Menu bar notes apps for Mac, compared
Updated 4 September 2026 · 6 minute read · by the makers of Perch
A menu bar notes app keeps your notes behind an icon at the top of the screen instead of in windows on the desktop, so they are reachable from any display and over fullscreen apps. The four worth knowing in 2026 are Tot (free download, $19.99 in-app for the full Mac app; seven fixed notes, iCloud sync), Antinote ($5; plain-text scratchpad with inline maths), Noticky ($9.99; Markdown, tags, iCloud sync, Touch ID) and Perch ($9.99 once, made by us; opens on whichever display your cursor is on, pop-out always-on-top notes, but no iCloud sync and no iOS app).
What is a menu bar notes app?
It is a notes app whose entire interface hangs off a small icon in the macOS menu bar. Click the icon — or press a global hotkey — and a panel drops down with your notes in it. Click away and it's gone. Nothing sits on your desktop, nothing appears in the Dock or the app switcher, and there is no window to arrange.
The alternative shapes are desktop windows (Apple Stickies), which are always visible but stuck on one screen and hidden by fullscreen apps, and docked sidebars (SideNotes), which claim a strip of one display permanently.
Why put notes in the menu bar?
Three properties of the macOS menu bar do the work:
- It is on every display. macOS draws the menu bar across the top of every connected monitor, so a note behind a menu bar icon is one click away from whichever screen you're looking at. No window to drag between monitors.
- It survives fullscreen. Push the cursor to the top of a fullscreen app and the menu bar slides down, so you can read a note without leaving what you were doing.
- It costs no screen space. An icon, and nothing else, until you ask.
The trade-off is real and worth stating: a menu bar note is not visible at a glance. If you want a note permanently in your peripheral vision, a desktop sticky or a pinned always-on-top window suits you better than a drop-down panel.
Menu bar notes apps compared
| App | Price | Note limit | Global hotkey | Opens on active display | iCloud sync | Always-on-top window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perch | $9.99 once, after a 3-day trial (3 notes free) | Unlimited when unlocked | ⌥ Space | Yes — follows the cursor, or pin per note | No | Yes (paid) |
| Tot | Free download, $19.99 in-app for full Mac app | 7, fixed | Configurable | Opens on the active screen | Yes | Yes |
| Antinote | $5 once | Unlimited | ⌥ A | Opens where summoned | No | Yes |
| Noticky | $9.99 once | Unlimited | Configurable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Stickies (not a menu bar app) | Free | Unlimited | No | No — windows stay put | No | Float-on-top, one display |
Tot — seven notes, no more
The Iconfactory's Tot is the best-known menu bar scratchpad on the Mac. Seven colour-coded dots, plain text or Markdown in each, iCloud sync to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The ceiling is deliberate: when all seven are full, you have to throw something away, which is either a discipline or a dealbreaker.
It's free to download from the Mac App Store; the full Mac version is unlocked by a one-time in-app purchase listed at $19.99 at the time of writing. Choose it if you want sync and a hard limit.
Antinote — the $5 scratchpad
Antinote (macOS 14 and later) is built for text you are going to throw away: press ⌥ A, type, close. It strips formatting on paste, keeps everything plain, and resolves maths, unit conversions and currency inline as you type. When a scratch note turns out to matter, it exports to Apple Notes, Obsidian or Bear.
No sync, no rich text, no organisation to speak of. At $5 that's a fair bargain rather than a compromise.
Noticky — the most complete
Noticky is the closest competitor to Perch and, on features per dollar, it wins: its site lists Markdown WYSIWYG editing, iCloud sync, Touch ID lock, tags, templates, reminders, export and always-on-top sticky windows, for $9.99 one-time. If you want a menu bar notes app that can also be your notes system, start there.
Perch — the multi-monitor one
Perch is ours, so here is a description rather than a verdict. It does one thing the others don't emphasise: the panel opens on whichever display your cursor is on, and each note can either follow you between displays or be pinned to one specific screen. Press ⌥ Space anywhere and the note comes back at the same scroll position and cursor position you left it at.
The rest is deliberately small: smart bullet and numbered lists (type "- " or "1. "), bold and italic, six paper colours, search, pinned notes, light/dark/system, and pop-out resizable always-on-top note windows you can park on a second monitor.
What it doesn't do: no iCloud sync, no iPhone or iPad app, no images, no Markdown, no tags or folders, no reminders, no Touch ID lock. Free to download with a 3-day full trial, then 3 notes free or $9.99 once for unlimited notes and pop-out windows.
Which menu bar notes app should you pick?
| If you want… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Your notes on iPhone as well | Tot or Noticky |
| A hard limit that keeps you tidy | Tot |
| Throwaway text and quick maths for $5 | Antinote |
| Markdown, tags, templates, Touch ID | Noticky |
| The note to appear on whichever monitor you're using | Perch |
| To spend nothing at all | Apple Stickies (desktop windows, one display) |
Frequently asked questions
What is a menu bar notes app on a Mac?
A menu bar notes app keeps your notes behind a small icon in the macOS menu bar instead of in windows on the desktop. Clicking the icon, or pressing a global hotkey, drops a panel down with your notes; clicking away puts it back. Because macOS draws the menu bar on every connected display and keeps it reachable over fullscreen apps, a menu bar note can be opened from any screen at any time. Examples include Perch, Tot, Antinote and Noticky.
Which is the best menu bar notes app for Mac?
It depends on what you need. Tot is best if you want exactly seven scratchpads with iCloud sync across Apple devices. Antinote, at $5, is best for throwaway text and inline maths. Noticky is the most feature-complete at $9.99, with Markdown, tags, iCloud sync and Touch ID lock. Perch, made by the publisher of this page, is $9.99 once and is aimed at multi-monitor desks: it opens the note on whichever display your cursor is on and can pin individual notes to one specific display, but it has no iCloud sync and no iOS app.
Do menu bar notes stay visible over fullscreen apps?
The menu bar itself stays reachable while a fullscreen app is in front on macOS — move the cursor to the top of the screen and it appears — so a menu bar notes app can be opened without leaving fullscreen. That is the main practical advantage over Apple Stickies, whose notes are ordinary desktop windows that a fullscreen app hides completely.
Is there a free menu bar notes app for Mac?
Tot is free to download from the Mac App Store, with a one-time in-app purchase to unlock the full Mac version. Perch is a free download with a 3-day full trial and keeps three notes free forever afterwards. Apple's built-in Stickies is completely free but is not a menu bar app — its notes are desktop windows.
What is the keyboard shortcut to open a menu bar notes app?
Each app sets its own global hotkey. Perch uses ⌥ Space, and opens on the display the cursor is on. Antinote uses ⌥ A by default. Tot and Noticky let you assign your own shortcut in their settings. A global hotkey works from inside any app, which is the point of it.
Do menu bar notes apps slow down a Mac?
These are small, single-purpose apps that sit idle until you click their icon, so the practical impact on a modern Mac is negligible. The real cost of a menu bar app is space in the menu bar itself, which becomes scarce on a MacBook where the notch consumes part of it.