The Coolest Apple Notes Plugins 2025
Yes, you can supercharge this app
Apple Notes has always been the reliable workhorse of macOS — minimal, fast, and impossible to uninstall.
But let’s be honest: it’s never been the most powerful tool in your productivity stack.
I just shared how to use the Forever✱notes framework to make Apple Notes more powerful, and now let’s talk about some plugins or add-ons you can use to turn Apple Notes into an ever more capable productivity machine, closer to Notion, Obsidian, and all the rest.
1. ProNotes
ProNotes is a lightweight app that supercharges the default Notes experience with a set of long-overdue features — like a formatting bar, Markdown support, AI-powered editing, and customizable templates.
I’ve been using ProNotes for months now, and I am not going back.
What it adds:
Inline Formatting Bar: No more dragging your cursor up to the top menu just to bold a word.
Markdown Support: Familiar with #, >, [], and ```? You can now use those directly in Notes.
Slash Commands: Type /heading, /checklist, or /quote to instantly format your content.
Templates via Shortcuts: Insert commonly used text blocks (like meeting notes or journaling prompts) with just a slash.
Command Palette (⌘ + P): Find and jump between notes like you’re using a code editor.
Built-in AI Tools: Auto-complete sentences, fix grammar, summarize, or reword content without leaving your note.
ProNotes turns Apple Notes into something that feels… finished. It’s still Apple Notes, but better. Without adding too much complexity.
2. NotesCmdr
If you don’t like ProNotes, this next plugin gives you much of the same functionality but in a different package. Also very useful!
NotesCmdr brings Notion-style slash commands to Apple Notes, along with a few surprise features that make it ideal for people who like structure, speed, and minimalism.
Highlights:
Fast Slash Commands: /h1, /bold, /table, /calc, /todo, and many more. It’s like having a developer’s command-line interface, but for ideas.
Reusable Templates: Save notes in a “Templates” folder, then insert them with /template. Keywords like /date and /today get automatically filled in.
Inline Calculator: Type an expression like 45*1.07 /calc and get the answer immediately. Perfect for budgets, invoices, or figuring out if you can afford another productivity app.
Markdown-Like Typing: Use #, *, or 1. to structure notes without lifting your fingers off the keyboard.
NotesCmdr doesn’t have a flashy interface — it’s not trying to impress you. It’s trying to get out of your way so you can think faster and write better.
For people who enjoy Notion slash commands, NotesCmdr is the perfect Apple Notes add-on.
Want to make your phone unique?
Try the Dark Vision OS icon pack for iPhone*. It looks fantastic!
3. Quotion
You want a website? But you don’t want any hassle.
Meet Quotion*. The easy way to turn Apple Notes content into webpages.
If you’ve ever typed something in Apple Notes and thought, “This could be a blog post,” Quotion turns that thought into a reality.
It connects directly to a folder in Apple Notes and automatically publishes its contents to your own minimal, hosted website.
How it works:
Create a Quotion* account (free tier available).
Claim a subdomain (e.g., you.quotion.co).
Link a folder from Apple Notes by sharing it with Quotion.
Write in that folder — and just like that, your notes go live on your site.
No exporting. No WordPress drama. No 17-step Markdown-to-HTML workflow. Just write and publish.
Ideal for:
Personal blogs
Project documentation
Public idea-sharing
Publishing drafts without friction
4. NotesOllama
If you want AI-powered writing help without feeding your content to the cloud, NotesOllama might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Yes, you could use Apple Intelligence now. But it’s still lacking in many ways. With NotesOllama, you can buff up your AI experience without sacrificing privacy.
It lets you run AI models locally and integrate them with Apple Notes, so you can query an assistant without worrying about data privacy or needing an internet connection.
Why it’s cool:
Works offline via local LLMs (Large Language Models).
Keeps your content on your machine.
Open source and developer-friendly.
Can be paired with other plugins (like ProNotes) for added functionality.
It’s not for everyone — you’ll need a compatible Mac and some willingness to poke around — but if you want AI that’s private and fast, it’s a rare gem.
5. Raycast Apple Notes Extension
You may know Raycast. It’s a cool app that can do millions of things. And it’s a great Apple Notes companion as well.
Raycast is a productivity launcher that’s basically a more powerful Spotlight. With the Apple Notes extension, it becomes an instant portal to your notes.
If you use Raycast already, this one’s a no-brainer. If you’re not, it’s worth a try!
Key features:
Search your Notes quickly without opening the app.
Create a new note directly from Raycast.
Assign shortcuts to jump into a note, template, or task.
Perfect for people who want fewer clicks, faster workflows, and more time doing instead of opening things.
TL:DR
Apple Notes has always been a fast, stable note-taking app. I’ve been using it for years and years.
But with these plugins, it becomes a much more capable productivity system, comparable to many high-level notes apps like Obsidian or Notion, without needing to move your whole life into yet another app and reading a 50-page manual every time you open it.
The Bottom Line
Apple Notes probably isn’t the app you thought you’d build your workflow around. But with these five plugins, you can really beef up that simple app.
You get:
The speed of a free native app with more functionality
The flexibility of modern tools, integrated in a simple way
AI when you want it, templates when you need them
And even a way to turn your thoughts into a public blog
In other words: your ideas, your flow — just a whole lot better.
Let me know how you like these plugins!