Sticky Notes for Mac: Better Stickies vs Apple's Stickies (2026)

Every Mac already has a sticky notes app: Apple's Stickies, free and built in. It is the right choice for plain text notes with a little formatting. BetterStickies is the pick when notes need to hold screenshots, files, code, or checklists, set reminders, or work the same on a Windows or Linux computer too.

Overview

Stickies is Apple's own sticky notes app and still ships with macOS 27. Notes take colors and fonts, hold lists, pictures, and PDFs, can float above other windows or turn translucent, and collapse to their title bar. Apple's guide for it reads the same for macOS 15 through macOS 27.

BetterStickies is a sticky notes app for Mac, Windows, and Linux. On a Mac it runs on Apple Silicon with macOS 13 Ventura or later and comes as a notarized .dmg download. Notes can hold pasted screenshots, files, and code blocks, carry up to three pages behind tabs, set reminders, and sit on image or animated GIF backgrounds. It works offline and needs no account.

Pricing

Stickies is free and comes with macOS.

BetterStickies is free for 4 notes, with no signup and no time limit; each extra tab inside a note counts as one of the four. A one-time Premium unlock, currently $7.99, removes the limit. There is no subscription.

What Apple's Stickies Does Well

• Nothing to install. It is already on every Mac, and notes save automatically.
• Find and replace. Edit > Find searches the current note or all notes, and can replace text too.
• Pictures with Markup. Drag a picture or PDF into a note, then crop, rotate, or draw on it.
• Easy exits. Notes export as plain text, RTF, or RTFD, and Export All to Notes copies every note into Apple Notes, organized by color, where they reach your other Apple devices.
• Small touches. Float on Top, Translucent, collapse to the title bar, and "Use as Default" to make a note's look the template for new ones.

Where BetterStickies Goes Further

• Paste anything. Press paste and the note works out what you copied: a screenshot or image, files and folders, code (as a code block), Markdown, rich text from a web page, email, or document (both keep their formatting), a link, or plain text.
• Checklists and reminders. Nested todo checklists with Tab and Shift+Tab, and a reminder on any note. Apple's Stickies guide documents lists, but neither checklists nor reminders.
• Tabs. Up to three pages inside one note, and search that reads every page of every note, including hidden notes.
• Per-note looks. Image and animated GIF backgrounds, opacity from 1% to 100%, font size from 8pt to 72pt, line spacing from 100% to 200%, and a 40-color grid or any hex value.
• Built for the Mac's desktop. Notes appear on every Space. System-wide shortcuts work out of the box, with no Accessibility permission to grant: ⌃⌥N for a new note, ⌃⌥S to search, ⌃⌥H to hide or show notes, and ⌃⌥V to turn the clipboard into a note. The app lives in the Dock, and a due reminder badges its Dock icon.
• One app on every computer. The same app on Mac, Windows, and Linux, which matters if you use a Mac at home and a PC at work.

Features Comparison

BetterStickies' Weak Spots on a Mac

• Apple Silicon only. There is no build for Intel Macs, and it needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
• No Mac App Store listing yet. It installs from a .dmg downloaded from betterstickies.com.
• No sync. Notes stay on the Mac they were written on, and there is no iPhone app. Stickies has no documented sync either, but its export to Notes gives it a path to your other Apple devices.

Other Sticky Notes Options on a Mac

• Quick Note (Apple Notes): press Fn (or Globe) and Q, or move the pointer to the bottom-right hot corner, and a note opens over whatever you're doing. It saves into the Notes app's Quick Notes folder, so it lives with the rest of your notes rather than on the desktop.
• Tot: seven notes in a small floating window or the menu bar, with rich text, Markdown, and iCloud sync to iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Free to download; the Mac version is a $19.99 in-app purchase, and it needs macOS 14 or later.
• SideNotes: notes in a panel that slides out from the edge of the screen instead of separate windows, with Markdown, images, checklists, folders, and iCloud sync. $19.99 one-time, macOS 13 or later.
• Microsoft Sticky Notes: there is no Mac app. If you use it on a Windows PC, the same notes open in a browser through the Notes folder in Outlook on the web.

Some older roundups still recommend Simple Antnotes, which hasn't been updated since 2022.

When to Choose Apple's Stickies

• Your notes are text with some formatting, and you want nothing extra to install
• You want find and replace, or to mark up pictures and PDFs inside a note
• You'd like an easy way to move notes into Apple Notes and onto your iPhone later

When to Choose BetterStickies

• You paste screenshots, files, code, or links into notes, not just text
• You want checklists, reminders, or several pages in one note
• You also use a Windows or Linux computer and want the same notes app there
• You want notes on every Space and a shortcut to create one from anywhere
• You want to style each note: backgrounds, opacity, font size, and spacing

For more options on other systems, see Best Sticky Notes Apps for Windows and Linux and Best Sticky Notes Apps for Linux. Moving from a Mac to a PC? Stickies for Windows covers the Windows options and where Apple's Stickies habits land.

FAQ

Do Macs have a built-in sticky notes app?

Yes. Stickies comes with macOS, including macOS 27. Its notes appear on the desktop while the app is open.

How do I keep a sticky note on top on a Mac?

In Apple's Stickies, choose Window > Float on Top for that note. In BetterStickies, use the Always on top button in the note's header, which appears when you hover over the note.

Can sticky notes stay on top of full-screen apps on a Mac?

Not in BetterStickies yet. Its notes appear on every Space, but a note doesn't stay in view when another app goes full screen. Apple's Stickies guide documents Float on Top but says nothing about full-screen apps or Spaces.

Can Stickies sync across my Apple devices?

Apple's Stickies guide describes no sync. Instead, File > Export All to Notes copies your notes into Apple Notes, which is available on your other Apple devices. BetterStickies doesn't sync either; notes stay on the computer they were written on.

Is there a Mac version of Windows Sticky Notes?

Microsoft doesn't make one; Microsoft Sticky Notes users can read their notes on a Mac in a browser through Outlook on the web. If you want the same desktop sticky notes app on both a Mac and a Windows PC, BetterStickies runs on both. For how it compares with Microsoft's app on Windows, see Better Stickies vs Microsoft Sticky Notes.

Does BetterStickies run on Intel Macs?

No. The Mac version runs on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Is BetterStickies on the Mac App Store?

Not yet. Download the .dmg from betterstickies.com. The app is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens normally after installing.