Best Sticky Note Apps For Mac In 2023

Using sticky notes for Mac is probably the best way to pen down your thoughts and ideas before it slips into your mind.

Having a floating notepad app displayed on your computer always is very handy. It will appear on the screen all the time unless you close it manually.

A sticky note app helps you to write down your learnings, ideas, thoughts, and every other thing that you don’t want to forget.

Thankfully, there are many sticky note apps for Mac, including the inbuilt Stickies.

In this post, we have rounded up the best sticky note apps to use on your Mac device.

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Best Sticky Note Apps For Mac

Here is a list of the best sticky notes for Mac:

#1: Stickies

Stickies is a pre-installed note-taking app on the MacBook. It is solely used for adding notes to the desktop.

You can use Stickies to write down important things and access them quickly when needed. The notes will stay on the screen until you choose to remove them from there.

It offers powerful customization options like text formatting, changing the background color, setting translucent sticky notes, and much more.

It also allows you to embed media files including images, videos, and PDFs. To open Stickies just press Command + Space on your keyboard.

#2: MiniNote

MiniNote is a user-friendly sticky note app with a wooden theme. But what makes this app more interesting is the range of features.

You can mark your sticky notes using features like anchor sticky notes, starred sticky notes, floating sticky notes, and more.

However, this app is not completely free. You can unlock cloud sync support across iOS and macOS devices by paying a minimal amount.

It takes just a press of a button to bring up the app. It also has a dedicated hotkey for opening a new note directly.

#3. Quick Note

Quick Note has two important things that are missing in Stickies.

Firstly, you can open the app in full-screen mode. Secondly, it allows you to assign a shortcut to bring the menu bar or a new note.

You can also set the app in dark mode for an attractive appearance. For easy access, you can have your important sticky notes float on top of other apps.

However, the free version of the app has limited features. To unlock all the features, you will have to upgrade to the pro version.

#4: Simple Antnotes

Although Simple Antnotes is a menu bar app, it has a “Pin note to desktop” option.

So instead of opening the app from the top bar of your device, you can keep the sticky notes floating above all windows.

It allows you to adjust the opacity of the sticky notes, so it doesn’t hinder your workflow.

It has customization options like fonts, text colors, background colors, and more. It also allows you to highlight any text on your device and create a new sticky note with it.

Another interesting feature is the app-specific sticky notes. But to use this feature, you will have to get the paid version of the app.

#5: Ghostnote

Ghostnote has two important features Note Browser and Script Editor.

While the former allows you to have all your notes in one place, the latter lets you create document detection scripts.

With Ghostnote, you can browse and edit notes from a single location. Additionally, it offers seven themes along with the dark mode option.

The biggest drawback is that you will have to download the app from a third-party source. Plus, it is a bit more expensive than other sticky note apps.

#6: Bear

Bear is an advanced app that is developed to provide a remarkable writing experience. Thanks to the hybrid markdown editor that formats your text as you type.

With this app, you can enjoy a clean writing experience. It offers dozens of themes to make your notes look slicker.

Another interesting feature is the “Archive” option. Once you archive a note, it takes it out of the organization and searches without deleting it.

This app is high on organizational features. It allows you to tag your notes and nest those tags within each other.

#7: Notebook

Next up, we have Notebook, a productive app with an impressive range of features.

The best feature of this app is the Smart Cards that automatically format the contents into specific cards such as links, videos, and recipes.

With the note covers, you can give a personalized look to your stories. In case, you don’t like the available options, you can design your custom cover.

It also has a dark mode option for users who like to work at night. To keep track of all your tasks, you can use the reminder option.

#8: NotePlan

NotePlan is a combination of a task manager and a calendar app. However, it can also be used as a sticky note-taking app.

Whenever you save a note with a deadline, the app adds it to the calendar. It will sync all your events with the Google Calendar or Apple Calendar.

Additionally, it can back up information on your iCloud server. This ensures that your data will stay safe.

NotePlan has a free and paid version. To take advantage of all its features, you must get the paid app.

#9: SideNote

SideNote is an easy-to-use app that doesn’t hinder your other tasks on Mac. You can change the position of the app at your convenience.

You can also assign keyboard shortcuts to launch the app. You will also like the user interface as it is easy to use and navigate.

Besides that, SideNote offers tons of customization options that make creating tasks easier.

After creating notes, you can share them with others. However, to access all these features, you will have to pay a monthly subscription fee.

#10: Unclutter

Unclutter is a multi-functional app. It combines the benefit of sticky notes, a file center, and a clipboard, all in a single application.

You can pull down the app using a simple swipe gesture from the top of your desktop.

The app has three sections and they can be resized to your liking. On the right, you have sticky notes and a clipboard on the left.

For quick and easy access, you can pin the app over other applications. Not only that, but you can also open it in full-screen mode.

Best of all, you can sync the app across all your macOS devices via Dropbox and iCloud Drive.

#12: Agenda

Agenda is the best app for streamlining all your projects. It comes with an advanced text editor that helps you to edit your texts the way you like.

Another notable feature is that the app allows you to link your sticky notes to your calendar events. This feature comes in handy when planning for meetings and other stuff.

With Agenda, you can also change the theme of your notes. Additionally, you can convert your text into formats like HTML and Markdown.

Despite such amazing features, Agenda is free to use. You can use this app without spending a single penny.

#13: GoodNotes

GoodNotes is best for creating annotating documents. If you would like to give your documents a creative look, this app is for you.

It allows you to scale, move, and change the color of objects in your documents. Not only that, but you can also strike out or highlight texts in your PDFs.

With the iCloud sync feature, you can share your notes with your team or even take a printout.

However, the best thing about the app is language compatibility. It supports languages such as Japanese, English, French, Dutch, Italian, and many more.

#14: Quip

Quip is more than just a sticky note-taking app. It has features that help you to collaborate and work with your colleagues.

For starters, the chat integration allows you to work with your team in a fun way.

Besides taking down notes, you can use this app to create to-do lists, make spreadsheets, and edit documents.

It also allows you to import your addresses from services including iCloud, Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, Google, and Yahoo.

#15: Jot

Jot is more like a blank canvas where you can write whatever is there on your mind. Although it’s an open-source app, it’s not free to use.

The good thing about Jot is that it has no configuration. Just open the app and start writing. It is that simple to use.

With this app, you don’t even have to save your notes as it happens automatically.

Like many other sticky note-taking apps, Jot can float over other apps and windows.

#16: Notion

Notion is another powerful app that’s unlike other sticky note-taking apps in this list.

With the template engine, you can turn pretty much anything into a duplicate template. It also includes many previewing and embedding tools.

Additionally, it has app integrations to accommodate all types of users. Whether you are a student, freelancer, or an entrepreneur, Notion can be used by everyone.

It also has an intuitive interface that works smoothly across multiple devices. For real-time syncing, you can get extensions for Firefox and Chrome.

#17: Simplenote

As the name suggests, Simplenote is an easy-to-use app with a clean and clutter-free interface. It comes with many impressive features including the “focus mode.”

Enabling the focus mode allows you to write with full concentration. You will find this feature helpful when writing important notes.

To keep your notes organized, the app offers tags and pins. In addition to that it has a Markdown editor to format your notes.

To reduce strain on your eyes, it also has the dark mode option. Anyone looking for a free sticky note app can use Simplenote.

#18: Boost Note

Boost Note is a feature-rich app that does more than just take notes. The real-time co-authoring features allow teams to create and edit documents together.

Additionally, it allows you to automate and customize your workflow with thousands of apps and tools integration.

What we like about Boost Note is that it automatically saves all the changes made in a document. Plus, it is compatible with multiple platforms including macOS, and mobile and web apps.

It has an IDE-like interface with advanced search options. Along with that, you get features like document property and smart folder.

#19: Evernote

Evernote has been around for a long time. It is mainly known for its flexibility and wide range of tools.

With this app, you can make notes in different formats like audio, video, sketch, or web clippings.

Whether it’s an idea or an important point to be discussed in a meeting, you can write it down in an Evernote note and transfer it to Apple Notes.

You can also use this app to create presentations and checklists. The best thing is that you can use all these features for free.

#20: Microsoft OneNote

OneNote from Microsoft is a complete package. It allows you to capture your thoughts and learnings in various formats and sync them across all your desktops.

With the “Tag” feature, it becomes easier to find your notes. Besides that, it has many collaboration features that allow you to work with your team with ease.

OneNote is a multi-lingual app. It supports different languages including Chinese, English, Slovak, French, German, and others.

Last, but not least, you can also make a to-do-list to keep track of all the activities that you have to do in a day.

Conclusion

Having a sticky note app on your Mac can be a lifesaver. Instead of losing your thoughts, you can write them down using a sticky note app and save them.

We have reviewed both free and paid sticky notes for Mac. You should select the one that best suits your needs.

How to get sticky notes on Mac?

If you are using Stickies on Mac for the first time, you must be wondering “How to get sticky notes on Mac?”

Just follow these instructions and you will be good to go:

Open Finder from the top menu bar or dock on your Mac.
Go to the menu and select Applications.
Scroll down till you see Stickies and click on it.
Since this is your first time using the app, you will see two stickies explaining how the app works.
Click on the words displayed on the note and start typing.

So now you know how to add sticky notes to desktop Mac. As you can see, it’s quite easy.

FAQs – Sticky Note Apps for Mac

What are sticky note apps used for?

Sticky note apps come in handy when writing down your ideas, thoughts, learnings, or anything important that you don’t want to forget.

Who should use sticky note apps?

Sticky note apps can be used by anyone. However, it is most popular among students, professors, and employees.

What are the best free sticky note apps for Macs?

The best sticky note apps for Mac are Stickies and Agenda.

Where are the Stickies stored on a Mac?

The stickies on Mac get saved in the Home folder.

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