free tier.

   • Noticky starts at $4.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $9.99 one-time for Mac. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • Noticky has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Noticky also covers templates and screenshots.
   • SideNotes also covers tasks.
   Noticky vs SideNotesNoticky pricing and details
6. 

   FSNotes

   Open-source Markdown notes app for Mac and iPhone

   Free plan · from $4.99 one-time

   What is free: The source code is free under the MIT license, and each release on GitHub includes a free build of the Mac app. The iPhone and iPad app is sold only through the App Store.

   • FSNotes starts at $4.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $8.99 one-time for Mac. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • FSNotes has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • FSNotes is open source, according to its own site.
   • SideNotes also covers tasks and menu bar app.
   FSNotes pricing and details
7. 

   UpNote

   Cross-platform notes app with a lifetime purchase option

   Free plan · from $1.99/mo

   What is free: Free to use and sync across all your devices, limited to 50 notes with basic features. Attachments, tables, locks and export need Premium.

   • UpNote starts at $1.99 per month, or $39.99 once for lifetime (Premium). SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • UpNote has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only UpNote lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
   • Only UpNote lists a browser extension.
   UpNote pricing and details
8. 

   Amplenote

   Notes, to-do lists and a task calendar in one app

   Free plan · from $7.99/mo

   What is free: Personal plan: free, with sync across unlimited devices and all four modes (Jots, Notes, Tasks and Calendar). External calendar sync and the desktop app need a paid plan.

   • Amplenote starts at $7.99 per month, or $69.99 per year (Pro, US App Store prices). SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • Amplenote has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Amplenote lists a web app.
   • Only Amplenote lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
   Amplenote pricing and details
9. 

   Dynalist

   Outlining app for nested lists, notes and tasks

   Free plan · from $7.99/mo

   What is free: Unlimited items and documents, internal links, Markdown, dates, tags, checklists, sharing and collaboration, export and import, and 5 bookmarks.

   • Dynalist starts at $7.99 per month, billed annually ($95.88 per year). SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
   • Dynalist has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
   • Only Dynalist lists a web app.
   • Only Dynalist lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
   Dynalist pricing and details
10. 

    Curio

    Freeform Mac notebook with mind maps, lists and Kanban

    Free plan · from $5/mo

    What is free: Free mode after the 2-week trial: Standard features with projects limited to 5 idea spaces. Larger projects open read-only for viewing, exporting and printing.

    • Curio starts at $5 per month, billed yearly ($60), or $99.99 one-time license. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
    • Curio has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only SideNotes lists an iOS app.
    • Curio also covers kanban boards and mind mapping.
    Curio pricing and details
11. 

    Heynote

    Block-based scratchpad for developers on Mac, Windows and Linux

    Free

    What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.

    • Heynote is free. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
    • Heynote has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Heynote lists Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only SideNotes lists an iOS app.
    Heynote pricing and details
12. 

    Octarine

    Local Markdown notes app with daily notes, views and optional AI

    Free plan · from $79 one-time

    What is free: Personal: the WYSIWYG editor, unlimited workspaces, daily and weekly notes, graph view, full-text search, templates, 4 themes and txt export. The vendor says the core features will always be free.

    • Octarine starts at $79 one-time purchase. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
    • Octarine has a free plan. SideNotes does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Octarine lists Windows and Linux apps.
    • Only Octarine lists a browser extension.
    Octarine pricing and details

Common questions

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to SideNotes: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.