Syutto
A resident quick-note app for macOS
From any screen,
in an instant.
Mid-video, mid-code, a thought shows up. You go hunting for a notes app, open it, and lose your place — we removed that round trip. The floating button, or ⌃⌥M. Write, close. That's it.
$4.99 one-time
No ads. No subscription.
Overview
What Syutto is
A plain-text-only note app that lives in your menu bar.
- Opens over whatever app you're in — the floating button or ⌃⌥M
- As many notes as you like, with titles, full-text search, pinning and a Trash
- Everything stays on your Mac. No network, no account
- macOS 14 or later / $4.99 one-time
What it doesn't do
No images, tables or handwriting. No iPhone app, no iCloud sync.
It's built for one thing: fast notes without formatting.
Core
Nothing to switch to, so nothing stops.
Opens from anywhere, instantly
The floating button or ⌃⌥M. It opens right on top of whatever you're using — no hunting for an app, no round trip back to your work.
Never steals focus
Your current app stays active while the panel is open. Write while a video plays, while you code, while you're on a call.
Interruptions caused by taking a note — zero
Keep it open while you read
Normally it slips away when you click elsewhere. When you'd rather it stayed, press the lock at the top-right — then scroll a PDF with the panel still open.
Default: click away to close / Locked: stays open
How it works
Before the thought slips away.
Open
Click the floating pencil button, or press ⌃⌥M. The panel unfolds right where you are.
Write
Just type. Everything auto-saves. Leave the title empty and one is generated for you.
Close
Click anywhere else and it's gone — or press Esc. Empty notes clean themselves up.
Compare
What's different from Apple's own notes.
| Syutto | Apple Notes | Stickies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never steals focus from your current app | ◯ | — | — |
| Opens anywhere from a floating button | ◯ | — | — |
| Search across titles and body text | ◯ | ◯ | — |
| Trash with 30-day recovery | ◯ | ◯ | — |
| Doesn't sit on your screen all day | ◯ | ◯ | — |
Apple Notes' Quick Note (hot corner / Fn+Q) is fast too — but it moves focus to the Notes app. Syutto lets you write while your current app stays active. That's the difference.
Features
Speed alone doesn't make a tool.
Keyboard all the way
⌘E to export, ⌘⌫ to delete, ⌃⌥M to open, ⌘F to search, ↑↓ to pick a note, Esc to close. Esc during IME composition cancels the conversion, not the panel. No mouse required.
Light enough to forget it's running
Not an Electron app. Syutto is native SwiftUI, sitting at about 13 MB while it waits in the background. Keep it running all day — your Mac won't notice.
13MB
Resident / measured physical footprint, Release build
Safe to rely on
Everything auto-saves as you type. Pin what matters; scratch notes are fine to abandon — empty ones tidy themselves up, and deleted notes stay recoverable for 30 days. Daily automatic backups and txt/md export on top. The fear of losing a note is engineered away.
Make it yours
Six accent themes, ten button colors, eight icons, any size. Drag the button anywhere. Don't want it? Turn it off and use the hotkey and menu bar only.
Shortcuts
Hands stay where they are.
- ⌃⌥M
- Open / close notes (changeable)
- ⌘N
- New note
- ⌘F
- Search
- ↑↓
- Move one note up / down
- ⌘E
- Export the open note
- ⌘⌫
- Delete the selected note
- ⌘,
- Settings
- Esc
- Close settings → clear search → close the panel
The same list lives inside the app's settings, in case you forget one.
Privacy
Your notes never leave your Mac.
Zero network
The app performs no network communication at all.
Data Not Collected
That's our App Store privacy label — literally.
No ads, no tracking
No analytics SDKs. No ad SDKs. Nothing.
No account
No sign-up, no login. Launch it and write.
Price
$4.99
One-time. That's it.
No subscription. No in-app purchases.
The price of a cup of coffee. Yours for good.
It costs less than the time you'd spend deciding.
FAQ
Is there a free trial?
No — the price is low enough to just try it. After purchase, you can request a refund through Apple (approval is at Apple's discretion).
What are the system requirements?
macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later. Runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Where are my notes stored?
Only on your Mac, in the app's sandboxed container. Nothing is ever sent to any server. You can see the exact storage path in the app's settings.
Is there an iPhone version or iCloud sync?
Syutto is Mac-only for now. An iPhone version and iCloud sync are on the list of future candidates.
Won't the floating button get in my way?
You can drag it anywhere and change its size and color. If you'd rather not see it, turn it off in Settings — the menu bar icon becomes your entry point, and a single left click opens a note (right-click for the menu). Paired with the hotkey, it takes no more steps than the button.
⌃⌥M clashes with another app. Can I change it?
Yes. In Settings → “Menu bar & button”, press whatever combination you like to record it (it needs to include ⌃, ⌥, or ⌘). If the new one can't be registered, Syutto falls back to the combination that was working and tells you why — you'll never be left unable to open it.
Are updates paid?
No. All version 1.x updates are free. There are no plans for changes that would break the meaning of "one-time purchase" — such as switching to a subscription.
How can I support the app?
An App Store review and a share on X help the most. It's a one-person project — every piece of feedback gets read.
Maker
Who's behind this
Syutto is built by a solo developer in Japan. It started as a personal tool — I didn't want to open a full-blown notes app just to jot something down. This isn't a ship-and-forget product; it's a tool I use every day and intend to keep improving.
Release updates will be posted on X (Twitter).
Notes without the ceremony.