The short answer. The promise here is that a note is a file. NotePlan 3 puts tasks, notes and the calendar into Markdown files in a folder. Scratch is the offline-first Markdown notes app with WYSIWYG editing, Stik is the quick-capture one with hotkeys and semantic search, Zettel is the minimal hashtag-organised one, and TaskPaper is plain-text to-do lists with a syntax rather than a database. Tot is the tiny text companion — seven tabs of plain text and no structure at all. Gooba mixes writing and tasks in one simple surface. The dividing question is whether you want a text file you can open in any editor or a note-taking interface that happens to save as text, because both are sold as plain text and only one of them survives the app being uninstalled.
This guide covers 7 plain-text note apps for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gooba | productivity app | not published | not published | — |
| NotePlan 3 | productivity app | not published | not published | 3.21.3 |
| Scratch | productivity app | Open source | not published | 3.32.1 |
| Stik | productivity app | Open source | MIT | 0.9.0 |
| TaskPaper | Mac utility | not published | not published | 3.9.4 |
| Tot | productivity app | Free | not published | 2.1.1 |
| Zettel | productivity app | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 3.3 |
What actually decides this
- A file you can open elsewhere. The test is simple: quit the app, open the folder in a text editor, and see whether the notes are readable. If the answer is no, the format is proprietary with a text export.
- Whether structure is in the text or in the app. Hashtags, TaskPaper syntax and Markdown headings are structure encoded in characters. A sidebar tree is structure encoded in a database. The first survives a change of tool; the second does not.
- How capture works. A global hotkey that opens a blank note is the difference between capturing a thought and losing it. Notes apps are used in the first three seconds, and that is where they are judged.
- What search can see. A folder of files can be searched by Spotlight and by grep. A database can be searched by the app. The first is more durable and the second is usually faster, and only one of them works after the app is gone.
- Whether tasks and notes belong together. A daily note with checkboxes is a workflow, not a feature. If the day is the unit of work, a calendar-shaped notes app is the right shape; if the project is, it is the wrong one.
Our picks
- NotePlan 3 — Its record describes tasks, notes and calendar as plain-text Markdown files, which is the daily-note case. Choose it when the day is the unit and tasks belong in the note.
- Scratch — Its record describes lightweight offline-first Markdown notes with WYSIWYG editing, which is the editor case. Choose it when you want offline-first notes with a rendered editor.
- Stik — Its record describes quick-capture Markdown notes with hotkeys and semantic search, which is the capture case. Choose it when capture speed is the whole point.
- TaskPaper — Its record describes plain-text to-do lists, which is the syntax case. Choose it when the list is the document.
- Tot — Its record describes an elegant, simple way to collect and edit text, which is the minimal case. Choose it when you want seven tabs of text and nothing else.
- Zettel — Its record describes minimal note-taking with Markdown and hashtag-based organisation, which is the tagged case. Choose it when you organise by tag and want the app out of the way.
The apps
Gooba
Gooba is a productivity app for macOS. Writing app and task manager with a simple and interactive design. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. With Gooba you no longer need separate apps to write your notes and manage your tasks. You have everything here, with a simple and interactive design.
Full profile and verified facts for Gooba →
NotePlan 3
NotePlan 3 is a productivity app for macOS. Your tasks, notes, and calendar, plain-text markdown files. Its pricing is not published.
NotePlan 3 is listed with current version 3.21.3.
Full profile and verified facts for NotePlan 3 →
Scratch
Scratch is a productivity app for macOS. Lightweight, offline-first markdown notes app with WYSIWYG editing and local AI agent support. It is open source.
What it does. An offline-first, open source markdown note-taking app. No cloud, no account, no subscriptions.
Scratch is listed with current version 3.32.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Scratch →
Stik
Stik is a productivity app for macOS. Quick-capture markdown notes app with hotkeys and AI semantic search. It is released under MIT.
What it does. Instant thought capture for macOS. One shortcut, post-it appears, type, close.
Stik is listed with current version 0.9.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Stik →
TaskPaper
TaskPaper is a Mac utility for macOS. Plain text to-do lists. Its pricing is not published.
TaskPaper is listed with current version 3.9.4.
Full profile and verified facts for TaskPaper →
Tot
Tot is a productivity app for macOS. Tot is an elegant, simple way to collect & edit text. It’s your tiny text companion! It is free.
What it does. Tot - Your tiny text companion.
Tot is listed with current version 2.1.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Tot →
Zettel
Zettel is a productivity app for macOS. Minimal, distraction-free note-taking app with Markdown and hashtag-based organization. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. Single-note focus: Edit one note at a time with full-screen interface. Tag system: Organize notes with hashtags (#tag). Themes: Light, dark, and system theme options. File integration: All notes are just simple MarkDown files.
Zettel is listed with current version 3.3.
Full profile and verified facts for Zettel →
How to choose
- Free of charge. Tot — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. Scratch, Stik and Zettel — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Gooba, NotePlan 3 and TaskPaper — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Scratch, Stik and Zettel (3 of 7).
Common mistakes
- Assuming “plain text” means the folder is readable. Check before committing years of notes.
- Putting structure in a sidebar tree and calling the result portable.
- Using a quick-capture tool as a project archive. It is optimised for the first minute, not the third year.
- Syncing a folder of notes through a service that renames files on conflict.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these plain-text note apps?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 7 plain-text note apps: Gooba, NotePlan 3, Scratch, Stik, TaskPaper, Tot and Zettel. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these plain-text note apps free?
Pricing across this group: not published (Gooba, NotePlan 3 and TaskPaper), open source (Scratch, Stik and Zettel) and free (Tot). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these plain-text note apps are open source?
Scratch (not published), Stik (MIT) and Zettel (GPL-3.0) are open source.
Do these plain-text note apps support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
