Finally, a native Mac notes app for people who want an alternative to Obsidian, Bear, Day One or others

LAUNCH GIVEAWAY: I have 20 codes for 3 months of Pro access. If you’d like one, drop a comment here and DM me so I can send the code. First come, first served. Hey r/macapps, It's finally launch day. I'm the developer of ​MinkNote​. About ten months ago I started building a notes app because I couldn't quite find one that matched the way I wanted to work. I loved different things about Obsidian, Day One, Bear, Apple Notes, and plain Markdown in VS Code, but every time I switched I found myself compromising on something important. So instead of compromising, I started building my own. Today I'm releasing ​MinkNote​. What is it? MinkNote is a native macOS notes and journal app built around plain Markdown files that you own. No account. No AI. No cloud service. No Electron. No proprietary database. Your notes live as normal Markdown files inside folders you choose. If you ever stop using MinkNote, your notes are still there, readable by any Markdown editor. That ownership was the entire point. Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/minknote/id6755822706 Problem I think many note-taking apps have become increasingly tied to their own ecosystems. Some store everything inside databases. Some require accounts. Some make exporting awkward. Some don't feel particularly Mac-like. I wanted the opposite: a notes app that feels completely at home on macOS while staying out of the way of your files. Why I built it I wasn't trying to build "another PKM app." I wanted something I'd happily open every day for: work notes project documentation journaling meeting notes random ideas without having to think about where my data lived. A few things it focuses on native SwiftUI macOS app plain Markdown files folders and journals tags and fast search daily notes images stored alongside notes privacy by default read-only after the free trial instead of locking away your data Comparison I genuinely admire apps like Obsidian, Bear, Day One, and Apple Notes. MinkNote isn't trying to replace them for everyone. Compared with Obsidian, MinkNote is much smaller in scope, but it is a fully native Mac app rather than Electron, and it keeps more of the core workflow built in instead of relying on plugins. Compared with Bear or Day One, MinkNote is more file-first. Your notes are ordinary Markdown files in folders you choose, not content hidden behind an app database or account system. The aim is not to win every feature checklist. It is for people who want something calmer, native to macOS, private by default, and built around complete ownership of their notes as ordinary files. Pricing MinkNote gives you 14 days of full access, with no subscription, account, or payment required to start. After the trial, existing notes remain readable in read-only mode inside the app, so your data is not locked away. Of course, they remain text files on disk that you can edit at any time outside the app. Pro pricing: $2.99 monthly $19.99 yearly $49.99 lifetime Pricing page: https://muse23.com/apps/minknote/pricing.html Launch This is version 1.0 after roughly ten months of development, more than 1,200 commits, and over 400 TestFlight users who helped shape the app through many beta releases. A huge thank you to everyone here who downloaded early builds, reported bugs, suggested features, and challenged my assumptions. MinkNote is much better because of it. Transparency links Developer portfolio: https://muse23.com/apps/ MinkNote website: https://muse23.com/apps/minknote/ Changelog: https://muse23.com/apps/minknote/changelog.html Roadmap: https://muse23.com/apps/minknote/roadmap.html Privacy Policy: https://muse23.com/apps/minknote/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ I'd love your feedback If file ownership matters to you, I'd love to know: Does the file-based approach actually make a difference in day-to-day use? What still feels missing compared with Obsidian, Bear, Day One, or Apple Notes? If you tried earlier TestFlight builds, has the app improved in the ways you hoped? I'll be around all day to answer questions, and I genuinely appreciate honest feedback, whether positive or negative.