The Reflect Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Reflect in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Reflect
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source daily notes app with backlinks and local Markdown
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among note-taking apps, read from Reflect’s own pages.
Made by Reflect App, LLC · checked Oct 4, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Reflect’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Reflect’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 4, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 12 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade
Reflect is a note-taking app built around daily notes, wiki-style links and backlinks. Since July 2026 its current version, Reflect Open, is an open-source app that keeps notes as plain Markdown files in a folder you choose, with optional AI through your own API key. The Mac app is free, the iPhone and iPad app needs a subscription, and the earlier cloud app continues as Reflect Classic.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Reflect, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The extras are where the fiddling is, with an API key for AI and iCloud Drive or Git for sync.
- 1
Best for daily notes with backlinks, free on a Mac
Reflect Open is an open-source daily-notes app, free on the Mac, that links notes with double brackets and keeps them as Markdown files in your own folder.
- 2
Paid plans start at $8.25 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $9.99 per month, or $99 per year, for the iPhone and iPad app.
- 3
There is a free plan
The Mac app is free and open source, with no subscription or account required. The iPhone and iPad app needs a paid subscription.
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
macOS and iOS, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Local Markdown notes
Notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose. There is no account, no telemetry and no Reflect-hosted cloud service.
- 6
Daily notes and calendar
The app starts on today's note. Apple Calendar events appear beside the daily note and can be turned into meeting notes.
- 7
Wiki links and backlinks
Double-bracket links connect notes into a graph, backlinks are tracked for each note, and one search covers notes, backlinks and tags.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 12 of 147
That is against the other note-taking apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Reflect you could make: notes, Markdown, linked notes and daily notes. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Reflect at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $9.99 per month, or $99 per year, for the iPhone and iPad app
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, iOS, Browser extension
- Made by
- Reflect App, LLC
- Category
- Note-Taking Apps
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for daily notes with backlinks, free on a Mac
Reflect Open is an open-source daily-notes app, free on the Mac, that links notes with double brackets and keeps them as Markdown files in your own folder. The iPhone and iPad app costs $9.99 a month or $99 a year, there's no Windows, Android or web version, sync and encryption are left to iCloud Drive or Git, and AI needs your own API key billed by the AI provider.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | The only paid part is the iPhone and iPad app, at $9.99 a month or $99 a year on the US App Store. The dearest tenth of this category starts at $9.99, so the monthly price sits right in it, and even the yearly works out at $8.25 a month. That's a lot for mobile access to an app that's free on the Mac. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The Mac app is free and open source under the MIT licence, with no subscription and no account, so a Mac user could live on it for good. Not an A, because the moment you want the same notes on your iPhone the subscription starts. |
| Features | C | A daily note with your Apple Calendar events beside it, wiki links, backlinks, one search over notes and tags, voice notes with transcription, a Chrome clipper. But the listing names the gaps: no sync and no encryption of its own, both left to iCloud Drive or Git, and AI needs a key you bring. |
| Ease of use | B | No store rating on record for Reflect Open, so we go by the listing: it opens on today's note with no account to make and nothing to configure first. The extras are where the fiddling is, with an API key for AI and iCloud Drive or Git for sync. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | One family of devices: Mac, iPhone and iPad, plus a Chrome capture extension, with Apple Calendar, iCloud Drive and GitHub hooked in. The vendor says Windows and Android versions aren't available and have no release dates, and there's no web app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Reflect is for
- Fits if you work on a Mac and want free daily notes kept as plain Markdown files
- Works for people who already pay an AI provider and will bring their own key
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you want it on your iPhone, at $9.99 a month or $99 a year for the mobile app
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as neither is available, neither has a release date and there's no web app
- Not for you if you want sync or end-to-end encryption built in, because both are left to iCloud Drive or Git
- Watch out: AI features need your own API key, and the AI provider bills that usage separately
Good to know
Good for
- Mac users who want free, open-source notes kept as plain Markdown files
- People who work from a daily note and link ideas together
- Users who prefer to bring their own AI provider and API key
Worth knowing
- Only the Mac app is free; the iPhone and iPad app requires a paid subscription.
- There is no web app, and the vendor says Windows and Android versions are not available and have no release dates.
- AI features need your own API key, and the AI provider bills that usage separately.
- Reflect Open adds no end-to-end encryption of its own; sync and encryption rely on iCloud Drive or Git.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$8.25
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Reflect has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month, or $99 per year, for the iPhone and iPad app.
That's a lot for mobile access to an app that's free on the Mac.
Mac app
$0
Free and open source under the MIT license. No subscription and no account.
Reflect Pro (iPhone and iPad)
$9.99
per month, or $99 per year (US App Store)
Subscription for the iPhone and iPad app, bought in the App Store, where prices are set per country.
The free plan
The Mac app is free and open source, with no subscription or account required. The iPhone and iPad app needs a paid subscription.
Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 4, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
About 17% lower price with the yearly subscription
On the US App Store, Reflect Pro is $99 per year versus $9.99 per month, which works out to about 17% less over a year.
Stated on apps.apple.comOther savings
One year of the mobile app free for Classic subscribers
Reflect's site says paid Reflect Classic subscribers get one year of the iPhone and iPad app free.
Stated on reflect.app
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: macOS, iOS and Browser extension
Open-source daily notes app with backlinks and local Markdown. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, local-first, AI features, notes, Markdown, linked notes, daily notes.
But the listing names the gaps: no sync and no encryption of its own, both left to iCloud Drive or Git, and AI needs a key you bring.
- Local Markdown notes
- Notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose. There is no account, no telemetry and no Reflect-hosted cloud service.
- Daily notes and calendar
- The app starts on today's note. Apple Calendar events appear beside the daily note and can be turned into meeting notes.
- Wiki links and backlinks
- Double-bracket links connect notes into a graph, backlinks are tracked for each note, and one search covers notes, backlinks and tags.
- Optional AI with your own key
- Add an OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or OpenRouter key to ask questions about your notes, pull out takeaways and fix grammar. Requests go directly to the provider.
- Voice notes and transcription
- Record audio inside the app and transcribe it through the transcription provider you connect.
- Capture and sync
- The Reflect Capture Chrome extension saves links, selected text and screenshots. Notes sync between devices through iCloud Drive or Git.
Where it runs
- macOS
- iOS
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Apple Calendar
- iCloud Drive
- GitHub
- OpenAI
- Anthropic
- OpenRouter
Reflect is made by Reflect App, LLC.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
12/147
Other note-taking apps it is graded above
Reflect's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 12 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 71 of 147) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 51 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 39 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 148 note-taking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Reflect’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 147
- BFree plan and trialAbove 71 of 147
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 147
- BEase of useAbove 47 of 147
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 147
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 103 note-taking apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Reflect is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Reflect you could make: notes, Markdown, linked notes and daily notes. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 126 of the 147 other note-taking apps grade higher. It costs $99 a year. Reflect is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Notes, Markdown, linked notes and daily notes: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Apple Calendar, iCloud Drive and GitHub among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Reflect’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Obsidian, Logseq, Roam Research, Capacities and Bear
The 5 tools Reflect is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.6GPA
Obsidian
Free plan · from $4/mo
Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device.
- Only Obsidian lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Reflect is open source, according to its own site.
- Obsidian is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 3.0GPA
Logseq
Free plan · from $5/mo
Open-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files.
- Only Reflect lists a browser extension.
- Only Logseq lists a web app.
- Only Logseq lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- 2.0GPA
Roam Research
Free trial · from $15/mo
Outliner for networked notes with bidirectional links.
- Reflect has a free plan. Roam Research does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Reflect lists a browser extension.
- Only Roam Research lists a web app.
- 2.6GPA
Capacities
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Object-based note-taking app with daily notes and backlinks.
- Only Capacities lists a web app.
- Only Capacities lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Reflect is open source, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Bear
Free plan · from $2.99/mo
Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags and links.
- Reflect is open source, according to its own site.
- Reflect also covers daily notes.
- Bear also covers web clipper.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Reflect free?
Reflect has a free plan. The Mac app is free and open source, with no subscription or account required.
How much does Reflect cost?
Reflect lists 2 plans. Mac app: $0.
What platforms does Reflect work on?
Reflect is available on macOS and iOS. It also has a browser extension.
Does Reflect offer any discounts?
Reflect publicly lists the following: About 17% lower price with the yearly subscription; One year of the mobile app free for Classic subscribers.
Does Reflect have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 4, 2026. Reflect is listed for macOS and iOS.
Does Reflect have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 4, 2026. Reflect is listed for macOS and iOS.
Is Reflect open source?
Yes. Reflect is open source, according to its own site.
What does Reflect integrate with?
Reflect's listing names Apple Calendar, iCloud Drive, GitHub, OpenAI, Anthropic and OpenRouter.
Who makes Reflect?
Reflect is made by Reflect App, LLC.
What are the alternatives to Reflect?
The closest alternatives to Reflect in our directory are Obsidian, Logseq, Roam Research, Capacities and Bear.
How does Reflect compare with other note-taking apps?
Reflect's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 12 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 9.
Is Reflect good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Reflect D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 51 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Reflect?
The plain part of Reflect you could make: notes, Markdown, linked notes and daily notes.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Reflect’s own pages on Oct 4, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Reflect's own pages on 4 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-27.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Reflect App, LLC. Prices change, so check reflect.app before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Reflect, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/reflect
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Reflect: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 4, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/reflect
Know someone choosing between note-taking apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/reflect/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded note-taking apps after Reflect, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Note-Taking Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 148 note-taking apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft OneNote Insider's GuideMicrosoft's free digital notebook for typed, inked and audio notes3.8 GPA
- Goodnotes Insider's GuideHandwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant3.6 GPA
- Joplin Insider's GuideOpen source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose3.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Reflect’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Reflect is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Reflect App, LLC. Prices and plans change: check reflect.app before you buy.