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MinkNote
Private macOS notes built on plain Markdown files
MinkNote is a native macOS notes and journal app built on plain Markdown files you own. No database, no account, and no vendor lock-in. Organise work with projects, journals, tags, fast search, rich text or Markdown editing, and automatic image organisation in one private, local-first workspace.
Top comment
About MinkNote on Product Hunt
“Private macOS notes built on plain Markdown files”
MinkNote launched on Product Hunt on July 24th, 2026 and earned 170 upvotes and 48 comments, placing #7 on the daily leaderboard. MinkNote is a native macOS notes and journal app built on plain Markdown files you own. No database, no account, and no vendor lock-in. Organise work with projects, journals, tags, fast search, rich text or Markdown editing, and automatic image organisation in one private, local-first workspace.
On the analytics side, MinkNote competes within Mac, Writing and Notes — topics that collectively have 171.2k followers on Product Hunt. The dashboard above tracks how MinkNote performed against the three products that launched closest to it on the same day.
Who hunted MinkNote?
MinkNote was hunted by Demian Turner. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
For a complete overview of MinkNote including community comment highlights and product details, visit the product overview.
Hey Product Hunt, I'm Demian, the maker of MinkNote.
MinkNote came about because I spent a long time trying to find the right notes app for my own work, and never could.
I loved parts of Obsidian, Day One, and Bear, but none of them ticked all the essential boxes. Obsidian gave me files + folders, strong search, and project separation via multiple vaults, but I still wanted something that felt more native on macOS, and less reliant on plugins. Day One was beautiful and polished, but I wanted direct access to the Markdown, better search, folder-based organisation, and notes that weren’t stored inside a database. Bear came close as the editing experience is amazing, but its database-backed storage and tag-first organisation never quite clicked for me.
So I ended up building the app I wanted to use every day.
MinkNote is a native macOS notes and journal app built on plain Markdown files that you own. There is no database, no account signup, no vendor lock-in. The focus is on a fast, polished writing experience based on simple files and folders you can reveal in the Finder at any time.
A few things it focuses on:
native macOS feel
plain Markdown files in folders, you can hit the Reveal in Finder to see what's going on
projects, journals, tags, and fast search
rich text, MD, or split view editing: the MD is not hidden from you
images organised automatically alongside your notes: drag a note to another journal and the images move too
no AI intrusion: your projects are just text files so you can point your agent there later if you want
privacy as a fundamental part of the design
I built MinkNote for people who care about writing, privacy and long-term ownership: your notes stay readable outside any one app.
If that sounds like your kind of tool, I'd love to hear your feedback! Especially if the mix of simplicity, privacy and ownership feels right.
Try it now: the app's a free download on the Mac App Store, no signup required