SideNotes vs Tot

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tot

No public discounts listed.