Stik App is live · free · last verified 22 Oct 2026 · viability monitor
Stik App
Stik is a free macOS quick-capture app: ⌘⇧S floating notes in plain Markdown with on-device semantic search.
The rare note tool that knows what it's for. Capture in about three seconds, files you actually own, and semantic search that runs on your Mac instead of an API. The fact that it's MIT-licensed and costs nothing makes it easy to trial; the macOS-only, no-collaboration, no-backlinks scope is the price of that focus, and for capture work it's a fair trade.
Verdict generatedVerified 8d ago · liveness 69/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/stik-app
- Keyboard-first Mac users who want zero-mouse quick capture from any app
- Developers who want plain Markdown versionable with git and searchable with grep
- Privacy-conscious users who need local-first notes with no account and on-device AI
- Daily journalers and idea-capturers who value speed over formatting
- Anyone needing rich-text block editing, databases, or wiki-style backlinks
- Teams needing real-time collaborative editing rather than git-based sharing
- Windows, Linux, iOS or Android users
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Skip Stik if you need your notes on an iPhone, Windows PC or Android phone, or want block-based documents, backlinks and live co-editing — Stik is a Mac-only capture inbox, not a cross-platform knowledge base.
Git-based folder sharing sends your Markdown to whatever remote you configure, so a private repo may mean paying a Git host for private-repo capacity you didn't budget for.
Stik is free and MIT-licensed, which puts it below every paid capture tool in its class — SideNotes, Drafts Pro and Bear subscriptions all charge for features Stik ships at no cost. The real cost comparison isn't licence fees but the Git host and iCloud storage you may add for sync, and the macOS-only hardware requirement. For a solo Mac user the total spend can be zero.
In short
Stik App — Stik is a free macOS quick-capture app: ⌘⇧S floating notes in plain Markdown with on-device semantic search. Best for Keyboard-first Mac users who want zero-mouse quick capture from any app, Developers who want plain Markdown versionable with git and searchable with grep, Privacy-conscious users who need local-first notes with no account and on-device AI. Free to use.
What is Stik App?
Stik App — Stik is a free macOS quick-capture app: ⌘⇧S floating notes in plain Markdown with on-device semantic search. Best for Keyboard-first Mac users who want zero-mouse quick capture from any app, Developers who want plain Markdown versionable with git and searchable with grep, Privacy-conscious users who need local-first notes with no account and on-device AI. Free to use.
Stik is a free, open-source quick-capture note app for macOS. Press ⌘⇧S from any app and a floating post-it appears; type your thought, hit Escape, and it's saved as a plain .md file in ~/Documents/Stik/. No account, no cloud setup, no proprietary format. It's written in Tauri and Rust, and the vendor states it runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The AI layer runs locally. Every note gets a 512-dimension vector embedding via Apple's NaturalLanguage framework, which powers hybrid full-text plus semantic search (⌘⇧P) — search "authentication" and surface a note about "login security" even when that word never appears. Results carry similarity scores, smart folder suggestions appear as you type with one-tap accept, and embeddings only re-run when a note's content changes. Capture stays keyboard-driven throughout: ⌘⇧M opens a Spotlight-style folder picker with fuzzy filtering and inline folder creation, ⌘⇧1-9 jump to custom folders, and pinned notes stay on top of every window across restarts. Git-based folder sharing pushes plain Markdown to GitHub, GitLab, or any remote you choose with automatic background sync; optional iCloud Drive or Dropbox sync keeps multiple Macs in step. Version 0.9.0 (Sep 8, 2026) added a full editor window, recoverable Trash, Vault Health diagnostics, optional readable filenames, and a Simplified Chinese UI, and 0.8.0 brought voice dictation and clipboard capture into the capture flow. Where it sits: Stik is a capture layer, not a Second Brain. It skips rich-text block editing, databases, and real-time collaboration on purpose, and it's macOS only. Against Apple Quick Note, SideNotes, Drafts, or Simplenote the pitch is narrow and clear — fast, private, file-based capture that never loses an idea.
Key features
- Global quick capture with ⌘⇧S from any macOS app
- Floating post-it interface that auto-saves as you type
- Notes saved as plain Markdown files in ~/Documents/Stik/
- On-device AI semantic search with 512-dimension embeddings via Apple NaturalLanguage
- Hybrid full-text plus semantic search via ⌘⇧P with similarity scores
- Smart folder suggestions while typing, learned from existing notes
- Spotlight-style folder selector (⌘⇧M) with fuzzy filtering and inline folder creation
- Custom folder shortcuts on ⌘⇧1-9
- Pin notes to stay on top of all windows and persist across restarts
- Git-based folder sharing with automatic background sync to any remote
- Optional iCloud Drive and Dropbox sync across multiple Macs
- Full editor window for longer notes (0.9.0)
- Recoverable Trash and Vault Health diagnostics with index rebuild (0.9.0)
- Voice dictation and clipboard capture in the capture flow (0.8.0)
- Capture streak tracker, On This Day resurfacing, and share as rich text, Markdown, or image
Behind the verdict
We'd reach for Stik when the problem is the idea evaporating, not the note being prettier. The ⌘⇧S post-it, the ⌘⇧P hybrid search, and git folder sharing cover a developer's whole loop: capture, find by meaning later, version with the rest of your repo. The on-device AI is the part worth testing yourself. 512-dimension embeddings through Apple NaturalLanguage mean no API key and no per-search cost, and the vendor says note content isn't sent to an AI service. Similarity scores on results are a small touch that helps you trust a fuzzy match instead of ignoring it. Pick Stik if you're a Mac user who lives on shortcuts and wants plain .md files you can grep, diff, or point Obsidian at. The 0.9.0 release (Sep 8, 2026) fixed the biggest sore point: longer notes now get a real editor window, and recoverable Trash plus Vault Health make it less nerve-wracking to trust a small app with your inbox. Pass on it if you need backlinks, databases, canvas views, or live co-editing. This isn't an Obsidian or Notion substitute and the vendor doesn't pretend otherwise — its own comparison frames Stik as the capture layer, with the library living somewhere else. If that's what you want, buy it for what it does and keep your knowledge base separate. Watch the sync story. Local-first is the default, but the moment you enable iCloud Drive or a git remote, your notes leave the Mac by design. The privacy report is honest about this; just don't assume "no cloud" means "no network ever." Real-world caveats: it's macOS only, so Windows and Linux users are out entirely, and teams that want multiplayer editing get git pushes instead. Voice dictation and clipboard capture (0.8.0) widen the funnel without changing that.
Models under the hood
as of 2026-10-22
Limitations
- Stik is a macOS-only app for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, with no Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android client.
- Notes are plain Markdown files in ~/Documents/Stik/, which suits grep and git but offers no block editor, databases, backlinks, or WYSIWYG formatting beyond the 0.9.0 full editor.
- Collaboration is asynchronous git sharing rather than real-time co-editing, and git sharing sends your Markdown files to whichever remote you configure, so a private repo is the safe default.
- The on-device semantic search is built on Apple's NaturalLanguage framework and is not user-swappable; for longer notes you use the separate full editor window added in 0.9.0.
as of 2026-10-17
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Is Stik App still active?
Stik App is live · free · last verified 22 Oct 2026 · viability monitor.
Viability score
How well maintained and how widely used is Stik App? 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: October 2026
How we score →What's new in Stik App
Checked 5 days agoAcross the latest 2 updates: 1 feature update and 1 news mention.
Stik 0.9.0: full editor, recoverable Trash, Vault Health, readable filenames and Simplified Chinese
Adds a dedicated editor window for longer notes, recoverable Trash that avoids overwriting same-named files, Vault Health storage/index diagnostics, optional readable filenames and a Simplified Chinese UI, plus reported search speedups.
Does Apple Notes Have AI Search? On-Device Note AI Explained (2026)
Stik argues Apple Notes AI search covers suggestions and keyword lookup rather than semantic search, framing its own on-device 512-dimension embedding search as the difference.
What do users say about Stik App?
What people actually say about Stik App — is it worth it?
Our community sentiment research written Jul 5, 2026 is more than 90 days old, so it is being re-reviewed against current data and is not shown.
How we verified this
Every listed fact about Stik App— pricing, features, links, status — is re-read from the vendor's own pages by our verification pipeline and each change is logged with a date; the last pass ran on 22 Oct 2026. Pages mix model-assisted synthesis with human review; see how we verify.
Verification history
We have re-verified Stik App 8 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.
- — changed limitations, pricing tiers, who should skip it, summary, our verdict, who it suits, features, description
- — changed SSL certificate
- — changed summary, pricing fit, switching in, our verdict, limitations, hidden costs, who should skip it, description, features, setup time, switching out
- — changed who it suits, our verdict, description, who should skip it, summary, features, pricing tiers
- — changed use cases, who it suits, description, our verdict, features, limitations, switching in, switching out, who should skip it, pricing fit, setup time, summary
- — changed summary, our verdict, integrations, description, pricing tiers, features, who it suits, who should skip it
Showing the 6 most recent of 8 verification passes.
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
How much does Stik App cost in 2026?
Stik App: Free to use. Pricing last verified 22 Oct 2026.
Plans compared
Every published Stik App tier, its price as the vendor publishes it, who it fits, and what it adds over the tier below. The 12-month cost projection follows.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | — | Solo Mac user, developer or privacy-first note-taker who wants fast capture without an account or subscriptionAdds: Free entry point: MIT-licensed open source, global ⌘⇧S capture, ⌘⇧P semantic search, plain Markdown storage, git sharing and optional iCloud Drive or Dropbox sync at no cost |
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.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Stik App's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Stik is free and MIT-licensed, which puts it below every paid capture tool in its class — SideNotes, Drafts Pro and Bear subscriptions all charge for features Stik ships at no cost. The real cost comparison isn't licence fees but the Git host and iCloud storage you may add for sync, and the macOS-only hardware requirement. For a solo Mac user the total spend can be zero.
Has Stik App's pricing changed?
No plan price for Stik App has moved since we began logging in Aug 2026; the pricing page is re-read on every verification pass.
Who should pick Stik App?
Pick Stik App if you are Keyboard-first Mac users who want zero-mouse quick capture from any app, Developers who want plain Markdown versionable with git and searchable with grep, Privacy-conscious users who need local-first notes with no account and on-device AI, Daily journalers and idea-capturers who value speed over formatting.
Look elsewhere if you are Anyone needing rich-text block editing, databases, or wiki-style backlinks, Teams needing real-time collaborative editing rather than git-based sharing, Windows, Linux, iOS or Android users, People who don't want note content landing in iCloud or a git remote once sync is enabled.
Skip it if Skip Stik if you need your notes on an iPhone, Windows PC or Android phone, or want block-based documents, backlinks and live co-editing — Stik is a Mac-only capture inbox, not a cross-platform knowledge base.
GeneratedReal-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Stik App actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
You're three frames deep in a stack trace and remember the auth token needs refreshing. ⌘⇧S, type the thought, Escape. Later you hit ⌘⇧P, type "authentication", and the note surfaces at a high similarity score even though it says "token refresh".
Outcome: The idea is captured in about three seconds without leaving the debugger, and it stays findable by meaning rather than exact wording.
You dictate or paste source snippets through the day with voice dictation and clipboard capture. Nothing goes to a cloud service; embeddings are computed locally by Apple's NaturalLanguage framework and files sit as .md in ~/Documents/Stik/.
Outcome: You end the week with a folder of plain Markdown you can open in any editor, back up, or grep — with no account and no vendor dependency.
You point a Stik folder at a private GitHub or GitLab remote and let background sync push meeting-notes.md as you write. Teammates clone the repo and read the same Markdown.
Outcome: Shared notes without a SaaS wiki subscription or per-seat fee, at the cost of asynchronous rather than live collaboration.
Use cases
- Capture a sudden idea while coding without breaking flow.
- Jot a reminder during a meeting with ⌘⇧S and get back to the call.
- Save an email or message draft snippet before switching tasks.
- Log a bug or feature request while testing software, then grep the folder later.
- Keep a daily Markdown journal synced across Macs via iCloud Drive.
- Share meeting notes with a team through a git remote instead of a SaaS wiki.
- Search your vault by meaning — find "login security" when you type "authentication".
- Resurface notes from the same date in past years with On This Day.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Stik App — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
Solo Mac user: install, grant storage access, and capture your first note in under five minutes — no account or sign-in step. Git sharing: add 10-15 minutes to create a private remote and paste credentials. iCloud Drive sync: add a few minutes per Mac to confirm the folder is in iCloud.
Switching to or from Stik App
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: copy note bodies into Stik captures; Stik saves them as .md in ~/Documents/Stik/, so expect to re-do any formatting Apple Notes held as rich text.
- →From Obsidian: point Stik at a separate capture folder rather than your vault, then move .md files across with normal file operations since both use plain Markdown.
- →From Bear: export notes to Markdown, then drop them into ~/Documents/Stik/ and let the index rebuild via Vault Health.
- →From Drafts: capture in Stik and use share-as-Markdown for anything that needs to leave, since Drafts actions don't carry over.
- ↗To Obsidian: your vault is already plain .md in ~/Documents/Stik/ — open the folder as an Obsidian vault and you keep every note.
- ↗To Apple Notes: use share-as-rich-text per note, or keep the Markdown folder as the archive since Stik files stay readable anywhere.
- ↗To a git-backed wiki: the folder is already versionable; push the same remote and add a front-end renderer on top.
- ↗To Bear or Drafts: import the .md files; expect to lose Stik's semantic search index, which rebuilds in the destination app only if it offers embeddings.
Integrations
Resources & guides
Tutorials & Learning
YouTube returned 6 videos for “Stik App”, and we withheld 6: 6 could not be judged, because “Stik App” is a single word that other videos use for other things. We are showing none, because we could not prove any of them are about Stik App.
Official links
What are the best Stik App alternatives?
The closest alternatives to Stik App we list are ReMind, Knowledge Base and Screenpipe. Ranked by direct product-type match, not category overlap.
| Alternative | Pricing | Starts at | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReMind | Free | Free | — |
| Knowledge Base | Free | Free | — |
| Screenpipe | Freemium | Pricing not published | — |
Alternatives to Stik App
View all
ReMind
Open-source macOS app that captures your screen activity and turns it into a searchable, on-device memory timeline.
Knowledge Base
Free, offline-first desktop knowledge base for Windows and macOS with Markdown, [[wiki links]] and local AI Q&A.
Screenpipe
Screenpipe records your screen and audio locally and turns that work history into searchable AI memory via MCP.
Tools that pair well with Stik App
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Stik App, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
ReMind
Open-source macOS app that captures your screen activity and turns it into a searchable, on-device memory timeline.
Knowledge Base
Free, offline-first desktop knowledge base for Windows and macOS with Markdown, [[wiki links]] and local AI Q&A.
Screenpipe
Screenpipe records your screen and audio locally and turns that work history into searchable AI memory via MCP.
Stik App vs its closest rival
Stik App's closest head-to-head is with Poke Interaction Co — Stik App and Poke serve completely different needs. Stik is a free, open-source macOS note taker for keyboard-driven, local-first, markdown-based quick capture with on-device AI semantic search. Poke is a freemium AI personal assistant that lives inside your messaging apps (Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram, RCS) to manage email, calendar, reminders, and integrations with services like Notion and Oura. Choose Stik if you want zero-friction note taking with absolute privacy and plain files; choose Poke if you want an AI-powered helper to offload tasks across multiple apps from a single chat interface. Verdict generated
Head-to-head comparisons
Stik App vs Poke Interaction Co
Stik App and Poke serve completely different needs. Stik is a free, open-source macOS note taker for keyboard-driven, local-first, markdown-based quick capture with on-device AI semantic search. Poke is a freemium AI personal assistant that lives inside your messaging apps (Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram, RCS) to manage email, calendar, reminders, and integrations with services like Notion and Oura. Choose Stik if you want zero-friction note taking with absolute privacy and plain files; choose Poke if you want an AI-powered helper to offload tasks across multiple apps from a single chat interface.
GeneratedStik App vs Guesty
These tools serve entirely different needs and cannot substitute each other. Guesty is a full-featured vacation rental PMS with AI-driven automation for property managers, while Stik App is a minimal, local-first markdown note taker for macOS. Choose Guesty if you manage short-term rentals; choose Stik if you need a lightning-fast, private note app.
GeneratedStik App vs Gem
Gem and Stik App serve completely different needs: Gem is a full-scale AI recruiting platform for teams that want to consolidate ATS, CRM, and AI agents into one system, while Stik is a minimalist, free macOS note app for quick capture with local AI. Choose Gem if you're hiring at scale and need AI-powered sourcing, screening, and fraud detection. Choose Stik if you're a privacy-conscious Mac user who wants instant, keyboard-driven notes with local semantic search.
GeneratedFrequently asked questions
Categories
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