I’ve always loved Apple Notes. It’s the kind of app that just works. No setup, no login, no distractions. You open it, type a thought, close it, and it’s already synced to your other devices.
For years, that was enough for me. It was fast, clean, and invisible in the best way. But after a while, my notes started to pile up. Finding things became harder, and every time I wanted to back them up or organize better, I felt stuck.
The Comfort and the Trap of Simplicity
Apple Notes feels wonderfully light. Your thoughts seem to live somewhere safe, quietly synced through iCloud. But as your ideas grow, that comfort slowly turns into a kind of lock-in.
You start to wonder:
- Can I move these notes out easily?
- Why can’t I see what changed from yesterday?
- Why is searching across attachments so limited?
It’s not that Apple Notes is bad. It’s just not made for people who want full control over their notes.
The Moment I Looked for Something Else
The turning point for me came when I tried to export all my notes. There wasn’t a clean way to do it. Apple Notes exports in .rtf or PDF, not Markdown or plain text. That’s when I realized everything I’d written — ideas, drafts, half-finished thoughts — was stuck in a format I couldn’t really touch.
I didn’t want to leave Apple Notes because I disliked it. I just wanted the same simplicity, but with ownership. Something that still felt light, but gave me control over my files.
Rediscovering Markdown
Markdown wasn’t new to me. I’d used it before but always thought of it as “for developers.” Then it clicked: Markdown is just text with meaning. It’s simple, readable, and timeless.
A Markdown file opens anywhere, even ten years from now. It doesn’t need a company server or special software. It’s just your words, written your way.
Finding the Right Tool: Mdit
That’s when I found Mdit, a local-first Markdown note app for Mac. It instantly felt familiar — clean, fast, and focused — but every note was stored as a real .md file on disk.
Mdit is tiny, under 10 MB, and completely private. No accounts, no analytics. It even has small touches that make writing easier, like slash commands (/todo, /heading, /ai summarize) and front-matter automation for organizing metadata.
I connected my own OpenAI key and started rewriting drafts directly in Markdown, without sending anything to the cloud. It felt like the natural next step after Apple Notes — simple, but mine.
Apple Notes vs Mdit
| Feature | Apple Notes | Mdit |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | iCloud | Local files (.md) |
| File Format | Proprietary | Markdown (plain text) |
| Privacy | Cloud-based | Fully local |
| Speed | Fast | Instant |
| Collaboration | Apple ecosystem | Manual sync (your choice) |
| AI | None | Your own API key |
| UI Style | Native macOS | Minimal and modern |
| Philosophy | ”Just write." | "Write freely, and keep your work.” |
What I Learned After Switching
After using Mdit for a few weeks, I realized I didn’t need more features. I just wanted the same calm writing space, with the peace of mind that my words were safe and portable.
Now, all my notes live in a simple folder on my Mac. I still sync them with iCloud, but I can back them up anywhere — even Git or Dropbox. And if I ever stop using Mdit, nothing breaks. They’re still Markdown files. That kind of quiet freedom is something you only notice after losing it once.
Final Thoughts
If you love Apple Notes for its simplicity, you don’t have to give that up. You can keep the same comfort while gaining control.
Mdit feels like what Apple Notes would be if it spoke Markdown — a small, beautiful, privacy-focused app that respects both your words and your time.
Try it at mdit.app. It’s simple, private, and yours.