Alternatives to Tot
A small text scratchpad for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch that syncs through iCloud. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Tot
A small text scratchpad for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch that syncs through iCloud.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Tot.
Drafts
An Apple-platform app for capturing text quickly and sending it elsewhere with actions.
Drafts also targets Apple platforms and opens straight to a new page, adding actions that send captured text to other apps and services.
Apple Notes
Apple's built-in notes app with sync, sketches, and text recognition.
Apple Notes is preinstalled and free on Apple devices, adding sketches and text recognition, and it holds a full note library instead of a few scratch pages.
SideNotes
A Mac note-taking app that slides in from the side of the screen for quick notes.
SideNotes is a paid Mac-only app that slides in from the screen edge for quick notes with folders, tasks and images, and has no iPhone app.
Unclutter
A macOS pull-down panel that holds clipboard history, quick notes and a file drop zone.
Unclutter is a paid macOS-only pull-down panel combining quick notes with clipboard history and a file drop zone, without iPhone or Apple Watch apps.
Google Keep
A note service from Google for quick notes, checklists and reminders that sync across devices.
Google Keep is a free web service for quick notes, checklists and reminders synced through a Google account, with notes stored on Google's servers.
Simplenote
Minimal note app that syncs plain-text and Markdown notes across devices.
Simplenote is free and open source with unlimited plain-text sync across Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, but it has no listed iOS or Apple Watch app.
Bear
Apple-exclusive markdown notes app with tag-based organization and a polished editor.
Bear stays on Apple platforms but offers a full Markdown notes library with tag-based organization, with advanced features like export requiring a subscription.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Twos
An app for quickly writing down notes, to-dos, reminders and events organised by day.
Napkin
An iPhone app for collecting quotes and ideas and resurfacing them for reflection.
NotePlan
A daily-note app that combines notes, tasks and Apple Calendar events for Mac, iOS and web.
Agenda
A date-focused note app for Mac, iPhone and iPad that links notes to calendar events.
FSNotes
An open-source Markdown notes app for Mac and iPhone that stores notes as plain files.
