Stickier vs Stickies
We give Stickier and Stickies the same GPA: 3.2 out of 4.0. Stickier grades higher on platforms. Stickies grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Stickier
Sticky notes for Mac with iCloud sync and an iPhone companion app
Free plan · from $4.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAStickierVery good | 3.2GPAStickiesVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe Mac app is free, with no in-app purchases listed. Stickier Mobile for iPhone and iPad is $4.99 once on the US App Store, and it supports Family Sharing. That's less than a month of a typical note subscription. | AFreeware for home and office, on as many computers as you like. No registered-only features, no time delays and no nag screens. Donations go through PayPal if you feel like it. |
| Free plan and trial | AOn a Mac the whole app is free: note windows, iCloud sync, revisions and the quick note shortcut. If your notes only need to live on your Mac, you never pay. It's the phone app that costs. | AThe full program is free on Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11, and so are the add-on tools and translations on the same site. There's no paid version to be nudged towards. |
| Features | BEach note is its own window that can collapse, stay on top or snap to a grid. Notes take bold, italics, links, bullets and checkboxes, and a revisions button brings back earlier text. Solid for sticky notes, which is the whole job here. No reminders or attachments are on record, though. | AIt only does sticky notes, but it does them fully. Notes hold text or images, sleep until a date or wake every day, week or month, and can be attached to an app, website, document or folder. They can be sent to other PCs over a network or by email. There's a documented API and Group Policy control too. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. A global shortcut key starts a quick note, and notes save automatically. | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It doesn't write to the registry and keeps everything in a single SQLite file. One snag from its own download page: several antivirus products flag the program and installer, which the author calls a false positive. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, iPhone and iPad, synced through iCloud, and that's the lot. No Windows, Android or web version, and no other sync service is named. The Mac app needs macOS 13.1 or later, and the mobile one iOS or iPadOS 16.4. | DWindows only. The download page lists Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 and no other platform, so there's no Mac, phone or web version. The API is for other Windows applications. |
| Best for | free sticky notes on a Mac that sync through iCloud | yellow sticky notes on a Windows desktop |
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: Stickier and Stickies. How we grade
Where they differ
- Stickier starts at $4.99 one-time purchase for the iPhone and iPad app. Stickies is free.
- Only Stickier lists macOS and iOS apps.
- Only Stickies lists a Windows app.
- Stickier can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Stickier also covers menu bar app.
In commonFree planNotes
At a glance
| Stickier | Stickies | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time purchase for the iPhone and iPad app | Free |
| Free plan | The Mac app is free on the Mac App Store, and its listing shows no in-app purchases. The iPhone and iPad companion app, Stickier Mobile, is a paid download. | Freeware for home and office use on any number of computers, with no registered-only features, time delays or nag screens. Donations are accepted through PayPal. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Camazotz LLC | Zhorn Software |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | zhornsoftware.co.uk |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Stickier
- Mac users who want floating sticky notes that sync through iCloud
- Keeping a short checklist on top of other windows
- Showing a note in an iPhone Home Screen or Lock Screen widget
Stickies
- Windows users who want plain notes that stay on screen
- Offices that pass notes between PCs on a local network
- Administrators who manage desktop settings through Group Policy
Worth knowing
Stickier
- It runs on Apple devices only: the site lists a macOS app and an iOS app, with no Windows, Android or web version.
- The Mac app is free, but the iPhone and iPad app is a separate $4.99 purchase on the US App Store.
- Sync runs through iCloud; the site and the store listings name no other sync service.
- The Mac app requires macOS 13.1 or later, and Stickier Mobile requires iOS or iPadOS 16.4 or later.
Stickies
- Windows only: the download page lists Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 and no other platform.
- Notes live in one SQLite file on the PC; sharing between machines is done by sending notes over a network, SMTP or MAPI.
- The download page says several antivirus products flag the program and installer as malware, which the author calls a false positive.
- It is freeware, not open source: the author keeps the copyright and source code, and the license forbids modifying the program.
Key features
Stickier
- Sticky note windows
- On the Mac each note opens in its own window, which can be collapsed, kept always on top of other windows, and lined up with a snap-to-grid option.
- iCloud sync
- Notes save automatically and sync through iCloud between Macs, iPhones and iPads. Custom note colors sync across devices as well.
- Note revisions
- A revisions button on the note toolbar shows recent revisions of a note, and a Restore button replaces the current text with an earlier revision.
- Formatting, bullets and checkboxes
- Notes take bold, italic, underlined and struck-through text and web links. Bullets and checkboxes repeat on the next line and can be indented.
- Menu bar and quick note shortcut
- The Mac app offers optional menu bar access and a global shortcut key for quick notes. A second shortcut can show the notes list window.
- Widgets on iPhone and iPad
- Stickier Mobile shows notes in Home Screen, Today View and Lock Screen widgets, and the widget text size can be changed in Settings.
Stickies
- Notes that stay put
- A note remains where it is placed until it is closed, including through reboots, and notes snap to each other and to the screen edges.
- Sleeping notes and alarms
- A note can be hidden for a period, until a date and time, or to wake every day, week or month, and alarms make sure it is noticed.
- Notes attached to apps and documents
- A note can be attached to an application, website, document or folder so that it only shows while that item is on screen.
- Sending notes to other PCs
- Notes transfer between machines over a TCP/IP network connection, an SMTP mail server or a MAPI client, using a hierarchical friends list.
- Styles and skins
- Fonts, colors and buttons can be changed and saved as styles, notes can be resized, and the site has a section of downloadable skins.
- API and Group Policy
- A documented API lets other Windows applications send commands to Stickies, and Active Directory administrators can control settings with Group Policy.
Plans
Stickier
Stickier$0
The Mac app, free on the Mac App Store with no in-app purchases listed. Requires macOS 13.1 or later.
Stickier Mobile$4.99
one-time purchase (US App Store)
The iPhone and iPad companion app, with Home Screen, Today View and Lock Screen widgets. Supports Family Sharing; requires iOS 16.4 or later.
Stickies
Stickies$0
The full program for Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11, with free add-on tools and translations on the same site.
