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Review
So my desktop is usually a mess of terminal windows, IDEs, and random snippets of JSON. I’ve tried everything from sticking things in a temporary scratch.txt to using heavy-duty note apps. While I am a huge fan of both Obsidian and Google Keep, I wanted something similar to Boop.
Enter Heynote.
The core concept is solid: it’s one giant, persistent text buffer, but it’s divided into blocks. You hit Ctrl+Enter, and you have a new block. You can set each block to a different language (Python, JSON, Markdown, etc.), and you get full syntax highlighting and auto-formatting. No more pasting JSON into a random browser “formatter” tool. It stays local, stays fast, and stays organized without me having to manage fifty different files.
One of the killer features for me is the Math blocks. They use Math.js, so I can do quick “napkin math” for resource allocations or budget estimates right inside my notes. It even handles currency conversions.
Yeah, it’s an Electron app. I know, I know—some people get twitchy about the memory footprint. But honestly? It’s snappy, the UI is minimalist and clean, and it supports a global hotkey to show/hide the app, which fits perfectly into my workflow. Plus, it stores everything in a local directory, so I can sync them via SyncThing, which is dope.
ℹ️ Important
If you’re on Linux (like me), the AppImage and Snap are the primary ways to grab this. If you use the AppImage, make sure you use an app image launcher to integrate it properly with your desktop menu so the global hotkey works reliably.
Pros / Cons
| 👍 | Block-based - keeps snippets separate without creating new files |
| 👍 | Integrated calculator mode for quick execution |
| 👍 | Syntax Highlighting including Terraform, Python, and Shell |
| 👍 | Local-first; ensures privacy and data ownership |
| 🤷 | Electron-based, but well-optimized |
| 👎 | No mobile app strictly for desktop |
Verdict
4/5
Download
💾 https://github.com/heyman/heynote/releases 💾
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This article is a part of the series "reviews".
Other articles in the series:
- Review - Superfile (Created by yorukot) 1 min read
- Review - LazyGit (created by jesseduffield) 2 min read
- Review - GDU (Created by dundee) 2 min read
- Review - Doggo (Created by mr-karan) 1 min read
- Review - AI Tooling 3 min read
- Review - Heynote (Created by Jonatan Heyman) 2 min read
