Best Alternatives to Thoughts for Mac in 2025

Apple Notes is a free, native app that syncs seamlessly across all Apple devices. It supports text, images, checklists, and even scanned documents. While it lacks a menubar quick-capture interface and AI transcription, it's deeply integrated into macOS and offers robust organization with folders and tags. For users who prefer a built-in solution without extra cost, Apple Notes is a solid choice.

Raycast Notes is part of the Raycast launcher, which provides a quick and keyboard-driven way to capture notes. It supports markdown, and with Raycast's AI features, you can perform text transformations and more. It's ideal for users who already use Raycast for productivity and want a fast, integrated note-taking experience. However, it may require a Raycast Pro subscription for advanced AI capabilities.

Tot is a minimalist text editor that lives in your menubar, offering seven tiny editors for quick notes. It's perfect for jotting down thoughts without leaving your current app. While it doesn't support images or voice, its simplicity and focus on plain text make it a great alternative for writers and developers who want a distraction-free capture tool.

Drafts is a powerful capture tool that opens quickly and lets you write notes, dictate text, and even capture images. It supports extensive automation and can send your notes to various apps. With Drafts Pro, you get advanced features like workspace customization and AI actions. It's a strong alternative for users who need more flexibility and integrations than Thoughts offers.

Bear is a beautiful, markdown-based note-taking app with a quick capture feature via its menubar icon. It supports text, images, and sketches, and offers powerful tagging and search. While it doesn't have built-in voice transcription, it integrates with Apple's dictation. Bear is ideal for users who want a polished writing environment with robust organization.

A versatile writing app tailored to your thinking

Obsidian is a knowledge base app that works on local markdown files. With the QuickAdd plugin, you can create a menubar quick-capture workflow. It supports text, images, and audio recordings (with plugins), and has a vast plugin ecosystem for AI transcription and text transformations. It's best for users who want a customizable, future-proof note-taking system.

The all‑in‑one workspace

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that includes a web clipper and quick note capture. While it doesn't have a native menubar app, you can use third-party tools or its desktop app for quick access. Notion supports text, images, and audio (with transcription via AI add-ons). It's suitable for teams and individuals who want a centralized hub for notes and projects.