Koala vs EdgeNotes
A rail of notes beside your work, or a scratchpad that shows up fast and gets out of the way?
Koala keeps a small set of notes in a rail at the edge of your Mac screen, which you can pull out next to what you are doing and dock back at the edge. EdgeNotes is a single panel summoned by hotkey or hot edge, holding plain Markdown files on disk. This page compares the two on facts from each maker's own site.
The short version
- Koala
- $9.99 one-time · macOS 26 or later
- EdgeNotes
- $9 once · macOS 13 or later
Buy Koala — $9.99 one-time →
Koala checkout runs on Stripe's hosted Checkout page.
At a glance.
Koala and EdgeNotes compared, feature by feature
| Comparison point |
Koala |
EdgeNotes |
| Price |
$9.99, one-time |
$9, once |
| What you get |
Notes only: a rail of notes |
One scratchpad panel for Markdown notes |
| Where notes live |
In a rail at the screen edge; detachable floating notes |
Plain .md files in a folder you choose |
| Always visible |
Yes, the rail stays beside your work |
No: the panel appears when summoned, then gets out of the way |
| Multiple notes at once |
Yes, several notes in the rail, each detachable |
One summoned panel; jump between notes (⌘K) |
| Detachable / floating |
Yes: pull a note out, resize it beside your work, dock it back |
No: one panel, summoned by hotkey or hot edge, not detachable notes |
| Above fullscreen / across Spaces |
Built to join all Spaces and float alongside full-screen windows; behaviour unconfirmed |
Stated outright: the panel joins every Space and floats above other apps' fullscreen windows |
| Notes search |
No |
Yes: search every note at once (⌘F), step through matches (⌘G) |
| Folders / tags |
No |
No folders-and-tags system, stated outright |
| Markdown / plain files |
No |
Yes: every note is an ordinary .md file, no database, no export step |
| Rich text and images |
Yes, rich text with inline images |
Markdown styling only (headings, emphasis, code); no images claimed |
| Checklists |
Yes |
Not claimed on the maker's page |
| Sync default |
Optional iCloud sync, off by default, via a private CloudKit database |
No sync service: point the folder at iCloud or a git repo yourself |
| Sync across devices |
Another Mac, via optional iCloud sync |
Across your Macs, via the folder you point at iCloud or git |
| Account required |
No Koala account; an Apple Account only if you turn on iCloud sync |
No account mentioned; nothing is uploaded |
| Refund |
No fixed window: request by email, statutory rights preserved |
14-day no-questions refund, stated on the site |
| iPhone and iPad app |
No, Mac only |
No iOS app, stated outright |
| macOS required |
macOS 26 or later |
macOS 13 or later; Apple Silicon and Intel |
| Updates |
No free future major upgrades promised |
Automatic updates, forever |
| Licence devices |
One Mac installation per activation code |
Up to 3 of your Macs |
| Try free |
Browser live demo, separate from the native app; no free trial of the native app described |
7-day trial download on the maker's site |
The rail vs the panel.
Koala
Koala keeps a rail of notes at the edge of your screen. Hover to open a note, click to edit it. When a note needs room, pull it out of the rail, resize it beside your work, and drag it back to the edge when you are done.
Koala's rail and detached notes are designed to travel with you: the note panels are built to join all Spaces and to float alongside full-screen windows, so a note can stay next to your work wherever it is. That behaviour is design intent; the site does not confirm it as tested behaviour.
EdgeNotes
EdgeNotes is a panel you summon, not a rail that stays. Press Control + Option + N, or move to the hot edge, and the panel appears; dismiss it with Esc and it gets out of the way. It is a scratchpad that shows up fast, not notes beside your work until you call them.
That panel is one surface, not detachable notes: you jump between notes with ⌘K and search across them with ⌘F, but the maker's page never claims several notes visible at once or notes that detach into floating windows.
Above fullscreen, across Spaces.
Koala
Koala's note panels are built to join all Spaces and to float alongside full-screen windows. That is the design intent stated in the app's own description; the site itself does not confirm the behaviour as tested, so this page does not present it as proven.
EdgeNotes
EdgeNotes states the behaviour outright: the panel joins every Space and floats above other apps' fullscreen windows, so summoning it never yanks you somewhere else. The maker says this is why EdgeNotes is not in the App Store: it is not possible inside the sandbox, so the app is Developer ID signed and notarized instead.
Say it plainly: this is the one row where EdgeNotes beats Koala on published wording. Koala's panels are built for the same job, but only EdgeNotes states it as a fact on its site.
Notes head to head.
Koala
Koala's notes are rich text with images and checklists, always visible in the rail, several at once, each detachable. What Koala does not have is search: there are no folders, no search and no Markdown editor, so you find a note by where you put it in the rail.
EdgeNotes
EdgeNotes' notes are plain Markdown files on disk, in a folder you choose. Headings, emphasis and code style themselves as you type, and a code block sets the whole note in monospace. The file stays plain text with the markers intact: ordinary .md, no database, no export step. Delete EdgeNotes and the notes are still sitting there, readable in any editor.
EdgeNotes has what Koala lacks: full-note search (⌘F), jump-to-note (⌘K) and a Markdown preview (⌘P). What it does not claim is images or checklists: the maker's page claims Markdown styling only, so this page claims none of them either.
Privacy, storage and sync.
Koala
Local-first. Koala works without an account, and note content stays on your Mac; it is not sent to Koala servers. Koala works offline after a single online activation, and you can export or import a backup archive from the menu. The site does not name the archive's file format.
EdgeNotes
Local files, by construction. Every note is a Markdown file in a folder you choose, and the maker states that nothing is uploaded and nothing phones home. There is no sync service to trust or distrust: you point the folder at iCloud or a git repo yourself, and that is the whole sync story.
On sync: Koala's iCloud sync is off by default — Koala says so outright, and you turn it on from the menu only if you want the same notes on another Mac. EdgeNotes' sync is something you set up, through a folder you already control; the maker states no iOS app, so this page claims no mobile sync.
Price, honestly.
Koala: $9.99, once
One payment for macOS 26 or later, with unlimited notes, local-first storage, offline use after activation and optional iCloud sync included. Koala states no fixed refund window: to request cancellation or a refund, contact hello@usekoala.app with your purchase reference, with statutory rights preserved.
EdgeNotes: $9, once
One payment for macOS 13 or later, usable on up to 3 of your Macs, with automatic updates forever and a 14-day no-questions refund stated on the site: reply to your receipt within 14 days. That is 99 cents less than Koala, so price is not the reason to pick either.
Say it plainly: if plain Markdown files on disk and full-note search matter more than a visible rail, EdgeNotes is the buy, and Koala does not replace it. If notes always beside your work, detachable and rich, matter more, that is what the extra 99 cents buys.
Which one fits?
Pick Koala if
- You want notes always beside your work, several at once, in a rail at the screen edge, each detachable.
- You want local-first storage: no account, content stays on your Mac, iCloud sync off unless you turn it on.
- You would rather pay $9.99 once for notes alone, with rich text, images and checklists — and you do not need folders, search or Markdown files.
Pick EdgeNotes if
- You want plain Markdown files on disk with no export step, readable in any editor even without the app.
- You want full-note search, jump-to-note and a Markdown preview from the keyboard.
- You are on an older macOS: EdgeNotes runs back to macOS 13, where Koala needs macOS 26.
- You want stated above-fullscreen / across-Spaces behaviour, or a stated 14-day no-questions refund.
Questions.
Is Koala a replacement for EdgeNotes?
No. Koala is a visible rail of rich-text notes; EdgeNotes is a summoned scratchpad for plain Markdown files. EdgeNotes' .md files on disk and full-note search have no Koala equivalent, and Koala's always-visible rail and detachable floating notes have no EdgeNotes equivalent. If you want the rail, Koala is the buy; if you want plain files and search, EdgeNotes is.
Can I try EdgeNotes free?
Yes. The maker's site offers a 7-day trial download. See edgenotes.app for the current terms.
Does EdgeNotes sync to iPhone?
No. The maker states outright that there is no iOS app. Its sync is pointing your notes folder at iCloud or a git repo yourself, so this page claims no iPhone sync.
Does Koala have search or Markdown?
No. Koala has no notes search and no Markdown editor: notes are rich text with images and checklists, found by where you put them in the rail. EdgeNotes has both: full-note search and plain .md files.
Can I try Koala free?
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.
Try Koala on your Mac.
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.
