Notchkin vs SideNotes
We give Notchkin a 2.2 GPA and SideNotes a 3.0, out of 4.0. SideNotes grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money 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
SideNotes
Screen-edge notes panel for Mac, with a separate iPhone app
Free trial · from $9.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 2.2GPANotchkinFair | 3.0GPASideNotesVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | A$19.99 once for the Mac app, for 1 user on up to 5 Macs. That's about what three or four months of a typical note subscription costs. The iPhone and iPad app is another $9.99, and SideNotes 2 will be a paid upgrade, discounted for owners. |
| 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. | CNo free version. There's a free trial download of the Mac app, but the site doesn't say how long it lasts. Once you've bought, there's a 14-day money-back guarantee. |
| 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. | AIt does one thing, notes at the screen edge, and does it fully. Markdown with the markup hidden, checklists, images, snippets and shortcuts to files, all in colour-coded folders. Then iCloud sync, automatic backups, Shortcuts actions and an AppleScript API on top. |
| 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. | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. You open it with a click, a keyboard shortcut or by moving the cursor to the edge. A formatting toolbar appears when you select text. |
| 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 through iCloud, with hooks into Alfred, Raycast, PopClip, Hookmark and Dropzone. All Apple, though. The Mac app needs macOS 13 or later, and the mobile one needs iOS or iPadOS 17. |
| Best for | a scratchpad that drops out of your MacBook's notch | notes that slide out from the edge of your Mac screen |
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 SideNotes. How we grade
Where they differ
- Notchkin starts at $4.99 one-time. SideNotes starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac.
- Only SideNotes lists an iOS app.
- SideNotes also covers Markdown, tasks and menu bar app.
In commonmacOSOne-time purchaseNotes
At a glance
| Notchkin | SideNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time | $9.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $19.99 one-time for Mac |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial download of the Mac app; the site does not state its length |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Danny Stankowski | Apptorium |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apptorium.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
SideNotes
- Mac users who want notes at hand without switching apps
- Keeping snippets, links and screenshots beside the work in progress
- People who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
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.
SideNotes
- Apple platforms only: the Mac app needs macOS 13 or later, and SideNotes Mobile needs iOS or iPadOS 17.
- SideNotes Mobile is a separate $9.99 purchase and lacks the Mac app's file shortcuts and backups.
- The payment covers version 1.x. The vendor says SideNotes 2 will be a paid upgrade, discounted for owners and free for those who bought in the prior 6 months.
- A free trial is offered, but the site does not say how long it lasts.
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.
SideNotes
- Screen-edge panel
- The panel sits on the left or right edge of the screen and shows above other apps, including full-screen ones. It opens with a click, a keyboard shortcut or by moving the cursor to the edge.
- Folders, colors and pinning
- Notes are grouped into folders, can be given colors, reordered by drag and drop, pinned to the top of the list and folded to save space.
- Markdown with hidden markup
- Notes are formatted with Markdown, and the markup can stay out of sight while writing. A formatting toolbar appears when text is selected.
- Tasks, images and file shortcuts
- A note can hold checklists, pictures, text snippets, or a shortcut to a file or folder. Color codes typed as #rrggbb get a preview.
- iCloud sync and backups
- Notes sync through iCloud across Mac, iPhone and iPad. The Mac app also backs notes up automatically to a local folder, or to iCloud.
- Automation
- Shortcuts actions, an AppleScript API and URL links to notes and folders let other apps create, find and open notes. The site lists Alfred, Raycast, PopClip, Hookmark and Dropzone.
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.
SideNotes
SideNotes Mobile$9.99
one-time purchase (US App Store)
The iPhone and iPad app, sold separately from the Mac app. It syncs through iCloud but has no file shortcuts or backups.
SideNotes$19.99
one-time purchase per major version
The Mac app: a license for 1 user on up to 5 Macs, free updates within version 1.x and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Ways to pay less
Notchkin
No public discounts listed.
SideNotes
- Education
Student discount through Student App Centre
Apptorium's buy page says a student discount on SideNotes is available through Student App Centre. The page does not give the size of the discount.
