An iOS App for Capturing Notes as Text Files
The basic version of the app is free and unlimited: no ads, no logins, no tracking. For a one-time purchase (no subscriptions either!), you can upgrade to Pro and support future development.
I’ve long relied on quick text notes for capturing fleeting ideas. I’ve tried almost every notes app imaginable, from Apple Notes to Evernote to Bear and Obsidian. What’s worked best for me is a combination of two things: 1) a speedy way of searching, reviewing, and organizing notes from my Mac and 2) a phone interface dedicated to – or rather, singularly obsessed with – capture.
For the former, the fastest, most powerful apps all work with an open format: a plain-text file. There might be markdown support layered on top, but they can still be read by any text editor, which means I’m not locked into any single app. I tend to prefer ones where you can keyboard shortcut into a search box, start typing, and quickly find (or add) new notes. Many folks swear by Obsidian and NVAlt. I currently use FSNotes.
The second piece, a capture-obsessed mobile app, was harder to find. Most mobile notes apps seem premised on the idea that small screen are big screens, only smaller. They are not. We use our phones in different ways, in different contexts. To me, big screens facilitate review and organization. You can see everything laid out in front of you. Smaller screens are better at fleeting, on-the-go capture.
