Best Sticky Notes App for Mac in 2025

May 13, 2025 • Jake @ CaLab

Mac has had sticky notes since 2002. The built-in Stickies app still ships with every Mac. Apple Notes has taken over a lot of that space. And a few third-party apps have filled the gap for people who want something more visual.

Here is an honest comparison of the three options I actually recommend, depending on what you are trying to do.

Apple Stickies

Free. Built into macOS. No setup required.

Stickies is the obvious starting point. It floats on your desktop, it ships with every Mac, and it has been working the same way since OS X.

What it does well:

Already installed. Zero friction to start.
Floats over other windows by default.
Transparent mode: open the Color menu and pick a semi-transparent color option.
Full macOS font panel. Access to every installed font on your system via Format > Font.
Supports inline images, styled text, and lists.
Lightweight. No account, no sync, no cloud.

Where it falls short:

The transparent colors are six preset tones. There is no slider to adjust the opacity level.
The visual design has not changed in over twenty years. The look is dated on modern hardware.
Floating behavior is inconsistent on full-screen apps and across Spaces.
No global keyboard shortcut to bring all notes into focus.

Best for: People who need a floating note right now and do not want to install or pay for anything.

Apple Notes

Free. Syncs across all Apple devices via iCloud.

Notes is what most people actually use day-to-day. It is more of a proper notes app than a sticky notes tool — it lives in its own window and does not float on your desktop — but it covers more ground than Stickies for most workflows.

What it does well:

iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Rich formatting: checklists, tables, images, attachments, drawings.
Full-text search across all notes.
Tags, folders, pinned notes, and smart folders.
Collaboration: share and edit with others in real time.

Where it falls short:

Does not float. Notes live inside the app window, not on your desktop.
Not designed for notes you want always visible while working in another app.
Requires iCloud for sync, which means an Apple ID and cloud storage.

Best for: People who want notes synced across devices and do not need them floating on screen.

Glassnote

Paid, one-time purchase. Mac-only. No account, no sync.

Glassnote takes the core idea of Stickies — floating notes on your desktop — and rebuilds it with a modern aesthetic. It is what I built after Stickies started feeling too dated on my setup.

What it does well:

Glass, Dark, or Light background per note. The glass mode uses macOS vibrancy — it blurs and tints whatever is behind the note, which looks significantly better than Stickies' semi-transparent color swatches on a modern display.
Floats reliably above full-screen apps and across Spaces.
Four font styles (Default, Serif, Rounded, Monospaced) with nine weight options from Ultra Light to Black, and adjustable size.
Markdown support: bold, italic, headers, inline code, fenced code blocks, bullet lists, numbered lists, and checkboxes.
Keyboard shortcuts to create, focus, and close notes without the mouse.
No account, no cloud, no subscription. Data stays local.

Where it falls short:

No opacity slider. Like Stickies, the transparency level is fixed to the background mode you choose.
Fewer raw font options than Stickies. You pick from four preset styles rather than the full system font panel.
No sync across devices. Desktop-only.
No inline images. Text and markdown only.
Costs money. Stickies and Notes are free.

Best for: People who live at a Mac desk and want floating notes that look good on a modern setup.

Side by side

Feature	Apple Stickies	Apple Notes	Glassnote
Floats over other apps	✅	❌	✅
Works on full-screen apps	⚠️ Inconsistent	❌	✅
Transparency / glass look	⚠️ 6 preset colors	❌	✅ Vibrancy effect
Opacity slider	❌	❌	❌
Font flexibility	✅ All system fonts	⚠️ Limited	⚠️ 4 preset styles
Checklists	❌	✅	✅ via Markdown
Inline images	✅	✅	❌
Sync across devices	❌	✅	❌
Modern visual design	❌	✅	✅
No account required	✅	⚠️ For sync	✅
Price	Free	Free	Paid, one-time

Which one should you use?

Use Apple Stickies if you want a floating note right now with no installation or cost. It works, it has always worked, and if you need access to a specific font it actually beats both alternatives.

Use Apple Notes if sync across iPhone and iPad matters more than having notes float on your desktop. Notes is a better notes app. It is not a sticky notes tool.

Use Glassnote if you work at a Mac all day, want notes visible while you do other things, and the twenty-year-old look of Stickies bothers you. The core workflow is the same but the execution is cleaner, the glass effect looks sharp on modern hardware, and the markdown support makes it more useful for technical notes.

FAQ

Does Apple Stickies have a transparent mode?
Yes. Open a note, go to the Color menu, and pick one of the semi-transparent color options. The opacity is fixed per color with no slider to adjust it.

Does Glassnote have a transparency slider?
No. You pick from three background modes: Glass (macOS vibrancy blur), Dark Opaque, or Light Opaque. The glass mode looks significantly more modern than Stickies' translucent colors but the level is not user-adjustable.

Can I use both Stickies and Glassnote at the same time?
Yes. They are separate apps and do not conflict.

Is there a free trial for Glassnote?
Check the Glassnote page for current pricing and trial options.

If you want sticky notes that look like they belong on a modern Mac, Glassnote is worth a look.