What are the best free writing & notes apps for Mac?

By community activity, Craft, Bear and Day One are the top picks on Mac App Index right now.

Are these writing & notes apps completely free?

Not all of them. 6 are completely free; 8 are free to download, with in-app purchases or a paid upgrade for extra features.

How many free writing & notes apps are there for Mac?

Mac App Index lists 14 apps: 6 completely free, 8 free to start, 0 paid upfront and 0 by subscription. 4 are open source.

Free writing & notes apps for Mac

14 writing & notes apps you can use on Mac without paying upfront. 6 are completely free and 8 are free to start, with in-app purchases or paid upgrades. Most popular right now: Craft, Bear and Day One.

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Craft

Docs and notes with beautiful structure

163Free + in-appProductivity

Bear

Markdown notes that feel effortless

178Free + in-appWriting & notes

Day One

Private journal with photos and places

74Free + in-appLifestyle

Drafts

Capture text first, decide later

38Free + in-appProductivity

Agenda

Date-focused notes

42Free + in-appProductivity

Notion

Docs, wikis and projects in one workspace

35Free + in-appProductivity

BBEdit

Professional text and code editor

25Free + in-appDeveloper tools

Obsidian

Markdown notes stored on your own disk

23Free + in-appProductivity

How we picked: every app here is listed in writing & notes on Mac App Index and is either completely free or free to start with in-app purchases. Apps are sorted by community activity; switch to Top or New to reorder them. How we rank apps

Frequently asked questions

What are the best free writing & notes apps for Mac?: By community activity, Craft, Bear and Day One are the top picks on Mac App Index right now.
Are these writing & notes apps completely free?: Not all of them. 6 are completely free; 8 are free to download, with in-app purchases or a paid upgrade for extra features.
How many free writing & notes apps are there for Mac?: Mac App Index lists 14 apps: 6 completely free, 8 free to start, 0 paid upfront and 0 by subscription. 4 are open source.