Antinote vs Quick Note
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Antinote
Mac scratchpad for temporary notes, quick math and checklists
Free trial · from $5 one-time
Quick Note
Menu bar sticky notes that float above other Mac windows
Free trial · from $12.99 one-time
Where they differ
- Antinote starts at $5 one-time purchase. Quick Note starts at $12.99 one-time.
- Only Quick Note lists an iOS app.
- Antinote also covers Pomodoro timer and calculator.
In commonmacOSOne-time purchaseKeyboard-firstNotesMenu bar app
At a glance
| Antinote | Quick Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5 one-time purchase | $12.99 one-time |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial download with no account needed; the site does not state its length | Free to use for 30 days with up to 6 notes |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Cmd-N Studios Inc. | Kaunteya Suryawanshi |
| Price read from | antinote.io | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Antinote
- Mac users who want a throwaway pad beside their main notes app
- Quick sums, conversions and what-if calculations written in words
- Keyboard-driven users of Raycast or Alfred
Quick Note
- Mac users who want a note visible on top of the window they work in
- Short-lived reminders, phone numbers and checklists
- People who format text from the keyboard
Worth knowing
Antinote
- It runs on macOS 14 or later only. The vendor plans no Windows or Linux version; an iOS app is in development with an October 2026 release date.
- Notes are plain text with no fonts, colors or styles, and the vendor says very long notes get laggy.
- There are no folders or tags: it is built for short-lived notes that get exported elsewhere when worth keeping.
- iCloud sync, added in version 2.0, is optional and off until switched on; notes otherwise stay in a local SQLite database.
Quick Note
- The free version stops at 6 notes and 30 days of use; going further needs the one-time Pro purchase.
- iCloud sync is part of Pro only.
- There is no Windows or Android version. The docs FAQ still calls the app Mac only, while the App Store lists an iPhone and iPad version.
- The App Store listing requires macOS 15 or later on the Mac and iOS 18 or later on iPhone and iPad.
Key features
Antinote
- Swipe-through temporary notes
- A two-finger swipe moves between notes, and swiping past the newest one starts another. Notes can delete themselves, and there are no folders or tags to manage.
- Plain text with paste cleanup
- Notes are plain text with simple Markdown. Pasting strips formatting, bullets and indentation, pasted links are shortened, and a dropped image becomes text through macOS OCR.
- Inline math and conversions
- With math on the first line, calculations are worked out as you type beside your own wording. Named variables recalculate, and currencies, crypto, distances and weights convert inline.
- Checklists, timers and AutoPaste
- Other first-line keywords change what a note does: list makes a checklist, timer runs a stopwatch, countdown or pomodoro, and paste collects everything copied afterwards.
- Global hotkey and display modes
- Option-A brings the app up from inside any other app. It can live in the Dock, the menu bar or a dropdown, show over full-screen apps and be pinned on top.
- Export and automation
- A note can be sent to Apple Notes, Obsidian or Bear, or exported as txt, Markdown or PDF. URL schemes, Shortcuts, Raycast, Alfred and JavaScript extensions can drive the app.
Quick Note
- New note from the menu bar
- A click on the menu bar icon or a global keyboard shortcut opens a new note straight away, with nothing to name or save.
- Floating notes
- Notes stay on top of other apps' windows. A note can be made translucent when it is in the way, or collapsed to save space and expanded again.
- Rich text on keyboard shortcuts
- Headings, bold, italics, strikethrough, highlight, named links and bulleted, numbered and checklist lists are all applied with keyboard shortcuts.
- Colors, folders and favorites
- Each note can have its own color, related notes can be grouped in folders, and favorite notes are pinned to the top of the menu.
- iCloud sync
- With Pro, notes and folders are backed up to the user's iCloud account and kept in sync across Macs and with the iPhone and iPad app.
- macOS automation
- Notes can be created from a desktop widget, the Services menu, Apple Shortcuts, AppleScript or Terminal, and found through Spotlight search.
Plans
Antinote
Antinote$5
one-time purchase
A license for the Mac app with lifetime updates and no subscription. Requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.
Quick Note
Quick Note Pro$12.99
one-time purchase (US App Store)
Removes the 6-note and 30-day limits of the free version and adds iCloud sync. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Ways to pay less
Antinote
- Other savings
Free license for charity donors and volunteers
The FAQ says that describing a donation you made or volunteer work you did in the #charity-offer channel on the Antinote Discord earns a free lifetime license.
Quick Note
No public discounts listed.
