FUTO Notes vs Octarine
We give FUTO Notes a 3.2 GPA and Octarine a 3.4, out of 4.0. FUTO Notes grades higher on value for money. Octarine grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Octarine
Local Markdown notes app with daily notes, views and optional AI
Free plan · from $79 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAFUTO NotesVery good | 3.4GPAOctarineVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree. The FAQ says version 1.8.0 has no paid tier, no licence key and no in-app purchase. The only cost that could turn up is whatever you run the sync server on. | BPro is $79 once, on 3 devices at a time, with every later Pro feature included. That's about 13 months of a typical $5.99 a month plan here, so just past our line for an A. The docs say the price goes up as Pro features are added, and the AI still needs your own API key. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature is free on iOS, Android, Linux, macOS and Windows, and you don't need an account. The sync server is free to host yourself as well. There's nothing to upgrade to. | APersonal is free: the WYSIWYG editor, unlimited workspaces, daily and weekly notes, graph view, full-text search, templates and Mermaid diagrams. The vendor says the core features will always be free. Most people could stay here. You also get 7 days of Pro with the download. |
| Features | BMarkdown styled as you type, wikilinks, tables, checklists, search on the device and sync encrypted with AES-256-GCM, file names included. It even opens an Obsidian vault where it sits. But sync carries notes and images only, so PDFs stay put, and the builds are labelled beta. | AWikilinks to a note or a single heading, backlinks, a graph, and a Daily Desk that moves yesterday's unfinished tasks into today. A Spotlight-style capture window drops thoughts into an Inbox. Pro adds properties, table and kanban views, note sharing and a chat over your notes. |
| Ease of use | CThe app itself is install and type, with no sign-up. Getting notes from one device to another is the hard bit: you run a sync server yourself, set up with Docker, and look after its backups. No App Store rating is on record either. | BNo store rating to go on, so a B is our ceiling. It's a normal install, you edit the formatted page directly, and the main features are there without adding plugins. Sync is yours to arrange, through a file-sync service or the built-in Git sync. |
| Platforms and integrations | BNative iPhone and Android apps and a desktop app for Linux, macOS and Windows, so every device is covered. There's no web version, and the listing shows no integrations. English and Simplified Chinese are the only languages. | BMac, Windows and Linux, a browser clipper, and Git sync to GitHub or GitLab. On phones there's only an iOS beta on TestFlight for eligible Pro users, and no Android app is listed. So it's a desktop app for now. |
| Best for | free Markdown notes with sync you host yourself | Markdown notes on a desktop with the extras built in |
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: FUTO Notes and Octarine. How we grade
Where they differ
- FUTO Notes is free. Octarine starts at $79 one-time purchase.
- Only FUTO Notes lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Octarine lists a browser extension.
- FUTO Notes is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Octarine can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Octarine also covers linked notes and daily notes.
In commonFree planmacOSWindowsLinuxLocal-firstNotesMarkdown
At a glance
| FUTO Notes | Octarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $79 one-time purchase |
| Free plan | Every feature is free. The FAQ says version 1.8.0 has no paid tier, no license key and no in-app purchase, and no account is needed. | 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. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day trial of Pro features included with the download |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | FUTO | Rajat Kulkarni |
| Price read from | notes.futo.tech | octarine.app |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
FUTO Notes
- People who want Markdown notes as plain files on every device
- Self-hosters comfortable running a small sync server
- Obsidian users who want another app for an existing vault
Octarine
- Writers who want Markdown notes kept as local files
- People who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
- Those who want linking, daily notes and views built in, not added as plugins
Worth knowing
FUTO Notes
- Syncing between devices needs a server you run yourself; FUTO does not offer a hosted sync service today.
- Sync carries Markdown notes and images only. PDFs and other files stay on the device they are on.
- The source is public, but the licenses are not OSI-approved: modifying and redistributing the code is limited to non-commercial use.
- The download page labels the builds a beta release, and the app is available in English and Simplified Chinese only.
Octarine
- Properties, filtered views, note types, focus mode, note sharing and every AI feature need the $79 Pro license.
- There is no public phone app: an iOS beta runs on TestFlight for eligible Pro users, and no Android app is listed.
- AI features need your own API key or a local model, and syncing relies on a file-sync service or the built-in Git sync.
- Pricing is early-access: the docs say the price goes up as Pro features are added, while earlier buyers keep all future Pro features.
Key features
FUTO Notes
- Plain Markdown files
- Each note is one .md file named after its title, and each folder in the app is a real folder on disk. There is no database, so any text editor can open the notes.
- Markdown styled as you type
- Headings, bold text, checklists, tables, wikilinks and fenced code are formatted while you write, with the syntax fading out of view.
- Apps for five platforms
- Native iOS and Android apps use the same editor as the desktop app, which is built on Tauri for Linux, macOS and Windows. Search runs on the device.
- End-to-end encrypted sync
- Notes and images are encrypted on the device with AES-256-GCM before upload, along with file names and folder paths. The server stores only ciphertext.
- Self-hosted sync server
- Sync goes through a server you run yourself, installed with one command using Docker. The docs cover reverse proxies, backups and storage growth.
- Works with an Obsidian vault
- On desktop the app opens an Obsidian vault folder where it is. Notes, folders, wikilinks, tags, checklists and tables carry over; embeds, aliases and plugins do not.
Octarine
- Markdown files you keep
- Notes are plain Markdown files in a workspace folder you pick, and core note-taking works offline. Files sync through any file-sync service or the built-in Git sync to GitHub or GitLab.
- Daily Desk
- Daily and weekly notes are part of the free plan, and unfinished tasks from yesterday's note can be moved into today's without copying.
- Links, backlinks and graph
- Wikilinks can point at a note or a single heading and carry an alias. Backlinks and mentions are listed in their own sheet, and a graph view maps the workspace.
- Properties and Views
- On Pro, Note Types start new notes with a set of properties, and Views filter, sort and group notes by any property in a table or kanban layout.
- Quick Capture and Inbox
- A Spotlight-style window opens over any app to take down a thought, which lands in an Inbox to be sorted into notes later.
- Ask Octarine and Writing Assistant
- On Pro, a chat over your notes can create, update and move notes, and an assistant rewrites text inline. Both need your own API key or a local LLM.
Plans
FUTO Notes
FUTO Notes$0
The full app on iOS, Android, Linux, macOS and Windows, plus the sync server to host yourself.
Octarine
Personal$0
WYSIWYG editor, unlimited workspaces, daily and weekly notes, graph view, full-text search, templates, Mermaid diagrams, 4 themes and txt export.
Pro$79
one-time purchase
Adds properties, filtered views, note types, focus mode, note sharing, AI tools, 30+ themes and PDF, HTML and DOCX export. One key works on 3 devices at a time.
