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plainnoteio/app — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

13JavaScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TL;DR

A minimal Mac notes app that stores everything as plain markdown files you own, with no database or account.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Plain markdown note app
      Local files no database
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Electron
    Use cases
      Take local notes
      Link and browse notes
      Export to PDF or HTML
    Audience
      Mac users
      Note takers
    Setup
      npm install and start
      Apple Silicon only

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Take notes as local markdown files with no account or vendor lock-in.

REASON 2

Link related notes together and browse backlinks between them.

REASON 3

Export any note as a PDF or standalone HTML page for sharing.

What's in the stack?

JavaScriptElectronCSS

How it stacks up

plainnoteio/app09catho/axonabdulrdeveloper/react--tic-tac-toe
Stars131313
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity2/54/51/5
Audiencegeneralresearcherdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Built specifically for Apple Silicon Macs using Electron.

Wtf does this do

Plainnote is a note taking app for Mac computers built around plain markdown text files instead of a hidden database. Every note you write is stored as an ordinary .md file inside a folder on your own computer, which means there is no account to sign up for, no proprietary format locking your notes in, and you can open or edit those same files with any other text editor if you want to. The app focuses on a clean writing experience. While editing, the exact line your cursor is on shows its raw markdown formatting, while every other line renders normally, and you can switch fully between an editing view and a plain reading view with a keyboard shortcut. You can link notes together by typing double square brackets to trigger an autocomplete, and the app keeps track of backlinks, showing you every other note that links back to the one you have open. Typing a hashtag anywhere turns it into a clickable tag you can browse from the sidebar. Other features include a split view for looking at two notes side by side, each with its own separate history of what you viewed before, search across your entire collection of notes or within a single note, drag and drop organization with folders and pinned notes, a safe trash for deleted notes, and the ability to export any note as a PDF or a standalone HTML page. Because the app watches your notes folder on disk, edits made from another app or text editor show up immediately inside Plainnote too. The project is built with Electron, a framework for building desktop apps using web technology, and is aimed specifically at Apple Silicon Macs. It reads all your notes into memory when it starts and recalculates search, tags, and backlinks on the fly rather than relying on a stored index or database. Plainnote is released under the AGPL-3.0 license.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through installing Plainnote from source using npm on my Mac.
Prompt 2
Explain how wikilinks and backlinks work between notes in this app.
Prompt 3
Show me how the split view and per-pane history navigation works in Plainnote.
Prompt 4
Help me understand where my notes are stored on disk so I can edit them with another tool.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is app?

A minimal Mac notes app that stores everything as plain markdown files you own, with no database or account.

What language is app written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Electron, CSS.

How hard is app to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is app for?

Mainly general.

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