HillNote vs Mintofu

Hillnote is where you think. A local-first, markdown-native workspace that captures your work in AI-native formats - notes, plans, drafts, ideas, decisions. Built on plain markdown, stored on your device, paired with your desktop, and ready for the AI tools you already use. Built for builders, makers, writers, and small teams who think on the move and want their workspace to come with them. Write as you think, the way you think. A clean markdown editor designed for capture, not arrangement. A floating toolbar above the keyboard handles formatting; standard markdown shortcuts work out of the box. Quicknotes for everything in between. Tap + to capture an idea the moment it lands. Save and it's in your workspace; keep typing if you want to expand it. No friction between a thought and a file. Your thinking stays on your device. Every file lives locally as plain markdown. No rented database, no required account, no lock-in. Your work is yours from day one, and yours if you cancel. Free sync across iPhone, iPad, and desktop. The first 100MB syncs free -more than enough for years of notes. Capture on your phone, expand on your desktop, review anywhere. Talk to your knowledge base. Built-in chat reads your own files, edits them, creates new ones, and pulls context from your workspace. Upload images and have them read aloud. Auto mode picks the right model; switch manually when you want to. Supercharge your writing with Apple Intelligence. Native integration with Apple Intelligence writing tools - proofread, rewrite, reformat -via the AI button or text selection. Workspaces with all the context AI models need. Hillnote automatically generates context files (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, document registries) so any AI tool you connect can navigate your workspace immediately - no setup, no plugins. Pairs with the agents you already work with. Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, Cowork, Claude Code - connect via local or cloud MCP, or point them at the workspace folder directly. Plain markdown means no exports, no conversions. They read and edit the same files you do. Carry your tools, not just your notes. Build small HTML tools - pomodoro timers, day counters, focus checklists, anything else - that travel inside your workspace. Pin them as widgets. Your tools live next to the work they support. A different model. We separate what's a service from what's yours. You subscribe to the workspace and pay for cloud features (expanded sync, frontier AI, publishing, routines, BYO key) only when you need them. Free accounts include limited premium model usage. Your data stays on your device as plain markdown, always canonical, always portable. Start free. Sync free. Stay local. Add cloud when you outgrow it. Download Hillnote and bring your thinking with you.

One app for every idea — from a quick note to a daily plan to a sprawling mind map. Mintofu brings your notes, tasks, mind maps, and calendar together in one beautifully designed app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Capture a thought, manage your to-dos, plan your day, map out a project, and stay focused with a built-in timer — all in one calm, private place, with no clutter and no account required. Start free today and bring your whole world into one app. WHY MINTOFU Your thinking doesn't stay in neat boxes — but most apps do. You end up juggling a notes app, a to-do app, a mind-mapping tool, and a calendar, copying between them and losing context at every hop. Mintofu was built the other way around. Everything lives in one place, and every piece of content can become any other. Your tools finally move at the speed of your thinking. PRIVATE AI, BUILT IN Apple Intelligence works right inside your notes, tasks, mind maps, and calendar — draft and brainstorm, proofread, rewrite, and summarize, or translate in a tap — and it powers the conversions between them. Everything runs on your device, so your ideas never leave your hardware. FREE FEATURES - Notebooks to organize your notes, ideas and plans by project or topic - Rich-text notes with live Markdown, custom fonts, highlights, drawing, and attachments - One-tap translation for any note or selection - Audio Notes — record voice memos, keep typing while you record, and transcribe them to text - Full calendar — month, week, day, and timeline views, plus a productivity heatmap - Public holidays for your region, shown across every calendar view - Live sync with your device calendars; export events as .ics - Tasks with priorities, due dates, subtasks, tags, time tracking, and reminders - Natural-language dates like "next Friday at 3pm" - Smart Lists, Eisenhower Matrix, Focus Queue, and burndown charts to stay on track - Built-in Focus timer and achievement badges - Mind maps on an infinite canvas — import Markdown, convert to notes or tasks in a tap - Kanban boards and dashboards (Overview, Kanban, and Post Board) - Widgets for Quick Capture, Notes, Mind Maps, Calendar, Tasks, and Dashboards - Version History — Mintofu keeps earlier versions of your notes, mind maps, tasks, and events, private on your device - Private, on-device AI throughout, via Apple Intelligence - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac — fully offline-first - Export to PDF, Markdown, and PNG, or share anywhere - Available in 40 languages, with right-to-left support, VoiceOver, and keyboard shortcuts MINTOFU+ Everything above is free. Upgrade only if you want more: - Unlimited notebooks, mind maps, and audio notes - Unlimited AI generations and translations - Public holidays for multiple regions - Compare and restore any earlier version - Monthly, annual, or one-time lifetime PERFECT FOR - Students capturing lectures and planning study sessions - Professionals juggling projects, meetings, and deadlines - Writers and researchers organizing notes, ideas, and drafts - Visual thinkers who brainstorm and plan with mind maps - Anyone building a daily-planning and focus routine that sticks - Privacy-conscious people who want no account and no tracking - Apple users who want one beautiful app across iPhone, iPad, and Mac Bring every idea, task, and plan into one place. Privacy Policy: https://www.mintofu.ai/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.mintofu.ai/terms