HillNote vs Nook

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.

Nook is a calm, private place for your notes, journal and everyday thoughts. Everything you write stays on your iPhone. There is no cloud, no account, and no tracking. The app has no internet access at all, so your words simply never leave your device. Most note apps sell you the cloud. Nook does the opposite, and makes a promise you can actually verify: your notes are yours alone. PRIVACY TYPING Something you have not seen before. Turn on Privacy Typing and every word you write is blacked out on screen the moment you finish it, so no one can read over your shoulder on the train, in a meeting, or at home. The word you are currently typing stays faintly visible just for you. Tap the eye to reveal the whole note, and Nook remembers the setting per note. You choose the bar color and how hidden the current word stays. HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT Protecting a page while you write it does little if your list still reads like a table of contents. Tap the eye on the home screen and every title and preview is covered behind glass. Bring them all back with Face ID, or uncover one note at a time, which is safer still. Everything covers itself again the moment you leave the app, so Nook never opens onto your own words. SOMEWHERE TO START Fifty one writing prompts, written by hand and grouped by what you might need: today, how you are, the people in your head, looking back, looking ahead, the quiet ones, the unsaid ones. They work on every device, with no model required. On devices with Apple Intelligence, Nook can also suggest a topic or reflect on an entry using Apple's on-device Foundation Models, with no network call at any point. WHY YOU WILL LOVE NOOK • Privacy Typing. Black out every word as you type, so no one reads over your shoulder. • Hide your notes. Cover every title and preview in the list, and bring them back with Face ID, all at once or one note at a time. • Truly private. No account, no email, no sign in. Open the app and start writing. • Lives only on your phone. No cloud and no servers. Your notes are stored locally and protected on device. • Locked for your eyes only. Choose Face ID, Touch ID, or your own passcode to open Nook. • Lockable folders. Put a passcode on any folder, and everything inside it stays private too. • Write beautifully. Titles, headings, bold and italic, plus a page background and text color for every note. • Beautifully organized. Nest folders as deep as you like, give them colors, pin what matters, and search everything in an instant. • Yours to back up. Export an encrypted backup to Files or AirDrop. You choose the passphrase, so only you can ever open it. • Prompts for empty days. Fifty one hand written prompts, plus on-device suggestions on Apple Intelligence devices. • Made for iPad. A two column desk, folders down one side and your pages beside them. • A widget that fits in. Quick capture from the Home Screen, following your own tint. • Calm by design. A warm, focused interface with a gorgeous light and dark theme. NO SUBSCRIPTION. EVER. Try everything free for 7 days. If you love it, buy us a coffee just once and Nook is yours forever. One payment of $5.99. No subscription, no account, no cloud. PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST Nook collects NO data. There is nothing to leak, nothing to sell, and nothing to track. Your App Store privacy label says it plainly: Data Not Collected. Made with care by an independent couple. Buy us a coffee and keep your thoughts to yourself.