SideNotes app icon

SideNotes

Notes that slide out from the edge of your screen

MaciPhoneiPad$19.99 once

The verdict

Writing down an action item mid-call usually means switching apps and losing your place. SideNotes keeps a notes panel tucked against the edge of your screen, opened from a hot side, the menu bar or a shortcut. It handles folders, checklists, colors, images and Markdown, and syncs over iCloud. It has 97% positive ratings from 1,400+ Setapp users, but the iPhone app is a separate $9.99 purchase.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Get it if

You take quick notes during calls or while coding and hate hunting for the right window.

Skip it if

You only need one scratch note at a time, which Antinote covers for $5.

Screenshots 4

What it helps you do

  • Jot notes during a call without switching
  • Keep project notes in folders
  • Tick off checklists from the screen edge
  • Drop screenshots and files into a note

Plans and prices

  • Mac

    $19.99

    $19.99 once for all 1.x updates, from the developer or the Mac App Store

  • SideNotes Mobile

    $9.99

    $9.99 once for iPhone and iPad, sold separately

  • Setapp

    Included

    Included in a Setapp subscription from $14.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial

What changed

  1. Version 1.6.6

    Fixed an issue that could make SideNotes open automatically after opening the new Siri app on macOS 27.

  2. Added to The Useful Apps

Written up in The Useful Tech

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The details

Runs on
Mac, iPhone, iPad
Requires
macOS 13 or later
Version
1.6.6
Size
15 MB
Made by
Apptorium
Menu bar app
Lives in the menu bar
iCloud sync
Syncs across your devices
Shortcuts
Works with the Shortcuts app
Free trial
Try the paid version first
Privacy
Collects no data, per its App Store label
Family Sharing
1 purchase for the family

Developer's websiteSpot a wrong price or fact?