Lazy vs Reflect
We give Lazy a 2.6 GPA and Reflect a 2.8, out of 4.0. Lazy grades higher on value for money. Reflect grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lazy
Keyboard-shortcut capture tool for notes and clippings on Mac
Reflect
Open-source daily notes app with backlinks and local Markdown
How we grade them
| 2.6GPALazyGood | 2.8GPAReflectGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BLazy Capture is $6 a month billed yearly, or $8 monthly, which is bang on typical for notes apps here. It includes unlimited notes and file uploads, Kindle highlights and capture to Notion. AI answers need Lazy AI at $12.50, and the terms give no refunds unless the law requires them. | CThe only paid part is the iPhone and iPad app, at $9.99 a month or $99 a year on the US App Store. That's above even the dearer end of this category, where plans start around $8.33. And the AI still runs on your own API key, which your provider bills separately. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day free trial, and the listing doesn't say whether it asks for a card. After that it's $6 or $12.50 a month billed yearly, or nothing. | AThe Mac app is free and open source under the MIT licence, with no subscription and no account. If your notes live on a Mac, you could stay free for good. Want them on your iPhone too? That's when the subscription starts. |
| Features | BIt does capture properly: one shortcut from any app, clipping that isn't stuck in the browser, linked notes, Kindle highlights and a hand-off to Notion. Beyond capture it's lighter. Offline mode is listed for notes only, and AI chat sits on the higher plan. | BA daily note with your Apple Calendar events beside it, wiki links, backlinks, one search over notes and tags, voice notes with transcription, and a Chrome extension for capture. Solid. But there's no sync or encryption of its own, and AI and transcription only work once you connect a provider. |
| Ease of use | BOne shortcut to remember, and it works over whatever app is in front. That's about as low as effort gets. There's no App Store rating on record to go by, so a B is as high as we go. | BWe have no App Store rating on record for Reflect Open, so a B is our ceiling. It opens on today's note with no account to make. The extras are where the setup is: an API key for AI, and iCloud Drive or Git for sync. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, with capture on iOS. The download page offers Apple Silicon and Intel builds only, and no Windows, Linux or Android version is listed. It connects to Notion and Kindle, and that's the list. | CMac, iPhone and iPad, plus a Chrome extension for capture, with Apple Calendar, iCloud Drive and GitHub hooked in. One family of devices. The vendor says Windows and Android versions aren't available and have no release dates. |
| Best for | saving things with one shortcut while you work | daily notes with backlinks, free on a Mac |
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: Lazy and Reflect. How we grade
Where they differ
- Lazy starts at $6 per month, billed yearly. Reflect starts at $9.99 per month, or $99 per year, for the iPhone and iPad app.
- Reflect has a free plan. Lazy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Reflect lists a browser extension.
- Reflect is open source, according to its own site.
- Lazy also covers web clipper and highlights.
- Reflect also covers Markdown and daily notes.
At a glance
| Lazy | Reflect | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6 per month, billed yearly | $9.99 per month, or $99 per year, for the iPhone and iPad app |
| Free plan | None | The Mac app is free and open source, with no subscription or account required. The iPhone and iPad app needs a paid subscription. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Lazy Labs Inc | Reflect App, LLC |
| Price read from | lazy.so | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Lazy
- Mac users who save articles, threads and quotes while they work
- People who want capture and linked notes in one tool
- Readers who want Kindle highlights next to their own notes
Reflect
- Mac users who want free, open-source notes kept as plain Markdown files
- People who work from a daily note and link ideas together
- Users who prefer to bring their own AI provider and API key
Worth knowing
Lazy
- There is no free plan: after a 14-day trial it costs $6 or $12.50 a month billed yearly, and the terms give no refunds unless the law requires them.
- The download page offers Mac builds only (Apple Silicon and Intel); no Windows, Linux or Android version is listed.
- AI answers and chat with the knowledge base need the Lazy AI plan.
- The offline mode is listed for notes only.
Reflect
- Only the Mac app is free; the iPhone and iPad app requires a paid subscription.
- There is no web app, and the vendor says Windows and Android versions are not available and have no release dates.
- AI features need your own API key, and the AI provider bills that usage separately.
- Reflect Open adds no end-to-end encryption of its own; sync and encryption rely on iCloud Drive or Git.
Key features
Lazy
- Capture without switching apps
- One keyboard shortcut saves an idea, link or tweet from whatever app is in front, so taking a note does not mean leaving the work in progress.
- Universal clipper
- Clipping is not limited to the browser: information can be saved from the app you are working in, covering articles, Twitter threads, videos and more.
- Networked note-taking
- Captures and notes live in one space where they can be connected to each other, with unlimited notes and file uploads on both plans.
- Kindle highlights and Notion
- Kindle highlights sync into Lazy, and captures can be sent on to Notion. Both are included in the Lazy Capture plan.
- Lazy AI
- The Lazy AI plan answers questions using your own captures as context and lets you chat with your knowledge base from the desktop.
- Offline mode and iOS capture
- Notes can be written without a connection, and an iOS capture option covers ideas that arrive away from the computer.
Reflect
- Local Markdown notes
- Notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose. There is no account, no telemetry and no Reflect-hosted cloud service.
- Daily notes and calendar
- The app starts on today's note. Apple Calendar events appear beside the daily note and can be turned into meeting notes.
- Wiki links and backlinks
- Double-bracket links connect notes into a graph, backlinks are tracked for each note, and one search covers notes, backlinks and tags.
- Optional AI with your own key
- Add an OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or OpenRouter key to ask questions about your notes, pull out takeaways and fix grammar. Requests go directly to the provider.
- Voice notes and transcription
- Record audio inside the app and transcribe it through the transcription provider you connect.
- Capture and sync
- The Reflect Capture Chrome extension saves links, selected text and screenshots. Notes sync between devices through iCloud Drive or Git.
Plans
Lazy
Lazy Capture$6
per month, billed yearly ($8 billed monthly)
Lazy Capture, networked note-taking, unlimited notes and file uploads, offline mode for notes, Kindle highlights sync, capture to Notion and iOS capture.
Lazy AI$12.50
per month, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly)
Everything in Lazy Capture, plus Lazy AI, context-aware answers from captures, chat with your knowledge base and priority access to new AI features.
Reflect
Mac app$0
Free and open source under the MIT license. No subscription and no account.
Reflect Pro (iPhone and iPad)$9.99
per month, or $99 per year (US App Store)
Subscription for the iPhone and iPad app, bought in the App Store, where prices are set per country.
Ways to pay less
Lazy
- Annual discount
Yearly billing costs less per month
The pricing page labels yearly billing a 25% saving. Lazy Capture drops from $8 to $6 a month, and Lazy AI from $15 to $12.50, about 17%.
Reflect
- Annual discount
About 17% lower price with the yearly subscription
On the US App Store, Reflect Pro is $99 per year versus $9.99 per month, which works out to about 17% less over a year.
- Other savings
One year of the mobile app free for Classic subscribers
Reflect's site says paid Reflect Classic subscribers get one year of the iPhone and iPad app free.
