Brainstorming about macOS note-taking apps

The Archive (native)

Plain-text Zettelkasten app with wiki-links, fast search, and minimal UI. File-based (markdown), local-first. The primary tool for this zettelkasten. ( Workflow context )

My current or previous usage of the app.

Primary zettelkasten tool – all permanent notes live here. Main journaling and thought capture. Search and browse the knowledge network. Private notes hidden from published site. ( Content pipeline )

Part of three-tool thinking system: Zettelkasten (The Archive) for journaling and permanent notes, TaskPaper for planning/brainstorming, Emacs for code experiments. ( Different thinking modes )

Articles and websites

Book workflow, introduction to The Archive, saved searches

How to Do Research with The Archive

A love letter to The Archive

Summary of this article.

Manan Khattar’s case for The Archive: 1,330 notes (350K words) in plain text. Speed and keyboard-centric design minimize cognitive friction. Search-driven workflow enables queries like #literature #inbox (productivity OR writing) (202407 OR 202408). Native Zettelkasten support from zettelkasten.de’s creator.

Trade-offs acknowledged: unique identifier requirement makes wikilinks less readable than Obsidian. No plugin system—requires Alfred workflows for full functionality. No mobile app (uses 1Writer as workaround).

Core thesis: tool choice matters less than sustaining writing-focused thinking habit. The Archive’s speed accelerated his adoption.

I got to know kindaVim from this article.

Actually, I already wrote about this before: Bookmarked “kindaVim”

There are videos about kindaVim: kindaVim – YouTube

Most of them just ramblings.

This is another app from the same guy for keyboard based UI navigation: Wooshy

iA Writer (native)

Distraction-free markdown editor with focus mode, syntax highlighting, and publishing integrations. Typography-first design from Information Architects.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Drafting and linking workflow via smart folders. #Drafting folder shows notes being written, #Linking folder shows notes ready for outline placement. The final drafting step before zettelkasten integration. ( Content pipeline )

Articles and websites

How I set up iA Writer After Moving from Ulysses

Writing Workflow – Stuart Lennon

Summary of the article, focusing on the question “What am I writing?” section.

Stuart Lennon’s framework: three writing categories.

Longform (2000+ words) in Scrivener for novels/non-fiction.

Shortform drafts in iA Writer for blog posts and reports.

Notes ideas in Obsidian for thoughts not yet publication-ready.

The “What am I writing?” question determines tool selection. Plain text everywhere for portability. DEVONthink as archive. Open question: whether Drafts could serve as unified entry point with automated routing.

Bike (native)

Native macOS outliner with fast keyboard navigation, collapsible hierarchy, and scripting support. Version 2 adds extensions API and custom attributes. The app running this outline.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Core organizing tool for the content pipeline. Ideas get arranged in Bike outlines before export to zettelkasten via Drafts. Also manages the folgezettel outline structure. ( Content pipeline )

Decoding files are raw Bike outlines for blog posts. All content ready for publishing; private things go to interstitial journal instead. ( Journal-type apps )

Now used as AI-integrated thinking space with thread-watch and MCP server. Reactive prompting via @question attributes. ( Bike thinking tool exploration )

Articles and websites

Bike: An Elegant Outliner For Mac-Focused Workflows – MacStories

Bike: Tool for thought

TaskPaper (native)

Plain-text task management using indentation and tags. Same developer as Bike. Good for project brainstorming and task breakdown. ( Workflow context )

My current or previous usage of the app.

TaskPaper role: plain-text planning and brainstorming for project-specific thinking and task breakdown. OmniFocus shortcut triggers “project brainstorming” in TaskPaper. ( Different tools for different thinking modes )

Historical use: interstitial journaling. Deprecated that role, moved journaling back to zettelkasten. Brainstorm sessions now live in the journal rather than separate files. ( Plans for TaskPaper changes )

Workflow: Bike for initial outlining, switch to TaskPaper once plan solidifies. Part of the plain-text system alongside The Archive and Bike. ( Text-based system )

Articles and websites

TaskPaper for Mac

How do you use TaskPaper? – Forum Discussion

The move to a plaintext GTD system

Drafts (native)

Quick capture app with powerful actions system for routing text to other apps. Automation-first design. Inbox for thoughts, not storage.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Export gateway from Bike to zettelkasten. Ideas organized in Bike get exported through Drafts into new notes. Also used for quick capture on Apple Watch at night. ( Content pipeline )

MCP server spec exists for automation integration. AppleScript-based CRUD operations planned but automation permissions need resolution first. ( Drafts MCP spec )

Articles and websites

Automating Email with Drafts (feat. David Sparks)

Quick Capture with Drafts – The Sweet Setup

A Drafts Workflow for Conferences

Craft (native)

Block-based document editor with rich formatting, folder structure, and cross-device sync. Apple Design Award winner, positioned between Notion and traditional notes.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Primary reading queue manager via Readwise-Craft syncer integration. Articles flow in, get processed with highlights, then export to zettelkasten. MCP server enables AI automation. ( Readwise-Craft syncer )

Daily notes workflow for session logging and project tracking. Block-based structure good for moving content between documents. ( Content pipeline )

Articles and websites

Second Brain Workflows (Obsidian vs Craft for PKM)

How I’m Using Craft in My Productivity Workflows

The Craft App — A Year of Magical Linking

DEVONthink (native)

Document/knowledge management database with AI classification, OCR, and smart groups. Stores anything, indexes everything. Research-grade organization.

My current or previous usage of the app.

DEVONthink role: document archive and reference storage. Articles, PDFs, web archives, receipts. AI classification and OCR. Research-grade organization with smart groups. ( Incremental reading system )

Reading queue integration: documents captured to DEVONthink appear in OmniFocus @Read/Review perspective. The queue is in OmniFocus, content stays in DEVONthink.

MCP access via mcporter enables AI agents to search and retrieve DEVONthink content. Source references in older zettelkasten notes use x-devonthink-item:// links.

Articles and websites

Use Obsidian and DEVONthink Together!

DEVONthink for Historians: developing your qualitative research process

Four Hour Setup: How I use DEVONthink

Workflows for Scholars – DEVONtechnologies

Obsidian (Electron)

Plugin-extensible markdown vault with graph view, backlinks, and community ecosystem. Electron-based, local files. Power-user PKM tool.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Limited use currently. Explored for AI integration with Cursor but zettelkasten workflow remains in The Archive. Considered for consolidating Planning folder but not active. ( Obsidian exploration )

Articles and websites

How to Connect Zotero and Obsidian for the Ultimate PhD Workflow

How to Build a Second Brain in Obsidian: Complete Setup Guide

PKM + Obsidian: The Tech Stack for Your Brain

OmniOutliner (native)

Professional outliner from OmniGroup with styling, columns, and export options. More structured than Bike, less nimble. AppleScript support.

Articles and websites

GTD = OmniFocus + OmniOutliner + DEVONThink

MindNode (native)

Visual mind mapping with clean design and focus mode. Exports to various formats. Good for brainstorming spatial relationships, less for linear text.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Used for preparing content before processing. Ideas get connected to mindmaps with tags and links before moving to notes. Public mindmaps shared online (e.g., Japanese Design and Aesthetics). ( Processing workflow )

Articles and websites

How David Develops with Mind Maps

Scapple (native)

Freeform note board from Literature and Latte (Scrivener makers). Spatial arrangement of text snippets with connection lines. Idea exploration before structure.

Articles and websites

Scapple: a great little brainstorming gem

How to Get Unstuck + Plot Your Novel in Scapple

NotePlan (native)

Markdown notes with calendar integration and task management. Daily notes workflow with backlinks. Hybrid of journaling and task app.

Articles and websites

My Ultimate Productivity Tool Workflow for 2024: Plan with Me in NotePlan

My Productivity Workflow 2025: Task Management + Apple Shortcuts + Gmail

My NotePlan Workflow — Everything I Need to Plan and Execute my Day

NotePlan: Your Notes, Tasks, and Calendar in One Place – MacSparky

Distill (Tauri)

AI-native thinking tool with append-only threads and contextual awareness. Local-first with cloud sync. Discussed earlier in this document.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Explored briefly – app installed, bug filed about quick capture window positioning with right-side Dock. Append-only threading concept influenced thread-watch development. ( Reactive prompting )

Removed from active toolchain – no current use case. Keep app installed for existing content. ( Journal-type apps conclusion )

Explored briefly – app installed, bug filed about quick capture window positioning with right-side Dock. Append-only threading concept influenced thread-watch development. ( Reactive prompting )

Removed from active toolchain – no current use case. Keep app installed for existing content. ( Journal-type apps conclusion )

Articles and websites

Active intelligence – Distill Documentation

Workflows – Distill Documentation

Bear (native)

Markdown notes with tags, nested tags, and backlinks. Clean native UI. Simpler than Obsidian, more polished than most.

Articles and websites

How I use Bear As My Second Brain With Alfred

Bear is a fully fledged writing app – experiences as former Ulysses user

Workflow wobbles – Stuart Lennon

Ulysses (native)

Long-form writing app with library management and publishing targets. Markdown-based but hides syntax. For writers shipping manuscripts.

Articles and websites

How I Organise My Writing

A Complete Ulysses Writing Workflow – The Sweet Setup

Choosing Ulysses over PKM Software for Longform Writing

Noteship (native)

Minimal sticky-note style capture app. Menu bar access, quick entry. Capture-focused, not organization-focused.

Articles and websites

Noteship User Guide

Meeting Notes with Noteship

Notebooks 3 (native)

Hierarchical notebook app with nested books and markdown support. Cross-platform sync. Traditional notebook metaphor with modern features.

Articles and websites

Ten Reasons I Write Everything in Notebooks App

Task Management in Notebooks

Scrivener (native)

Long-form writing IDE with binder, corkboard, and compile system. For novels, screenplays, research papers. Structure-first drafting.

Articles and websites

My Easy Scrivener Writing Workflow + Setup

How to Use Scrivener Like a PhD Student

How I Use Scrivener For Fiction And Non-Fiction – The Creative Penn

Structuring your novel in Scrivener

Tinderbox (native)

Hyper-customizable note database with agents, attributes, and visual maps. Steep learning curve, extreme power. For complex knowledge work and research.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Higher-level life management – dreams, someday/maybe ideas, things above projects. Scripts connect OmniFocus to Tinderbox for two-way sync. Ideas and goals live here; projects get managed in OmniFocus. ( Tinderbox for life management )

Incremental Reading document watches Readwise chunks folder. Considered skipping from general chunk processing due to workflow friction getting content in. ( Tinderbox workflow friction )

Articles and websites

Working with Tinderbox Zotero

PhD Tools: Think better with Tinderbox

Tinderbox for writing long Academic texts – Forum

BBEdit (native)

Professional text editor with grep, syntax coloring, and scripting. Not a note app per se – a text tool that handles notes. 30+ years of macOS development.

Articles and websites

Taking Notes: BBEdit 14, Working Copy, Self-hosted Git Repo

BBEdit for Writers: A Guide and Appreciation

Org-mode with Emacs (native)

Plain-text outliner inside Emacs with TODO states, scheduling, and literate programming. Keyboard-driven, infinitely extensible. Used for programming experiments. ( Workflow context )

My current or previous usage of the app.

Current Emacs usage: Org Mode for programming experiments and literate programming. Still exploratory – set up OmniFocus shortcut for “programming docs” but workflow not fully established. ( Different Tools for Different Thinking Modes )

Org Agenda navigation shortcuts documented separately – day/week views, date jumping, standard Emacs keybindings. ( Org Agenda Shortcuts )

Position in tool ecosystem: Zettelkasten (The Archive) for journaling and permanent notes, TaskPaper for planning/brainstorming, Emacs for code experiments. Three tools, three thinking modes.

Articles and websites

How I use Org-mode to organize my life

How I use Org Mode – Bill de hÓra

Getting Things Done with Emacs: Manage your life with Org Mode

Strflow (native)

Stream-of-consciousness capture app with AI integration. Continuous text flow rather than discrete notes. Early-stage product.

My current or previous usage of the app.

Short idea dumps when thinking about something – ideas then move to OmniFocus/Bike. Removed from active toolchain; no current use case. App kept installed for existing content. ( Journal-type apps conclusion )

Short idea dumps when thinking about something – ideas then move to OmniFocus/Bike. Removed from active toolchain; no current use case. App kept installed for existing content. ( Journal-type apps conclusion )

Articles and websites

Show HN: Strflow – Note-Taking for people who keep abandoning notes

Strflow — Note-Taking, Like Chatting

NotePlus (native)

Native macOS LLM client (~10MB). Supports OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, Ollama, DeepSeek, Copilot. Different category than Bike—this is a chat interface with note-taking features, not an outliner. The “True Native” claim positions it against Electron apps.