An Apple Notes alternative that thinks in blocks
Apple Notes is genuinely good — and eventually too small. Locus keeps what makes it right (local, private, fast, native) and adds the structure serious notes grow into: blocks, Markdown, backlinks, code, and themes.
The moment usually arrives quietly. A note becomes a project. A checklist wants sub-items and a table. A draft wants headings you can fold, code that reads like code, links that know their context. Apple Notes answers all of it with the same yellow legal pad. Locus is what the next notebook looks like — while refusing to give up the local, no-account soul that made Apple Notes trustworthy in the first place.
Side by side, fairly
| Locus | Apple Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | A readable JSON file on your Mac | Local database (+ iCloud sync) |
| Block editor | Yes — to-dos, toggles, tables, callouts | Rich text with checklists |
| Markdown | Expands as you type (**bold**, ## headings) | No |
| Backlinks between notes | Yes, with context | Links, without context |
| Code blocks | Syntax highlighting, 18 languages | Plain monospaced text |
| Themes | 22, with fonts and code colors | System light/dark |
| Page covers & icons | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | No — Mac only | Yes, everywhere |
| Sync | None, by design | iCloud |
| Price | Free while in development | Free with every Mac |
Where Apple Notes wins, it really wins: it's on your iPhone, and it syncs. Locus is Mac-only on purpose — see why in local-first notes.
What you gain the first hour
Type / and every block is there — to-dos with real checkboxes, toggles that fold sections away, tables, callouts, quotes, dividers, images you can resize by hand. Type **bold** or ## heading and it becomes real as you finish the keystroke. Mention another page with @ and both pages remember the connection. And if privacy is the reason you never left Apple Notes, the private-notes checklist shows how Locus goes further still.
Questions people ask
Should I actually leave Apple Notes?+
Maybe not entirely — it's excellent for quick captures, shared lists, and anything you need on your phone. Locus earns its place when notes become thinking: structured pages, projects, drafts, and anything you want in an open format you control.
Can I move my Apple Notes into Locus?+
Apple Notes has no clean Markdown export built in, but any exporter that produces Markdown files works: point Locus at the folder via File → Import and each file becomes a page.
Does Locus sync between Macs like Notes does?+
No — Locus has no sync service at all; that's the privacy model. Your workspace is a single file, so tools you already trust (Time Machine, your own file sync) can carry it, but Locus itself never transmits anything.
Is Locus as fast as Apple Notes?+
It's built the same way — native Swift on macOS text machinery — and it's tuned hard: typing, scrolling, and page switching are all engineered to stay out of your way even on very large pages.
Free while in development · macOS 14 or later