Noticky vs Tot
We give Noticky a 3.0 GPA and Tot a 2.8, out of 4.0. Noticky grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Noticky
Sticky notes for Mac that stay on top, even in fullscreen
Free plan · from $4.99 one-time
Tot
Seven-note text scratchpad for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Free plan · from $19.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.0GPANotickyVery good | 2.8GPATotGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$9.99 once for the Mac app, with future updates included, and $4.99 once for Pro on iPhone and iPad. Paid plans in this category typically start at $5.99 a month, so both together cost less than three months of one. No subscriptions at all. | BThe unlock is $19.99 once, which is cheap next to a subscription. But you pay it separately on the Mac and on iOS, the Apple Watch app is another $1.99, and the listing only names text dividers and custom smart bullets among the things it buys. |
| Free plan and trial | BOnly the iPhone and iPad app has a free version: unlimited notes and folders, but 1 wall with up to 8 notes. The Mac app has no free tier. The site says trial terms depend on where you buy it, and the terms say all sales are final. | BTot for Mac and Tot Pocket for iPhone and iPad are free to download, with premium features locked. The listing can't say exactly where the free line is drawn, beyond text dividers and custom smart bullets sitting on the paid side. |
| Features | BIt does one thing, sticky notes, and does it fully. Notes float above fullscreen apps, link to a Mac app, dock to a screen edge, lock with Touch ID and stay out of screenshots and screen sharing. Markdown renders as you type. Checklists sync with Apple Reminders. It isn't trying to be your notebook. | BSeven colour-coded dots in one window, each holding up to 100,000 characters of rich or plain text that converts to Markdown. Smart bullets for checklists, iCloud sync, Shortcuts actions, widgets and automatic backups. It does the scratchpad job fully. But seven is the limit, and the vendor says it can't be raised. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. It lives in the menu bar, and Command-Shift-N opens a capture window from any app. Nothing to set up beyond that. | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. There's nothing to organise, because there are only seven places to put anything. On the Mac it opens from the menu bar or with a keyboard shortcut. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, synced through iCloud, with Apple Shortcuts, PopClip and a local MCP server for Claude Desktop or Codex. One family of devices. The Mac app needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later, and there's no Windows, Android or web version. | CMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, synced through iCloud only, with Shortcuts actions on macOS and iOS. No Windows, Android or web version. The Mac unlock needs macOS 14.0 or later. |
| Best for | sticky notes that float over fullscreen Mac apps | a seven-note scratchpad on Apple devices |
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: Noticky and Tot. How we grade
Where they differ
- Noticky starts at $4.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $9.99 one-time for Mac. Tot starts at $19.99 one-time in-app purchase, per platform.
- Noticky also covers templates and screenshots.
In commonFree planmacOSiOSOne-time purchaseNotesMarkdownMenu bar app
At a glance
| Noticky | Tot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $9.99 one-time for Mac | $19.99 one-time in-app purchase, per platform |
| Free plan | Only the iPhone and iPad app has a free version: unlimited notes and folders, and 1 wall with up to 8 notes. The Mac app has no free tier. | The Mac app and the iPhone and iPad app are free to download. Premium features, which the vendor says include text dividers and custom smart bullets, need the paid unlock. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Try Hard | The Iconfactory |
| Price read from | noticky.app | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Noticky
- Keeping a note in view above a fullscreen app on the Mac
- People who share their screen and want private notes left out
- Mac users who want sticky notes tied to the apps they work in
- Buyers who prefer one-time purchases to subscriptions
Tot
- Mac and iPhone users who want a scratchpad for short-lived text
- People who prefer a fixed handful of notes to a growing library
- Shortcuts users who need a place to stash and fetch text
Worth knowing
Noticky
- The Mac app needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later, and there is no Windows, Android or web version.
- The Mac and iPhone apps are sold separately at $9.99 and $4.99, and iCloud sync does not carry a purchase across.
- The Mac app has no free tier; the site says trial terms depend on the purchase channel, and the terms state that all sales are final.
- The free iPhone version is limited to 1 wall with up to 8 notes.
Tot
- The site lists apps for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only; there is no Windows, Android or web version.
- Notes are fixed at seven dots of up to 100,000 characters each, and the vendor says more cannot be added.
- Premium features are bought separately on the Mac and on iOS at $19.99 each, and the Apple Watch app costs another $1.99.
- Sync runs through iCloud only, and automatic backups are unencrypted JSON files; the vendor advises against storing secrets in Tot.
Key features
Noticky
- Always on top, even in fullscreen
- Notes float above every window, including fullscreen apps, and can be placed freely, stacked in a cascade or tiled into a grid.
- App-aware notes, Quick Access, Edge Dock
- A note linked to a Mac app appears when that app is active. Nine keyboard slots bring back specific notes, and a note can dock to a screen edge as a compact tab.
- Hidden from screen sharing
- Selected notes stay visible to the user but are left out of screenshots, recordings and screen sharing. Individual notes can also be locked with Touch ID.
- Quick Add and live Markdown
- Command-Shift-N opens a capture window from any app for text or images. Markdown headings, lists, checkboxes and code blocks render as they are typed.
- Sticky screenshots and image overlays
- A selected screen area or a clipboard image can be pinned as a floating overlay with adjustable opacity, a position lock and click-through.
- Reminders, Shortcuts and MCP
- Checklist items can sync with Apple Reminders, Apple Shortcuts can create and open notes, and a local MCP server lets Claude Desktop or Codex search and edit them.
Tot
- Seven dots
- All text lives in seven color-coded dots in one window. The vendor says the limit is deliberate and cannot be raised; each dot holds up to 100,000 characters.
- iCloud sync and Apple Watch app
- Dots sync between Mac, iPhone and iPad through iCloud. Tot Mini, a separate $1.99 Apple Watch app, joins the same sync and takes dictation and Scribble input.
- Rich text, plain text and Markdown
- A dot can hold rich or plain text, and rich text can be turned into Markdown for use on the web. Word and character counts update as you type.
- Smart bullets and dividers
- Smart bullets make checklists whose items toggle with a tap. Version 2 added up to eight custom bullet pairs and eight divider styles.
- Menu bar and floating window
- On the Mac, Tot opens from the menu bar, the Dock or both, can float above other windows, and can be shown with a keyboard shortcut.
- Shortcuts, widgets and backups
- Shortcuts actions on macOS and iOS store and retrieve the text of a dot, iOS has Home Screen widgets, and both platforms keep automatic local backups.
Plans
Noticky
Noticky for iOS (Free)$0
The iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app with unlimited notes and folders, 1 wall of up to 8 notes, and the Blank Wall and Eisenhower Matrix templates.
Noticky Pro for iOS$4.99
one-time purchase
Unlimited walls with up to 64 notes each, every Pro template, Go Live, Lock Screen Wallpaper and premium appearance options.
Noticky for Mac$9.99
one-time purchase
The Mac app with every feature and future updates. Sold on the Mac App Store, by direct download, or as a standalone purchase on Setapp.
Tot
Free download$0
Tot for Mac and Tot Pocket for iPhone and iPad are free on the App Store, with premium features locked until purchased.
Tot for macOS$19.99
one-time in-app purchase (US Mac App Store)
Unlocks the premium features on the Mac, such as text dividers and custom smart bullets. Requires macOS 14.0 or later.
Tot for iOS and iPadOS$19.99
one-time in-app purchase (US App Store)
Unlocks the premium features in Tot Pocket on iPhone and iPad. People who paid for Tot 1.0 on iOS get version 2 by restoring the purchase.
