Six ways to keep notes at the edge of your screen, compared honestly — including the one app this roundup is published by.
Koala, SideNotes, Unclutter, EdgeNotes, Flyout and Apple Quick Note all promise notes without leaving your work. They differ on what actually sits at the edge: a rail of notes, a summoned panel, a slide-down shelf, or a single floating note. Flyout publishes a roundup of this category that leaves out Koala and EdgeNotes (last checked 1 November 2026); this page covers all six, on facts from each maker's own site, checked November 2026.
The short version
Koala checkout runs on Stripe's hosted Checkout page.
| Comparison point | Koala | SideNotes | Unclutter | EdgeNotes | Flyout | Quick Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99, one-time | $19.99, one-time per major version | $19.99, lifetime license | $9, once | $24, one-time | Free, included with macOS |
| Edge access | A rail at the screen edge, always visible | A panel at the edge, by Hot Side or shortcut, always on top | A shelf that slides down from the top of the screen | A panel summoned by hotkey or hot edge | A panel, by nudging the edge or a shortcut | A single floating note inside the Notes app |
| Several notes at once | Yes, several notes in the rail, each detachable | Notes listed inside one panel | Panels for notes, files and clipboard history | One panel; jump between notes | One panel, with tabs and folders inside | No, one note at a time |
| Detachable / floating | Yes: pull a note out, resize it, dock it back | No detachable notes claimed | No detachable notes claimed | No: one panel, not detachable notes | No detachable notes claimed | Yes, one floating note, inside Notes |
| Organisation | Rail order and dividers only: no folders, no search, no Markdown | Folders, colors, pinning, folding | Notes, files and clipboard in one shelf | Plain .md files; no folders-and-tags system | Folders and tags, pinning | Quick Notes folder in the Notes app |
| Search | No | Yes | Not stated on the maker's homepage | Yes, full-note search | Yes, search the whole library | Via the Notes app |
| Sync and privacy | Local-first; optional iCloud sync, off by default | Local storage; optional iCloud sync | Cloud auto-sync across devices | No sync service: point the folder at iCloud or git yourself | iCloud sync through your own account; nothing via the maker's servers | Through the Notes app and iCloud |
| Devices | Mac only, macOS 26 or later | Mac, macOS 13 or later; mobile sold separately | Mac, macOS 10.13 or later | Mac, macOS 13 or later, up to 3 Macs; no iOS app | Mac, iPhone and iPad, macOS 14 or later, 5 devices | Mac, in the Notes app |
| Try free | Browser live demo; no free trial of the native app described | Trial mentioned in the maker's FAQ | 30-day money-back guarantee | 7-day trial download | 7-day free trial | Free with macOS |
Koala keeps a small set of notes in a rail at the edge of your Mac screen, always beside your work. Each note can be pulled out into a floating window and docked back. Notes are rich text with images and checklists, stored local-first, with optional iCloud sync that stays off unless you turn it on. What Koala does not have is folders, search or Markdown: you find a note by where you put it in the rail.
SideNotes captures notes, tasks, links and snippets from the edge of your screen without leaving the app you are in, shown on top of other apps, in fullscreen and in Stage Manager. It organises with folders, colors, pinning and folding, formats with Markdown you do not have to look at, and searches the library. Notes stay local, with optional iCloud sync; the iPhone and iPad app is sold separately.
Unclutter is a shelf that slides down from the top of the screen, holding notes, files and clipboard history in one gesture, on every screen including fullscreen. It syncs across devices with cloud auto-sync and rearranges into the panels you use. It is notes plus files plus clipboard, not notes alone, and no mobile app is claimed on the maker's site.
EdgeNotes is a panel you summon, not a rail that stays: press the hotkey or move to the hot edge and it appears, dismiss it and it gets out of the way. Every note is an ordinary .md file in a folder you choose, searchable across notes, with no folders-and-tags system and no iOS app. It is the cheapest paid option here, at $9 once for up to 3 Macs, with a 7-day trial download.
Flyout is a rich-text panel at the screen edge, opened by nudging the edge or a shortcut, with folders, tags, pinning, search, reminders on a note or a single line, and code blocks. Note content is stored as Markdown in a local database and exports as .md files. Sync runs through your own iCloud account, nothing passes through the maker's servers, and the $24 license covers Mac, iPhone and iPad on up to 5 devices.
Quick Note is a single floating note inside the Notes app, free and included with macOS: jot down an idea or a link from wherever you are, and it lives in the Notes app's Quick Notes folder. It is the only free option here and the only one that is not a separate app to buy — but it is one note at a time, inside Notes, not a rail or panel of many notes.
EdgeNotes, at $9 once. Koala is $9.99 once, SideNotes and Unclutter are $19.99 once each, and Flyout is $24 once. Apple Quick Note is free, included with macOS.
Only Koala. Koala keeps several notes in a rail at the screen edge and each one can be pulled out into a floating window beside your work. SideNotes, Unclutter, EdgeNotes and Flyout are panels or shelves you summon, not notes that detach. Quick Note floats as a single note inside the Notes app, but it does not detach from a rail.
Flyout includes iPhone and iPad in its $24 license. SideNotes Mobile for iPhone and iPad is sold separately. EdgeNotes has no iOS app, stated outright. Koala is Mac only. Apple Quick Note as covered here is Mac; the Notes app itself is on iPhone and iPad. No mobile app is claimed on unclutterapp.com.
EdgeNotes: every note is an ordinary .md file in a folder you choose. Flyout stores note content as Markdown in a local database and exports it as .md files. Koala, SideNotes and Unclutter do not present notes as plain files on disk.
The Koala site offers a live demo in your browser, which is separate from the native Mac app. It does not describe a free trial of the native app.
This page is published by Koala, one of the apps compared here. The SideNotes facts come from the maker's own site — apptorium.com/sidenotes — the Unclutter facts from unclutterapp.com, the EdgeNotes facts from edgenotes.app, the Flyout facts from getflyout.app, and the Quick Note facts from Apple's own support pages — Create a Quick Note on Mac — and prices and features were checked in November 2026. Also compared: Koala vs SideNotes, Koala vs Quick Note, Koala vs Unclutter and Koala vs EdgeNotes.
Download Koala for macOS 26, or feel the rail first in the live demo. The live demo runs in your browser and is separate from the native Mac app.
