Open above whatever you’re doing.
Aside appears over the app you’re using, then closes without moving you elsewhere.
Catch the thought. Keep your flow.
A scratchpad that opens anywhere on your Mac.
Open Aside over any app, write the thought, then close it and return to what you were doing.
Try free for 14 daysFull app · No card or account
Up to 3 devices · No subscription
Requires macOS 14 or later
How it worksOpen, write, carry on.Opens over your space, then disappears.
How Aside works
Open. Write. Carry on.
Aside gives you somewhere to put a thought without taking you away from what you’re doing.
Write before choosing where it belongs.
No title, folder, or filing decision. Just write it down.
Close it and carry on.
The page stays ready for later as a Markdown file in a folder on your Mac.
The guide
Learn the essentials.
Catch your first thought, learn how to keep a small working set, then tune Aside to your workspace.
Private by design
Your writing stays in your folder.
No account and no analytics in the app. Aside never uploads your writing. Each page stays in the folder you choose on your Mac. If you sync that folder with another service, that service handles the synced copy.
- Local Markdown files
- No account or in-app analytics
- No cloud storage
Aside for macOS
Your quiet place
for thoughts in progress.
Buy it once and keep it. No subscription or account required.
Requires macOS 14 or later$9.99One-time purchase
Up to 3 devices · Local price shown at checkout
Prefer to try it first?
Try free for 14 daysNo card or account required
Made and maintained by François Chalifour, creator of Medium Zoom and a founding maintainer of Algolia Autocomplete and DocSearch.
Good to know.
How does the free trial work?
Download the complete app without entering a card or creating an account. The trial starts when you start writing. After 14 days, editing pauses, but you can keep reading, copying, and exporting every page. If Aside fits your workflow, buy a copy for life.
Is Aside a subscription?
No. Aside is a $9.99 one-time purchase. Your license includes all 1.x updates and does not expire. A future major version may be an optional paid upgrade; your current version remains yours on compatible versions of macOS.
Where are my pages stored?
Each page is a standard Markdown file in a folder on your Mac. Use the default Application Support folder or choose an iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Git, or Obsidian folder, then open your writing in any compatible app.
How many Macs can I use it on?
One license is for one person and activates Aside on up to 3 Macs at a time. Deactivate a Mac whenever you need to move the license. Aside requires macOS 14 or later.
How can I get help?
Email aside@hardflip.studio. I’ll get back to you personally.