Design principles
Calm surfaces, readable typography, compact controls, and no dashboard between you and your notes.
Beta · NoteTree for Mac
Notes in a real folder tree.
A calm notes app for Mac with a hierarchical folder tree. Put folders inside folders, see one clear list of notes, and write in a roomy editor with tables, checklists and images. Your notes are yours: they live on your Mac, sync through your own iCloud, and leave whenever you want. No account, no subscription.
14 days free · $9.99 in beta, then $14.99 · one licence for 3 Macs · macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Work
Newest Storage adapter
The app stores state behind a small repository boundary. Browser mode uses IndexedDB; desktop…
Design principles
Calm surfaces, readable typography, compact controls, and no dashboard between you and your notes.
Interface rhythm
Three stable areas: navigation, selection, and content.
Small notes become useful when their structure stays visible.
Folders inside folders, the notes in one list, and the note itself.
What NoteTree does
A real folder tree
Folders inside folders, with as many levels as you need. Put subfolders inside subfolders, drag them to reorder, and move notes in a click.
One clear note list
Pick a folder or subfolder and see its notes, with previews, next to a spacious editor.
Write in rich text, not code
Headings, checklists, tables, quotes, code blocks and links. Paste or drop images straight into a note.
Yours, on your Mac
Notes live in a library on your Mac and sync through your own iCloud, not through our servers. No NoteTree account to sign up for. Export the whole library — folders, notes and images — whenever you want. Nothing holds your notes hostage.
Feels at home on a Mac
Full menu bar, ⌘K to jump to any note or folder, several windows at once, light and dark themes, adjustable text size.
Same notes on all your Macs
iCloud sync keeps your folders, notes and images in step across your Macs, through your own iCloud account.
Keyboard first
NoteTree is built so that the common path — write, find, file — never needs the mouse.
Start writing
| ⌘N | A new note in the current folder; the cursor is already in the title. |
|---|---|
| ↩ | In the title: jump into the note body. |
| ⌥⌘N | A new folder. |
| ⇧⌘N | A second NoteTree window. |
Find and go
| ⌘K | Type a few letters to jump to any note or folder by name. ↑ ↓ to choose, ↩ to go, esc to close. |
|---|---|
| ⌘F | Search your notes. The search field takes focus, and the sidebar opens if it was hidden. |
File and tidy up
| ⌘K, then type | Move Note to… — type a folder name, ↑ ↓, ↩. The note is filed. |
|---|---|
| ⌘K, then type | Duplicate Note, Archive Note, Move to Trash, Restore. |
| ⌘K, then type | Open in New Window, Export as HTML, Copy Note. |
While you write
| ⌘B | Bold. |
|---|---|
| ⌘I | Italic. |
| ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z | Undo and redo. |
| — | Notes save as you type; there is no Save command to remember. |
Make room
| ⌃⌘S | Show or hide the folder sidebar. |
|---|---|
| ⇧⌘S | Show or hide the note list. |
| ⌘, | Settings. |
| esc | Close any dialog or menu. |
From thought to filed, hands on the keyboard. Press ⌘N and type the title. Return, and you are in the note — write. When you are done, press ⌘K, type “move”, Return, type the first letters of the folder, Return. The note is saved and sits where it belongs. To come back to it next week, ⌘K and a few letters of its title.
Questions about NoteTree
What is NoteTree?
NoteTree is a notes app for Mac that organises notes in a real folder tree: folders inside folders, one note list, and a rich-text editor.
Can I put folders inside folders?
Yes. NoteTree has a hierarchical folder tree: you can nest folders and subfolders as deep as you need, reorder them by dragging, and move notes between them.
Do I need an account?
No NoteTree account. Your notes live in a library on your Mac and sync between your Macs through your own iCloud, so they do not pass through our servers. Writing works without a connection; sync catches up on its own when you are back online.
Is NoteTree a subscription?
No. You get 14 days free, then you buy a one-time licence that does not expire and covers up to 3 Macs. It is $9.99 while NoteTree is in beta, and $14.99 after that.
Is NoteTree a Markdown app?
No. NoteTree uses a normal rich-text editor with headings, lists, checklists, tables, quotes, code blocks, links and images, so there is no syntax to learn.
Can I add images?
Yes. Paste an image or drag it into a note. PNG, JPEG, WebP and GIF are supported.
Can I get my notes out?
Yes. Settings → Import & export saves your whole library to a JSON file, and you can import it again.
How is NoteTree different from Apple Notes or Bear?
Apple Notes is free and syncs to iPhone. NoteTree focuses on organising many notes in a deep folder tree on the Mac, with multiple windows and keyboard navigation. Bear organises with tags. NoteTree uses folders.
Does it sync between Macs?
Yes. NoteTree syncs your library across your Macs with iCloud, through your own iCloud account. Your notes do not go through our servers.
Is there an iPhone or iPad version?
Not yet. NoteTree is a Mac app.
What do I need to run it?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel.
Try it right here
A working copy of NoteTree, with a library already filled in. Click around: open folders, pick notes, type in the editor.
Nothing here is saved anywhere: the demo resets every time the page loads.
The demo needs a wider screen. Open this page on a Mac to try NoteTree right here.
Try NoteTree
Free for 14 days. No account, nothing to cancel.
$9.99 in beta, then $14.99 · one licence for 3 Macs · macOS 14 Sonoma or later