[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":381},["ShallowReactive",2],{"compare-apple-notes":3},{"id":4,"at_a_glance":5,"extension":36,"faq":37,"features":62,"hero":180,"ideal_for":184,"info":217,"meta":226,"migration_guide_path":227,"pain_points":228,"pricing":281,"seo":312,"stem":322,"strengths":323,"switching":362,"verdict":366,"__hash__":380},"compare/compare/apple-notes.yaml",[6,11,16,21,26,31],{"dimension":7,"icon":8,"capacities":9,"competitor":10},"Core Philosophy","i-ph-lightbulb-duotone","Object-based knowledge studio","Simple, fast notebook with folders",{"dimension":12,"icon":13,"capacities":14,"competitor":15},"Best For","i-ph-target-duotone","Researchers, writers, lifelong learners","Casual note-takers in the Apple ecosystem",{"dimension":17,"icon":18,"capacities":19,"competitor":20},"Platform","i-ph-devices-duotone","Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web","iOS, iPadOS, macOS, iCloud Web (no Windows/Linux/Android)",{"dimension":22,"icon":23,"capacities":24,"competitor":25},"Pricing Model","i-ph-currency-circle-dollar-duotone","Free core + Pro subscription","Free with Apple device; storage via iCloud+",{"dimension":27,"icon":28,"capacities":29,"competitor":30},"Data Model","i-ph-tree-structure-duotone","Typed objects with properties & links","Folders, tags, and free-form notes",{"dimension":32,"icon":33,"capacities":34,"competitor":35},"Offline Support","i-ph-wifi-slash-duotone","Full offline access","Full offline access on Apple devices","yaml",[38,41,44,47,50,53,56,59],{"question":39,"answer":40},"Can I import my Apple Notes into Capacities?","Yes, indirectly. Apple Notes doesn't offer a clean native export, but you can use the built-in export to PDF, copy notes to a Markdown-friendly format, or use community tools to convert your notes. Once exported, Capacities can import the content and you can shape it into typed objects.",{"question":42,"answer":43},"Is Capacities available on iPhone and iPad?","Yes. Capacities has native iOS and iPadOS apps with full offline support, sync, and the same object model as the desktop app.",{"question":45,"answer":46},"Is Apple Notes really free?","The app itself is free with any Apple device. Beyond a small free iCloud quota, heavy users typically need an iCloud+ plan starting at $0.99/month for 50 GB of storage shared across iCloud.",{"question":48,"answer":49},"Does Capacities work on Windows or Android?","Yes. Unlike Apple Notes, Capacities runs natively on Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and the web. Your notes are not locked to a single ecosystem.",{"question":51,"answer":52},"How does AI compare between the two?","Apple Notes has Apple Intelligence Writing Tools for rewriting and summarizing single notes on supported devices. Capacities offers a context-aware AI assistant that reads across your connected notes, plus AI property auto-fill and integrations with ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor.",{"question":54,"answer":55},"Is Capacities a replacement for Apple Notes?","Capacities can replace Apple Notes for most note-taking, but many users keep Apple Notes for ultra-quick capture (Quick Note, Siri, lock screen) and use Capacities as the long-term home for thinking, research, and writing.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Which is better for long-term notes?","Capacities. Apple Notes is excellent for quick capture, but it lacks structure, backlinks, and queries — so as your collection grows, finding and connecting old notes gets harder. Capacities is built specifically for knowledge that compounds over time.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Are my notes encrypted?","Apple Notes supports per-note password protection, and end-to-end encryption for all iCloud Notes when Advanced Data Protection is enabled. Capacities encrypts data in transit and at rest, with privacy-first defaults; see the data protection page for details.",[63,94,116,136,151,166],{"category":64,"icon":28,"items":65},"Knowledge Organization",[66,73,78,82,86,90],{"name":67,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":69,"capacities_note":70,"competitor_note":71,"highlight":72},"Bi-directional links","full","partial","Automatic two-way links on every object","Wiki-style note links, but no automatic backlinks list",true,{"name":74,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":76,"competitor_note":77,"highlight":72},"Daily notes","none","Built-in daily note with timeline view","No native daily note feature",{"name":79,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":80,"competitor_note":81},"Custom object types","First-class typed objects with properties","Only folders and tags — no structured types",{"name":83,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":84,"competitor_note":85},"Graph view","Visual knowledge graph with tag network","No graph visualization",{"name":87,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":88,"competitor_note":89},"Templates","Object templates per type","No native template system",{"name":91,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":68,"capacities_note":92,"competitor_note":93},"Tags & smart folders","Tags as a network, with hierarchies and queries","Hashtags and smart folders that auto-group by tag",{"category":95,"icon":96,"items":97},"AI Features","i-ph-brain-duotone",[98,102,106,110,114],{"name":99,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":69,"capacities_note":100,"competitor_note":101,"highlight":72},"AI assistant / chat","Context-aware, uses connected notes and backlinks","Apple Intelligence Writing Tools (rewrite, summarize) on supported devices only",{"name":103,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":104,"competitor_note":105},"AI property auto-fill","Included in Pro","Not available",{"name":107,"capacities_support":69,"competitor_support":69,"capacities_note":108,"competitor_note":109},"AI image analysis & OCR","Extract text and metadata from images (rolling out to Pro)","System-wide Live Text for handwriting and image OCR",{"name":111,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":112,"competitor_note":113},"MCP / external AI connectors","Connect ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor to your space","No third-party AI integrations",{"name":115,"capacities_support":75,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":105,"competitor_note":105},"AI agents / automation",{"category":117,"icon":118,"items":119},"Writing & Editing","i-ph-pen-nib-duotone",[120,124,128,132],{"name":121,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":122,"competitor_note":123},"Block-based editor","Rich blocks with toggles, quotes, math, code","Free-form rich text — no block model",{"name":125,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":126,"competitor_note":127},"Code blocks with syntax highlighting","100+ languages, Mermaid diagrams, line numbers","Monospaced text only — no syntax highlighting",{"name":129,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":68,"capacities_note":130,"competitor_note":131},"Embedded media (images, PDFs, audio)","Native embed support","Photos, scans, sketches, audio recordings, and attachments",{"name":133,"capacities_support":69,"competitor_support":68,"capacities_note":134,"competitor_note":135,"highlight":72},"Handwriting & sketching","Image embeds; no native pencil layer","Best-in-class Apple Pencil support with handwriting search",{"category":137,"icon":138,"items":139},"Search & Navigation","i-ph-magnifying-glass-duotone",[140,144,148],{"name":141,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":68,"capacities_note":142,"competitor_note":143},"Full-text search","Offline, exact match, block search","Fast on-device search, including text inside images and handwriting",{"name":145,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":69,"capacities_note":146,"competitor_note":147},"Queries / filtered views","Saved queries with variables (Pro)","Smart Folders filter by tag, date, attachment, and more",{"name":149,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":150,"competitor_note":105},"Unlinked mentions","Auto-detects title mentions (Pro)",{"category":152,"icon":153,"items":154},"Collaboration & Sharing","i-ph-users-duotone",[155,159,162],{"name":156,"capacities_support":75,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":157,"competitor_note":158},"Team workspaces","Personal knowledge tool, no team features","No team workspace concept — only per-note or per-folder sharing",{"name":160,"capacities_support":75,"competitor_support":68,"capacities_note":105,"competitor_note":161},"Real-time co-editing","Share a note or folder and edit together in real time",{"name":163,"capacities_support":69,"competitor_support":75,"capacities_note":164,"competitor_note":165},"Public page sharing","Share individual objects via link","Sharing is invite-only via iCloud — no public web pages",{"category":167,"icon":18,"items":168},"Platform & Sync",[169,172,176],{"name":170,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":69,"capacities_note":19,"competitor_note":171,"highlight":72},"Cross-platform availability","Apple devices only; iCloud Web is read/edit-light",{"name":173,"capacities_support":68,"competitor_support":68,"capacities_note":174,"competitor_note":175},"Native iOS/iPadOS app","Universal app with full feature parity","Deeply integrated with Siri, widgets, Lock Screen, and Apple Pencil",{"name":177,"capacities_support":75,"competitor_support":68,"capacities_note":178,"competitor_note":179},"iCloud / system integration","Independent cloud, not tied to iCloud","Quick Note, share sheet, Siri, scanner, and lock-screen capture",{"headline":181,"subheadline":182,"summary":183},"Capacities vs Apple Notes","A studio for your mind vs the default Apple notebook","Apple Notes is the simple, fast notebook that comes pre-installed on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Capacities is a focused knowledge studio built around connected objects. Both make capture effortless — but they take very different paths once your notes start to grow. This comparison helps you decide which one fits your workflow.\n",{"capacities":185,"competitor":200},[186,190,194,197],{"persona":187,"reason":188,"icon":189},"Researchers & academics","Object-based structure naturally organizes research papers, authors, and concepts with rich interconnections.","i-ph-graduation-cap-duotone",{"persona":191,"reason":192,"icon":193},"Lifelong learners","Daily notes and connected thinking compound knowledge over time, turning reading and learning into a lasting system.","i-ph-book-open-duotone",{"persona":195,"reason":196,"icon":118},"Writers & creators","Distraction-free writing environment with all your context — characters, settings, research — connected and at hand.",{"persona":198,"reason":199,"icon":18},"Cross-platform users","If you split your time between Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, Capacities gives you one home for your notes everywhere.",[201,205,209,213],{"persona":202,"reason":203,"icon":204},"All-Apple users who want zero setup","Already installed, integrated with Siri and Spotlight, and synced via iCloud — perfect for casual, fast capture.","i-ph-apple-logo-duotone",{"persona":206,"reason":207,"icon":208},"Apple Pencil note-takers","Handwriting, sketching, and scanned documents are excellent on iPad with the Pencil.","i-ph-pencil-simple-duotone",{"persona":210,"reason":211,"icon":212},"Privacy-focused minimalists","A simple, encrypted notebook from a single trusted vendor — no extra accounts, no subscriptions.","i-ph-shield-check-duotone",{"persona":214,"reason":215,"icon":216},"Quick-capture-first thinkers","If most of your notes are short, throwaway, or to-the-moment, Apple Notes is the fastest tool to reach.","i-ph-lightning-duotone",{"slug":218,"order":219,"competitor_name":220,"competitor_website":221,"competitor_logo":222,"competitor_color":223,"last_updated":224,"status":225},"apple-notes",4,"Apple Notes","https://www.apple.com/notes/","/logos/apple-notes.png","#FFCC00","2026-04-29","published",{},"/migration/switching-from-apple-notes",{"competitor":229,"capacities":260},[230,239,247,252],{"title":231,"description":232,"severity":233,"icon":234,"user_quotes":235},"Locked into the Apple ecosystem","No native app for Windows, Linux, or Android. iCloud Web is a stripped-down fallback. If you ever leave Apple, your notes go with the platform.","high","i-ph-lock-duotone",[236],{"text":237,"source":238},"Apple Notes is great until you have to use a Windows machine — then you're stuck with iCloud.com.","Reddit r/apple",{"title":240,"description":241,"severity":233,"icon":242,"user_quotes":243},"No real structure beyond folders","Everything is a free-form note in a folder. Once you have hundreds of notes, finding and connecting them becomes fragile — there are no types, properties, or queries.","i-ph-folder-duotone",[244],{"text":245,"source":246},"I love Apple Notes for capturing, but it falls apart as a long-term knowledge system. Too flat.","Reddit r/PKM",{"title":248,"description":249,"severity":250,"icon":251},"Weak linking & no backlinks","Note-to-note links exist, but there is no automatic backlinks panel, no graph view, and no way to see how ideas connect across your notes.","medium","i-ph-link-break-duotone",{"title":253,"description":254,"severity":250,"icon":255,"user_quotes":256},"Limited export options","Bulk export is awkward — there is no clean Markdown export, and migrating away from Apple Notes typically means scripts or third-party tools.","i-ph-export-duotone",[257],{"text":258,"source":259},"Trying to export 10 years of Apple Notes to Markdown is a project of its own.","Reddit r/ObsidianMD",[261,266,270,274,278],{"title":262,"description":263,"severity":264,"icon":265},"Not pre-installed on your phone","Apple Notes wins on raw friction — it's already on the home screen. Capacities requires a download and a few minutes to set up.","low","i-ph-download-duotone",{"title":267,"description":268,"severity":250,"icon":269},"No team collaboration","Capacities is designed for personal knowledge management. There are no shared workspaces, real-time co-editing, or per-note permissions.","i-ph-users-three-duotone",{"title":271,"description":272,"severity":250,"icon":273},"No native handwriting layer","Apple Pencil note-taking and sketching are not first-class in Capacities yet. Heavy iPad pencil users will miss it.","i-ph-pencil-simple-slash-duotone",{"title":275,"description":276,"severity":264,"icon":277},"Less deep iOS integration","Capacities can't match Apple Notes' Quick Note, lock-screen capture, and Siri integration. For pure speed-of-capture on iPhone, Apple Notes still leads.","i-ph-app-window-duotone",{"title":279,"description":280,"severity":264,"icon":189},"Slight learning curve","Object types, properties, and links are powerful but require a small mindset shift compared to a free-form notebook.",{"capacities":282,"competitor":294},{"free_tier":283,"plans":284},"Core features, unlimited objects, all platforms, offline access",[285],{"name":286,"price":287,"billing":288,"key_features":289},"Pro","$9.99/month","billed annually",[290,291,292,293,149],"AI assistant & auto-fill","Queries & filtered views","Calendar integration","Task management",{"free_tier":295,"plans":296},"Free with any Apple device — unlimited notes, basic iCloud storage",[297,305],{"name":298,"price":299,"billing":300,"key_features":301},"iCloud+ 50 GB","$0.99/month","billed monthly",[302,303,304],"More iCloud storage for notes & attachments","Hide My Email","Private Relay",{"name":306,"price":307,"billing":300,"key_features":308},"iCloud+ 200 GB","$2.99/month",[309,310,311],"200 GB of shared storage","Family sharing","Custom email domain",{"title":313,"description":314,"keywords":315},"Capacities vs Apple Notes — Honest Comparison (2026)","An in-depth, honest comparison of Capacities and Apple Notes. Compare features, pricing, strengths, and pain points to find the right tool for capturing and connecting your ideas.",[316,317,318,319,320,321],"capacities vs apple notes","apple notes alternative","apple notes alternative 2026","note-taking app comparison","best knowledge management tool","apple notes for windows","compare/apple-notes",{"capacities":324,"competitor":344},[325,330,334,337,340],{"title":326,"description":327,"icon":328,"evidence_source":329},"Structure that scales with your thinking","Object-based model turns a pile of notes into a connected knowledge base — people, books, projects, ideas — without you reorganizing folders forever.","i-ph-graph-duotone","product",{"title":331,"description":332,"icon":333,"evidence_source":329},"Daily notes as a thinking habit","Built-in daily notes with timeline create a natural capture rhythm that compounds knowledge over time, instead of leaving notes orphaned in folders.","i-ph-calendar-duotone",{"title":335,"description":336,"icon":18,"evidence_source":329},"True cross-platform support","Works on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and the web. Your knowledge is not locked to one ecosystem.",{"title":338,"description":339,"icon":96,"evidence_source":329},"Context-aware AI","AI that reads your connected notes and backlinks, showing exactly which sources powered each answer — not just rewriting one note at a time.",{"title":341,"description":342,"icon":343,"evidence_source":329},"Made for long-term knowledge work","Queries, properties, types, and links are designed for serious research, writing, and learning over years — not just quick capture.","i-ph-books-duotone",[345,348,351,355,359],{"title":346,"description":347,"icon":216,"evidence_source":329},"Effortless capture on Apple devices","Quick Note, the lock screen, the share sheet, and Siri make capturing a thought faster than launching almost any other app.",{"title":349,"description":350,"icon":208,"evidence_source":329},"Best-in-class Apple Pencil support","Handwriting, sketching, and searchable scanned documents work beautifully on iPad — far beyond what most digital notebooks offer.",{"title":352,"description":353,"icon":354,"evidence_source":329},"Free with every Apple device","Pre-installed on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. No account, no subscription, no learning curve.","i-ph-gift-duotone",{"title":356,"description":357,"icon":358,"evidence_source":329},"Deep system integration","Tightly woven into iOS and macOS — Spotlight, Siri, widgets, share sheets, and document scanning all work out of the box.","i-ph-puzzle-piece-duotone",{"title":360,"description":361,"icon":212,"evidence_source":329},"Privacy-first storage","End-to-end encryption is available for locked notes, and Advanced Data Protection extends that to all of iCloud Notes.",{"difficulty":363,"migration_notes":364,"import_support":365},"easy","Apple Notes content is mostly free-form text, images, and attachments. Migrating to Capacities is straightforward for the content itself — the bigger shift is rethinking your folder structure as object types, tags, and links.\n","Export your Apple Notes (via the Notes app or third-party scripts), then bring them in as objects in Capacities. Start with your most active folders, decide which ones become object types (e.g. People, Books, Meetings), and add structure gradually.\n",{"summary":367,"choose_capacities_if":368,"choose_competitor_if":374},"Apple Notes and Capacities solve different problems. Apple Notes is the perfect free, no-setup notebook for capturing thoughts inside the Apple ecosystem — fast, reliable, and beautifully integrated with iOS and macOS. Capacities is the studio your notes graduate into when you want structure, connections, queries, and AI that actually understands your knowledge. Many people happily use both: Apple Notes for quick capture, Capacities for thinking.\n",[369,370,371,372,373],"You want your notes to grow into a connected, queryable knowledge base","You think in objects — people, books, projects, ideas — not just folders","You use multiple platforms beyond Apple (Windows, Linux, Android, web)","You want context-aware AI that reads across your notes","You take long-form notes for research, writing, or lifelong learning",[375,376,377,378,379],"You only need a fast, simple notebook for quick capture","You live entirely inside the Apple ecosystem","You rely heavily on Apple Pencil, sketches, and scanned documents","You want a free, zero-setup tool with deep system integration","You don't need backlinks, queries, or structured object types","B1ZEL7ZbjWQVRYno7LF_8TyWznCIy0ay1Jd_MVlnfIo",1777461326276]