Honest comparison

AlwaysOnTopNotes vs every other sticky notes app.

Brutally honest, row-by-row. Including where the competition beats us (Apple's iCloud sync, for one). Updated every quarter — last review: June 2026.

Yes Partial — hover for details No

Floats over fullscreen apps (Zoom, video, Excel)

The killer use case — notes that stay visible during meetings or full-screen video

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Works on Windows AND Mac AND Linux

Same notes follow you across every device, not locked to one OS

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Works on Chromebook

Real cross-platform — students and budget users included

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Notes never uploaded to any server

True privacy: your text never leaves your device

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Cross-device sync available

Cloud syncs across devices, at the cost of upload (we're honest)

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

    On the roadmap — opt-in end-to-end encrypted sync coming

Open source (auditable code)

Verify privacy claims yourself, fork it, self-host it

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Free forever, no premium tier

No upsell, no "pro version", no ads — full features for everyone

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple

    Free with limits — 5GB iCloud free tier

  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

No account or signup required

Open the URL, start typing — zero friction

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Rich text + markdown editing

Headings, lists, checkboxes, code blocks, links — Notion-grade editor

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep

    Basic formatting only — no code blocks

  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Keyboard-first (Cmd+K palette, vim nav)

Power users never touch the mouse

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple

    Some shortcuts but no palette

  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Export all notes as markdown

Your data is portable forever — outlives any OS install

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple

    Export to PDF only

  • Keep

    Export per-note only

  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Works offline (no internet needed)

Reliable in airplane mode, on slow Wi-Fi, in a basement

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple

    Cached only — first sync needs internet

  • Keep

    Cached only — first sync needs internet

  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Per-note color tagging (8 colors)

Visual taxonomy without folders — sticky-note vibes

  • Win Sticky

    3 colors only

  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Installable as Progressive Web App

Standalone window, taskbar icon, no browser chrome

  • Win Sticky

    It's a native app, but Windows-only

  • macOS

    It's a native app, but Mac-only

  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Self-hostable (run on your own server)

Complete autonomy — your domain, your infrastructure, your rules

  • Win Sticky
  • macOS
  • Apple
  • Keep
  • AlwaysOnTopNotes

Convinced?

Open the app in your browser. No install, no signup, your notes never leave your device.

Open notes — it's free

Skeptical?

Read the FAQ for the honest answers — or audit the source code yourself.

Read the FAQ Source on GitHub