Notchkin vs Quick Note
We give Notchkin a 2.2 GPA and Quick Note a 2.8, out of 4.0. Quick Note 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
Quick Note
Menu bar sticky notes that float above other Mac windows
Free trial · from $12.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 2.2GPANotchkinFair | 2.8GPAQuick NoteGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | APro is $12.99 once on the US App Store, and that one purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. Paid plans in this category typically start at $5.99 a month, so it's about two months of somebody else's subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CThere's no free plan to stay on. You can use it free for 30 days with up to 6 notes, which is enough to see if a floating note suits you. Going further needs the Pro purchase, and iCloud sync is Pro only. |
| Features | 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. | BIt does one small thing fully. Notes float above other windows, turn translucent or collapse when they're in the way, and take headings, checklists and links from keyboard shortcuts. Colours, folders and favourites keep them sorted. It's a sticky note, not a notebook, and it doesn't pretend otherwise. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. Click the menu bar icon, or press the shortcut, and you're typing, with nothing to name or save. |
| Platforms and 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. | CMac, iPhone and iPad, synced over iCloud with Pro, plus Apple Shortcuts, AppleScript, a desktop widget and Spotlight. All Apple. It needs macOS 15 or iOS 18 or later, and there's no Windows or Android version. |
| Best for | a scratchpad that drops out of your MacBook's notch | floating sticky notes from the Mac menu bar |
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: Notchkin and Quick Note. How we grade
Where they differ
- Notchkin starts at $4.99 one-time. Quick Note starts at $12.99 one-time.
- Only Quick Note lists an iOS app.
- Quick Note also covers menu bar app.
In commonmacOSOne-time purchaseNotes
At a glance
| Notchkin | Quick Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time | $12.99 one-time |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free to use for 30 days with up to 6 notes |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Danny Stankowski | Kaunteya Suryawanshi |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
