Heynote vs Notchkin
We give Heynote a 3.4 GPA and Notchkin a 2.2, out of 4.0. Heynote grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Notchkin
Local notes panel that drops down from the MacBook notch
From $4.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAHeynoteVery good | 2.2GPANotchkinFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree. Every build on the site is a direct download with no price, no account and no licence key, and there's no paid edition waiting behind it. | A$4.99 once on the US Mac App Store, with no subscription and no account. Paid plans in this category typically start at $5.99 a month, so this costs less than one month of a typical one. Family Sharing covers up to six people. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free on Mac, Windows and Linux. Nothing is locked, because there's nothing to upgrade to. | FNothing is free. The Mac App Store listing shows a paid download with no free version and no trial. If you regret it, refunds go through Apple or Setapp. |
| Features | BIt's a scratchpad and it does that job fully: blocks with syntax highlighting for more than 30 languages, auto-formatting for JSON and friends, math blocks that convert units and currencies, tabs, search across buffers and images you can draw on. It has no sync of its own. | BIt's a scratchpad and it does that job fully: rich text, checklists, hashtags in place of folders, search, pins, a shortcut to start a note from any app and another to paste the clipboard as one. The gaps are no sync, and daily backups that sit on the same Mac as the notes. |
| Ease of use | BDownload it and start typing in the Scratch buffer. No account. One wrinkle on Windows: the build isn't code-signed, so you may get a warning when installing. No App Store rating is on record, so a B is as high as we go. | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. There's no account and nothing to set up. Hover over the notch and start typing. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows and Linux, as Universal, Arm and Intel builds, an installer and an AppImage or Snap. Desktop only, mind. There's no mobile app, the author says one is out of scope for now, and the listing shows no integrations. | DMac only, on macOS 14 or later. The FAQ says notes can't be shared with an iPhone or iPad. The app makes no network requests at all, so the only way out is exporting or copying the notes folder yourself. |
| Best for | a developer's scratchpad for snippets and sums | a scratchpad that drops out of your MacBook's notch |
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: Heynote and Notchkin. How we grade
Where they differ
- Heynote is free. Notchkin starts at $4.99 one-time.
- Heynote has a free plan. Notchkin does not.
- Only Heynote lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Notchkin can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Heynote also covers Markdown and calculator.
In commonmacOSLocal-firstNotes
At a glance
| Heynote | Notchkin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | $4.99 one-time |
| Free plan | Every build on the site is a direct download with no price, account or license key. There is no paid edition. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Jonatan Heyman | Danny Stankowski |
| Price read from | heynote.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Heynote
- Developers who need a holding place for JSON, logs and code snippets
- Quick calculations and unit conversions next to working notes
- People who want scratch notes kept as plain files on their own disk
Notchkin
- MacBook users who want a scratchpad without another window
- Short notes, checklists and clipboard snippets kept on one Mac
- People who want notes that never leave their machine
Worth knowing
Heynote
- Desktop only: there is no mobile app, and the author says one is out of scope for now.
- No sync of its own. The docs suggest a file-syncing service such as Dropbox and warn that editing one buffer on two machines at once can cause conflicts.
- The Windows build is not code-signed, so Windows may show a warning when installing it.
- The code is under the MIT license with the Commons Clause, which does not allow selling the software.
Notchkin
- It runs on the Mac only and requires macOS 14 or later.
- There is no sync: the FAQ says notes cannot be shared with an iPhone or iPad, only backed up by copying the notes folder yourself.
- The Mac App Store listing shows a paid download with no free version or trial; refunds go through Apple or Setapp.
- The built-in backups live on the same Mac as the notes, so the vendor advises keeping a separate backup.
Key features
Heynote
- Buffers divided into blocks
- A buffer is a persistent stretch of text split into blocks. One keystroke adds a block, and select-all picks the current block first, then the whole buffer.
- A language for each block
- Each block has its own language, detected automatically or set by hand, with syntax highlighting for more than 30 languages and auto-formatting for JSON, JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Markdown.
- Math blocks
- A math block works as a calculator pad with variables, functions and unit and currency conversion. It is built on Math.js expressions.
- Multiple buffers
- Besides the default Scratch buffer you can create any number of buffers, open them in tabs, sort them into directories and search across them. Each one is a .txt file on disk.
- Inline images with markup
- Images pasted or dropped into a buffer appear inline, can be resized and annotated with a freehand drawing tool, and copied back to the clipboard.
- Keyboard control
- Default, Emacs-like or custom key bindings, a command palette, multi-cursor editing and an optional global hotkey that shows or hides the app.
Notchkin
- Panel in the notch
- Hovering over the notch slides a notes panel down. Macs without a notch get a notch-shaped panel at the top of the screen, and every connected monitor has its own.
- Quick Capture and paste as note
- A global shortcut starts a new note from any app, and a second shortcut turns whatever is on the clipboard into a note.
- Rich text and lists
- Notes support bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, highlights and links, along with checklists and bulleted and numbered lists.
- Hashtags, search and pins
- Hashtags and tag filters take the place of folders. Search runs across all notes or inside a single one, and important notes can be pinned to the top.
- Local storage with daily backups
- Notes are saved in a sandboxed folder on the Mac and the app makes no network requests. It snapshots the notes once a day and keeps the last 7 backups.
- Export
- A single note exports as .rtf or .md, and the whole library can be backed up as JSON or as a folder of Markdown files.
Plans
Heynote
Heynote$0
The full app as Mac Universal, Arm and Intel builds, a Windows installer, and an AppImage or Snap for Linux.
Notchkin
Notchkin$4.99
one-time purchase (US Mac App Store)
The full app, with no subscription or account. Family Sharing covers up to six people, and the terms say it is also sold once-off through Setapp.
