FSNotes vs Notable (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FSNotes and Notable share a 3.0 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about features, where FSNotes grades higher, or the free plan, where Notable does.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FSNotes
Open-source Markdown notes app for Mac and iPhone
Free plan · from $4.99 one-time
Notable
Desktop Markdown notes app that stores notes as plain files on disk
Free
Which one is for you
Pick FSNotes if
- Fits if you want your notes as plain Markdown files you can open in anything
- Works for keyboard users who liked Notational Velocity
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as it runs on Apple platforms only
- Not for you if you sync with Dropbox, WebDAV or Google Drive, since the iOS app only does iCloud Drive
- Too light for iPad-first people, because the iPad build has no full keyboard shortcuts or multiple windows
- Watch out: the Mac and iPhone apps are separate purchases, and the free GitHub build misses App Store automatic updates
- Tight if you're on iPhone and paying nothing, as the iOS app is $4.99 with no free route
Pick Notable if
- Fits if you want your notes as plain Markdown files you can open in other editors
- Works for people who sync a notes folder through Dropbox or Git themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need your notes on a phone, as there is no mobile app yet
- Not for you if you want sync built in: today it means Dropbox or Git over the folder
- Watch out: the site says the mobile and web versions, when they come, will need a paid subscription
- Too light for a team, since nothing in the pages read covers sharing
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFSNotesVery good | 3.0GPANotableVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$8.99 once for the Mac app and $4.99 once for iPhone and iPad, with no subscription anywhere. The two together cost less than two months of this category's $6 middle. They are separate purchases, mind. | AThe desktop app costs nothing, and the pages we read list no paid plan. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe code is MIT and every GitHub release carries a free build of the whole Mac app, which Homebrew will install for you, so one person could live on it for nothing. You lose App Store automatic updates, and the iPhone app has no free route at all. | AFree outright, with no cap on notes. Cloud sync and encryption are described as opt-in extras to come. |
| Features | BMarkdown files any editor can open, instant search built for more than 10,000 of them, double-bracket links, tags, AES-256 on single notes or whole folders, optional Git history and backups, Mermaid and MathJax. The personal notes job, covered. | CMarkdown editor, nestable tags, note links, split editor and zen mode. The listing's own gaps: built-in sync, version control and plugins are all marked as coming. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, so we go by the listing: no account to make, point it at a folder and type. It's built around Notational Velocity-style shortcuts, which are quick once your fingers know them. | BNo store rating on record. It installs like any desktop app and opens onto a Markdown editor. |
| Platforms and integrations | COne family of devices: Mac and iPhone, synced through iCloud Drive, with Git if you want it. No Windows, Android or web version, no Dropbox or Google Drive sync on iOS, and the iPad build has no full keyboard shortcuts or multiple windows. | CWindows, macOS and Linux only. The mobile apps and web app are listed as work in progress and will need a subscription. |
| Best for | Markdown notes as plain files on a Mac | Markdown notes kept as plain files on your computer |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: FSNotes and Notable. How we grade
Where they differ
- FSNotes is open source, according to its own site.
- FSNotes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
In commonFree planmacOSLocal-firstKeyboard-firstNotesMarkdown
At a glance
| FSNotes | Notable | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $8.99 one-time for Mac | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | The desktop app is free to use, with cloud sync and end-to-end encryption listed as opt-in features. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Oleksandr Hlushchenko | Notable |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | notable.app |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FSNotes
- It runs on Apple platforms only, and the Mac and iPhone apps are separate purchases on the App Store.
- The iOS app syncs through iCloud Drive only; Dropbox, WebDAV and Google Drive sync are not available.
- The iPad build lacks dedicated iPad features such as full keyboard shortcuts and multiple windows; development focuses on macOS and iPhone.
- The free Mac build comes from GitHub releases or Homebrew; the site names the App Store apps as the official stable releases with automatic updates.
Notable
- Desktop only: the site lists mobile apps and a web app as work in progress that will need a paid subscription.
- Built-in sync, version control and plugins are marked as future features on the site.
- Sync today means using a third-party service such as Dropbox or Git over the notes folder.
Key features
FSNotes
- Plain Markdown files
- Notes are GitHub Flavored Markdown or plain text files in folders you choose, readable in any other editor. Images and attachments can sit in TextBundle containers.
- Keyboard-centric and fast
- Notational Velocity-inspired controls and shortcuts, instant search and a two-pane view, built to stay smooth with more than 10,000 files.
- iCloud Drive sync
- The same folders and notes, including pinned notes, stay available on a Mac and an iPhone through iCloud Drive.
- Git versioning and backups
- Optional Git integration makes scheduled commits, shows note history and can push to or pull from a remote repository.
- Encrypted notes and folders
- Individual notes or whole folders can be protected with AES-256 encryption and unlocked with Touch ID.
- Links, tags and rich Markdown
- Cross-note links in double brackets, tags, syntax highlighting for more than 30 programming languages, and Mermaid and MathJax rendering.
Notable
- Markdown editor
- Notes are written in Markdown with KaTeX math and Mermaid diagrams, in an editor with multi-cursors and a minimap.
- Notes stored as files
- Notes and attachments sit on your disk as ordinary files, so Dropbox, Git or a third-party editor can work with them.
- Nestable tags and links
- Tags can be nested without limit, and notes can link to other notes and to attachments.
- Split editor and zen mode
- A split view shows the rendered note while you edit, and zen mode hides everything but the text.
- Import and export
- Import notes from Evernote or Boostnote, and export to Markdown, HTML or PDF.
Plans
FSNotes
GitHub release$0
A zip of the Mac app posted with each release on GitHub, also installable through Homebrew. The site points to the App Store for automatic updates.
FSNotes for iOS$4.99
one-time purchase (US App Store)
The iPhone and iPad app, with iCloud Drive sync, encrypted notes and folders, tags and Git integration. Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
FSNotes for Mac$8.99
one-time purchase (US Mac App Store)
The Mac app, updated automatically through the Mac App Store. Requires macOS 12.4 or later.
Notable
Desktop app$0
Free desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux; notes are stored as files on your disk.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FSNotes or Notable?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FSNotes starts at $4.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $8.99 one-time for Mac, and Notable is free.
Which has a free plan, FSNotes or Notable?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both FSNotes and Notable have a free plan.
Which platforms do FSNotes and Notable run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only FSNotes lists an iOS app and only Notable lists Windows and Linux apps. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.