Reflect
Open-source, encrypted AI note-taking with backlinks, voice capture, and MCP access for coding agents.
Reflect is a genuinely private, AI-native note-taking app that goes beyond gimmicks: the MCP server for coding agents is a real differentiator for developers, and the open-source move builds trust. If you need team collaboration, tables, or an Android app, it's not for you. For solo knowledge workers and privacy-conscious users, it's a strong pick.
Verified 2h ago · liveness 78/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/reflect
- Solo knowledge workers building a private second brain
- Privacy-conscious professionals who want encrypted AI note-taking
- Developers who want AI agents (Claude, Codex) to access and edit notes
- Researchers capturing and connecting ideas with backlinks and voice
- Teams needing collaborative editing or shared workspaces
- Users who rely on tables, databases, or project management features
- Android users (no Android app available)
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Skip Reflect if you need collaborative editing, shared workspaces, tables/databases, or an Android app—it's a solo, iOS/Mac/web-only tool with a single paid plan.
The only plan is $10/month billed annually, so you commit to a year upfront—no monthly option.
Reflect's flat $10/month (annual) pricing fits solo knowledge workers and privacy-focused individuals who want a premium, encrypted note-taking experience. Compared to Notion (free tier available) and Obsidian (free for personal use), Reflect is pricier, but it offers end-to-end encryption and a built-in AI assistant, which many cheaper tools lack. If you're a developer, the MCP server adds value that justifies the cost.
In short
Reflect — Open-source, encrypted AI note-taking with backlinks, voice capture, and MCP access for coding agents. Best for Solo knowledge workers building a private second brain, Privacy-conscious professionals who want encrypted AI note-taking, Developers who want AI agents (Claude, Codex) to access and edit notes. Plans from $10/mo.
What's new in Reflect
Checked todayAcross the latest 5 updates: 4 feature updates and 1 launch.
Reflect Open - a new chapter for Reflect
Reflect is now open-source, markdown first, and AI native.
Reflect Update: Edit your notes with coding agents
Reflect expands MCP functionality to allow editing notes via coding agents like Claude and Codex.
Reflect Update: MCP support for coding agents
Reflect notes now have an MCP server to access and search notes from within Claude and Codex.
Reflect Update: AI summaries for saved links
Reflect now automatically generates AI summaries for saved links, improving searchability.
Reflect Update: Advanced Search on Mobile
Advanced Search with filtering is now available on mobile, matching desktop functionality.
Viability Score
How well maintained and how widely used is Reflect? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: August 2026
How we score →Key Features
- End-to-end encryption
- Open-source, markdown-first notes
- Backlinked notes graph
- AI assistant using GPT-4 and Whisper
- Voice transcription with in-line transcriber
- AI chat with 2M token context (Gemini)
- Generate article outlines from scattered notes
- List key takeaways from meetings
- Fix grammar and improve writing
- Custom AI prompt templates
- MCP server for coding agents (Claude, Codex)
- Edit notes through coding agents (April 2026)
- AI summaries for saved links
- Advanced Search with filters on iOS
- Instant cross-device sync (iOS, Mac, web)
About Reflect
Reflect is a note-taking app built for individuals who want a private, fast, AI-powered knowledge base without giving up ownership of their data. It went open-source in July 2026, becoming markdown-first and AI-native, so your notes are stored in a format you control and can export freely. The app syncs instantly across iOS, Mac, and web, and network your ideas through backlinks to mirror how your mind works. You can capture thoughts via voice, web clippings, and Kindle highlights, then find them again with frictionless search. Reflect's built-in AI, powered by GPT-4 and Whisper, transcribes voice notes with human-level accuracy, generates article outlines from scattered notes, lists key takeaways from meetings, and improves your writing. A unique MCP server (launched March 2026, expanded April 2026) lets coding agents like Claude and Codex read and edit your notes directly, making Reflect a practical tool for developers. Integrations include Google Calendar, Outlook, Zapier, Readwise, Chrome, Safari, and Kindle. Priced at $10/month (billed annually) with a 14-day trial, Reflect keeps things simple with one plan. In a crowded space of note-taking apps, Reflect differentiates itself with true end-to-end encryption, open-source transparency, and AI that acts on your notes rather than just chatting about them.
Behind the Verdict
Reflect's core value proposition is privacy without sacrificing AI assistance. End-to-end encryption means your notes are readable only by you, and the open-source release in July 2026 lets you audit the code and export your data as plain markdown. The AI features are practical: voice transcription with an in-line transcriber, AI summaries for saved links, and an AI chat powered by Gemini with a 2M token context, which excels at pulling context from your entire note collection. The MCP server is the standout feature—it lets coding agents like Claude and Codex directly read and edit your notes, turning Reflect into a knowledge base for your development workflow. However, the app is strictly single-player: there's no team collaboration, no shared workspaces, and no Android app. The pricing is a flat $10/month (annual), which is fair but not cheap compared to free or cheaper alternatives. If you're a solo knowledge worker who values privacy and wants AI to genuinely work with your notes, Reflect is an excellent choice. If you need collaborative features or prefer a free tool, look elsewhere, such as Notion (for teams) or Obsidian (with its plugin ecosystem).
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Reflect actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
Capture voice notes on a walk with Reflect's in-line transcriber, then have the AI outline them into key points.
Outcome: Your voice notes are transcribed and organized into structured notes, saving you time and ensuring you remember key insights.
Use Reflect for meeting notes, leveraging Google Calendar integration to import events and AI to list action items.
Outcome: You have a private, encrypted record of every meeting with clear action items, accessible from any device.
While coding, ask Claude or Codex to search your notes via the MCP server for prior design decisions.
Outcome: You get answers from your own knowledge base without leaving your terminal, speeding up development and reducing context switching.
Use Cases
- Keep an end-to-end encrypted journal you trust to be private.
- Capture meeting notes that auto-link to related people and projects.
- Transcribe voice memos on a walk and have Reflect outline them.
- Build a personal research wiki linked to Kindle highlights and web clippings.
- Query your notes via MCP from Claude or Codex while coding.
- Save and summarize web links with AI-generated summaries.
- Use OCR to capture text from receipts and images for later search.
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-08-15
Limitations
- Reflect is an open-source, markdown-first, AI-native note-taking app with end-to-end encryption.
- It syncs across devices and offers an iOS app for mobile capture, but the evidence does not mention a native Android app or team collaboration features.
- Offline access is specifically noted for the iOS app, and there is no explicit mention of a free tier beyond a trial.
- The platform supports MCP for coding agents, but this is for agent access, not a general-purpose public API.
as of 2026-08-15
Verification history
We have re-verified Reflect 17 times since . Each pass re-reads the vendor's own pages and re-checks every listed field against that evidence; passes where nothing had changed are marked as such.
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
Showing the 6 most recent of 17 verification passes.
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Reflect tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Pro
$10/mo (billed annually)
Ideal for
Solo knowledge workers and privacy-conscious professionals who need a secure, AI-powered note-taking app with full features.
What this tier adds
Single plan includes all features: networked notes, end-to-end encryption, AI assistant, MCP server, and integrations—no tier limitations.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Reflect's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Reflect's flat $10/month (annual) pricing fits solo knowledge workers and privacy-focused individuals who want a premium, encrypted note-taking experience. Compared to Notion (free tier available) and Obsidian (free for personal use), Reflect is pricier, but it offers end-to-end encryption and a built-in AI assistant, which many cheaper tools lack. If you're a developer, the MCP server adds value that justifies the cost.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Reflect — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
Sign up and start taking notes in minutes—the 14-day trial requires no credit card. The web app works immediately, and the iOS/Mac apps sync instantly. For MCP setup, expect 15-30 minutes to configure the server and connect Claude or Codex.
Switching to or from Reflect
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From Apple Notes: Export notes as markdown and import into Reflect; backlinks can be recreated manually or via MCP.
- →From Notion: Export as markdown and import; Reflect's markdown-first approach preserves most content, though databases don't transfer.
- →From Evernote: Export as ENEX, convert to markdown, and import; Kindle highlights can be synced via Readwise.
- ↗To Obsidian: Export all notes as markdown files and import into an Obsidian vault; backlinks are preserved via [[wikilinks]].
- ↗To Notion: Export as markdown and import into Notion pages; some formatting may need manual fixes.
- ↗To Apple Notes: Export as markdown and copy into Apple Notes; backlinks may be lost.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
Tutorials & Learning
Official links
Tools that pair well with Reflect
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Reflect, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
Alternatives to Reflect
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Frequently Asked Questions
Best-of guides
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