An Apple Notes alternative that thinks in blocks
Updated August 2026
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 | Plain files 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
What is a block editor?
An editor where every paragraph, heading, to-do, table, or image is a distinct block you can grab, drag, nest, and transform — instead of one continuous rich-text stream. It’s the structure Notion made familiar. Locus brings it to a local Mac app: type / for any block, and rearrange a page the way you’d rearrange index cards.
Can Apple Notes do Markdown?
Not natively — Apple Notes has its own rich-text formatting and doesn’t recognize Markdown syntax. If your hands already speak Markdown, Locus reads it as you type: **bold**, ## headings, - lists, and code fences become real formatting the moment you finish the keystroke.
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?
Yes — directly. Locus reads your notes through macOS’s own permission prompt (System Settings → Automation controls it) and imports every folder and note with formatting preserved, organized under a single page for review. Locked notes stay locked and are skipped.
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.
Is Apple Notes expected to gain Markdown?
Apple has never announced Markdown support, and nothing in recent macOS releases suggests it’s coming — Apple Notes is built on its own rich-text model, and Apple has held that line for a decade. If Markdown is how your hands already write, the realistic answer is an app built on it rather than waiting: Locus expands Markdown as you type and exports it back out.