What is FSNotes?
FSNotes is a notes app that refuses to own your notes. It reads and writes plain Markdown files in folders you choose, so the same library opens in any editor and survives the app. It is a native Mac and iPhone app built for speed across 10,000+ files, with instant search and Notational Velocity-inspired keyboard control. Organisation is folders, tags and `[[wiki links]]`; iCloud Drive keeps a library in step between Mac and iPhone, and Git can version it. Individual notes or whole folders can be locked with AES-256 and unlocked with Touch ID. It is open source under MIT and free from GitHub; the App Store build is a one-time $8.99 that funds development and adds automatic updates.
Verified product facts
- Type
- note-taking appEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- YesDerived
- Pricing
- FreemiumDeveloper-stated
- Price
- USD 8.99(US App Store)Developer-stated
- Open source
- Yes
- Developer
- Oleksandr HlushchenkoDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- MIT
- Current version
- 7.3.5Developer-stated
- Official website
- fsnot.es/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What FSNotes does at a glance.
Notes are plain Markdown files in folders you choose, readable in any editor without FSNotes
GitHub Flavored Markdown
With syntax highlighting in code blocks across 30+ languages
Instant search and keyboard-centric navigation
Built for libraries of 10,000+ files
Multi-folder storage
So several separate libraries can be open at once
Cross-note links
Using [[double brackets]], plus tags, and an elastic two-pane view
iCloud Drive sync keeps the same folders available on Mac and iPhone
Optional Git versioning
With scheduled commits, and push or pull from a remote
AES-256 encryption
For individual notes or whole folders, unlocked with Touch ID
Mermaid and MathJax support
For diagrams and equations
TextBundle and encrypted TextBundle containers keep attachments alongside the text
External editor support
With changes syncing live back into the interface
Plaintext files supported
Alongside Markdown, and inline images
What you can use FSNotes for
- Keeping a large Markdown library on disk where no vendor can lock it away
- Editing notes in a terminal editor and having the change appear in the app
- Versioning a notes folder with Git and pushing it to a remote
- Locking a folder of sensitive notes behind AES-256 and Touch ID
- Writing technical notes that mix code blocks, Mermaid diagrams and equations
Who is FSNotes for?
- People who want notes as files first and an app second
- Users with large note libraries who need search and navigation that stay fast
- Anyone who wants iCloud sync without an account or a proprietary database
Who is FSNotes not for?
- Anyone who wants a graph view or a plugin ecosystem, which is what Obsidian is for
- People on macOS 12.3 or earlier, since the current release requires macOS 12.4
- Users who need Dropbox, WebDAV or Google Drive sync — the iPhone app supports iCloud Drive only
Limitations
- Requires macOS 12.4 or later
- The iPhone app supports iCloud Drive only; Dropbox, WebDAV and Google Drive sync are not available
- No graph view and no plugin system, so it is not a replacement for a linked knowledge base such as Obsidian or Logseq
- Git integration is optional and has to be configured; it is not on by default
- The App Store purchase is per platform, so the Mac and iPhone apps are bought separately
Strengths and trade-offs
What FSNotes does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Notes are plain Markdown files on disk, so the library works in any editor and does not depend on the app surviving.Developer-stated
- Open source under MIT, and free to download from GitHub; the App Store build is a one-time $8.99 rather than a subscription.
- Built for scale: instant search and smooth performance across collections of 10,000+ files.Developer-stated
- Optional Git versioning with scheduled commits and remote push or pull.Developer-stated
- Individual notes or entire folders can be locked with AES-256 and unlocked with Touch ID.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- Requires macOS 12.4, so older Macs are out of support.
- No graph view and no plugin ecosystem, so it is not a linked knowledge base.Editorially reviewed
- Sync on the iPhone app is iCloud Drive only — no Dropbox, WebDAV or Google Drive.Developer-stated
- The Mac and iPhone apps are separate purchases.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Buy and install from the Mac App Store, which is what the developer recommends for automatic updates, or download the zip from the GitHub releases page and move the app into Applications.
- First launch Developer-stated
- FSNotes asks which folder to use as the storage location. Pointing it at an existing folder of Markdown files, or an iCloud Drive folder, is all the setup there is — there is no account to create.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Works directly on folders on disk, so other editors can open the same files and changes sync back into the app. It supports system dark mode, Touch ID for unlocking encrypted notes, and a sharing extension on iOS.
- Apple Silicon Derived
- Supported
What it is
FSNotes is a notes app with an opinion about ownership: your notes are files, in folders you choose, and the app is something you use to read and write them. There is no account, no proprietary database and no subscription. The practical test is that you can open the same library in a text editor, or in a different Markdown app, and everything is still there.
Underneath that it is a native Mac app built for speed. The developer claims smooth
performance across collections of 10,000+ files, with instant search and
Notational Velocity-inspired keyboard navigation. Organisation is the ordinary
trio — folders, tags and [[wiki links]] — plus pinned notes and an elastic
two-pane view.
The extras are the ones that matter for a serious library. iCloud Drive keeps the same folders available on Mac and iPhone. Git can version the folder with scheduled commits and push to a remote. Individual notes or entire folders can be locked with AES-256 and unlocked with Touch ID. Mermaid and MathJax render diagrams and equations, and TextBundle containers keep attachments next to the text. An external editor can be used, with changes syncing back into the app.
What it costs
The source is MIT licensed and free on GitHub. The official apps are a one-time $8.99 on the App Store, which the developer frames as supporting continued development and which is what brings automatic updates. There is no subscription, and the site says so explicitly.
Two things to note. The Mac and iPhone apps are separate purchases. And if you buy neither, the GitHub release is the same software without automatic updates.
Requirements and limits
The current release is 7.3.5, published to the Mac App Store on 3 October 2026, and it requires macOS 12.4.
The main gap is sync on iOS: the iPhone app supports iCloud Drive only, with no Dropbox, WebDAV or Google Drive. And FSNotes is not a linked knowledge base — there is no graph view and no plugin system. If that is what you want, Obsidian or Logseq are the tools, and FSNotes is the one to pick when you want files and speed instead.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for FSNotes, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
7.3.5
Current release, published to the Mac App Store on 3 October 2026.
Source: Mac App Store
7.3.4
Previous release, published to GitHub two weeks before 7.3.5.
Source: Source repository
7.3.2
Release on the 7.3 line, published a month before 7.3.4.
Source: Source repository
Questions about FSNotes
Is FSNotes free?
The source is MIT licensed and free to download from GitHub. The official Mac and iPhone apps are a one-time $8.99 from the App Store, which funds development and adds automatic updates. There is no subscription.
Where does FSNotes store my notes?
Wherever you tell it to. It works directly with folders on your device as plain Markdown files, with no mandatory account or cloud service, so the files remain readable in any other editor.Developer-stated
Which macOS version does FSNotes need?
macOS 12.4 or later, according to the Mac App Store listing for the current 7.3.5 build.
Does FSNotes work on iPhone?
Yes, as a separate app using the same Markdown files. It syncs through iCloud Drive; Dropbox, WebDAV and Google Drive are not supported.Developer-stated
Can I use Git with FSNotes?
Yes, optionally. You can schedule commits, review note history and push or pull from a remote repository.Developer-stated
How does FSNotes differ from Obsidian?
Both work on local Markdown files, but Obsidian adds a graph view and a large plugin ecosystem while FSNotes is a lighter native Mac app without either. FSNotes is the better fit if you want files and speed; Obsidian if you want a linked knowledge base.Editorially reviewed
Alternatives to FSNotes
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
Obsidian
Local-first Markdown notes, with optional paid sync.
Both keep notes as local Markdown files, but Obsidian adds a graph view and a plugin ecosystem while FSNotes is a lighter native Mac app with iCloud and Git.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Typora
Minimal Markdown editor with live in-place rendering.
Both edit Markdown on macOS, but Typora is a paid single-document editor with live in-place rendering while FSNotes is an open-source library manager built around folders of files.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Joplin
Open-source markdown notes with end-to-end encryption and sync you control.
Both are Markdown note apps for macOS that store notes as files, but FSNotes is a native Mac app while Joplin is cross-platform with its own database.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
