An offline Notion alternative for your own docs, on one Mac
An offline Notion alternative for your own docs on one Mac: pages stored on the Mac, tables, charts, LaTeX and Word export. No databases, sync or iPhone app.
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What Craft does well
Craft is the most polished native document app on the Mac. It builds documents from blocks, has Collections for databases, an AI assistant with cloud models and free on-device ones, LaTeX formulas, and web publishing. It's native on Mac, iPad and iPhone, with Windows and web apps too, and it's rated 4.8 from about 6,600 reviews on the App Store.
A single document exports to PDF, Word, Markdown, TextBundle or an image, per Craft's export guide. The free plan covers 1,500 blocks and 1 GB. Plus is $8 a month, or $6.40 billed yearly, on Craft's site, and the App Store prices are higher.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from its own site or help pages, checked October 16, 2026. We didn't run tests.
Stay
Stay on Craft if
- You write on your iPad or iPhone too. Koi is Mac only, with no sync.
- You share or publish documents. Koi has no sharing, beyond sending a PDF.
- You rely on Collections. Koi has tables, not databases.
- You want version history. Koi doesn't keep one.
- Price matters. Craft Plus is about $77 a year; Koi Pro is $192, and Craft has a free plan.
Why people look
Why people look for a Craft alternative
Most complaints about Craft are about money, not how it works: the 1,500-block free plan runs out, the App Store charges more than the website, and Craft's Team plan went from $25 to $50 a month in February 2026, according to the price tracker costbench. The rest is fit: people who want plain files, voice, or something that isn't a cloud workspace.
The list
6 Craft alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Native notes on your Mac that you can talk into, with charts and calls recorded in
Koi is a native Mac app too, and its documents are files on your Mac with no sync and no copy anywhere else. The editor has headings, to-dos, colour, pictures, tables like Notion's simple ones, LaTeX equations and 11 chart types drawn from a small table you edit, with export to Word or PDF on A4 or US Letter paper.
Then there's what Craft doesn't do. Tap Fn + ⌥ and Koi types what you say, on your Mac, offline, in any app. Tap Fn + ⌃ to record a call or a class into a page. Import a PDF or slides and Koi makes study notes and flashcards. And tap Fn + ⌘ to ask Koi, out loud, to write or change a page; that part uses Koi's AI, which is online.
What you give up: iPad and iPhone, sharing, publishing, databases, version history and a free plan. Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial, or Lifetime from $59 once.
2. Notion
Best for: Databases and shared workspaces, on every device
Notion goes further than Craft on databases, with many views and relations, and on teams. It renders math with KaTeX. Free and Plus ($12 a month, or $10 billed yearly) cover personal use; its AI needs Business, at $24 a seat or $20 billed yearly. It exports to PDF, Markdown and HTML, but not Word, and offline works page by page in its apps.
3. Apple Notes
Best for: Free, native notes on every Apple device
Apple Notes is free, native, synced through iCloud and shareable, and records audio with a live transcript on M1 or later Macs. It's simpler than Craft: basic tables, no LaTeX, no charts, and export to PDF and Markdown but not Word.
4. Bear
Best for: Markdown notes on Mac, iPhone and iPad, for a fraction of the price
Bear is Markdown first and cheap: Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with iCloud sync and export to Word, PDF, HTML and ePub. It renders LaTeX with MathJax and draws Mermaid diagrams written as code. No AI or voice of its own.
5. Obsidian
Best for: Free, local Markdown files with links and plugins
Obsidian keeps your notes as Markdown files in a folder on your Mac, with backlinks, Canvas and Bases. It's free; Sync is $5 a month or $4 billed yearly. It isn't native like Craft, and it takes some setting up.
6. Capacities
Best for: Notes built from typed objects, with links between them
Capacities builds notes from objects like people, books and meetings, with backlinks, math blocks, and export to Word, PDF, Markdown and LaTeX. Basic is free without AI; Pro is $11.99 a month, or $9.99 billed yearly. It runs on every platform, and its docs say syncing to its server can't be turned off.
Comparison
Craft alternatives compared
From each app's own site, checked October 16, 2026.
| Native Mac | iPhone | Databases | Voice | Paid | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craft | Yes | Yes | Collections | No | $6.40 a month, yearly | Polished docs on every device |
| Koi | Yes | No | No | Dictation and recorded calls | $20 a month, or Lifetime from $59 | Notes you talk into, on one Mac |
| Notion | No | Yes | Yes, with views | Meeting notes on Business | $10 a month, yearly | Teams and databases |
| Apple Notes | Yes | Yes | No | Recordings, M1 or later | Free | Free notes everywhere |
| Bear | Yes | Yes | No | No | $29.99 a year | Cheap Markdown notes |
| Obsidian | No | Yes | Bases | Records audio, no transcript | Free | Plain files you own |
| Capacities | Not listed | Yes | Objects | Early access | $9.99 a month, yearly | Linked objects |
Head to head
Craft vs Koi
- Where documents live: Craft syncs them through its cloud to every device. Koi keeps them as files on your Mac, on that Mac only.
- Structure: Craft has Collections and web publishing. Koi has documents, groups and simple tables.
- Math: both draw LaTeX, with $$ for inline math.
- Charts: Koi draws 11 kinds from a table. We didn't find charts in Craft's help pages.
- Export: both export to Word, PDF and Markdown. Craft can export many documents at once on Mac and iPad; Koi copies one page at a time as Markdown.
- Voice: Koi has offline dictation in any app and records calls and classes into pages. Craft has no voice of its own.
- AI: Craft's assistant has free on-device models. Koi's assistant is online, sees your screen when you let it, and writes pages on a call.
- Price: Craft is cheaper and has a free plan. Koi has no free plan, but sells Lifetime.
Before you switch
Moving documents from Craft
Craft can export many documents at once on a Mac, as Markdown or other formats. Koi's Import takes Markdown, Word, PDF and plain text, and brings each file in as a page, read on your Mac. Collections won't come across as databases, so expect to sort pages into groups again. Move a few documents first and see how they read.
Choosing
Which Craft alternative should you pick?
- Databases and a team? Notion.
- Free and on every Apple device? Apple Notes.
- Markdown notes for $29.99 a year? Bear.
- Plain files you own, free? Obsidian.
- Notes you talk into, with charts and recorded calls, on one Mac? Koi.
For class notes with equations, see our list of notes apps with LaTeX for Mac, and if Bear is on your shortlist, our Bear alternatives.
Keep exploring
The best Bear alternatives for Mac
Looking for a Bear notes app alternative on Mac? Koi, Apple Notes, Obsidian, Craft, Typora and iA Writer compared on files, iPhone, LaTeX, charts and price.
An Apple Notes alternative for Mac, with charts, LaTeX and Word export
An Apple Notes alternative for Mac with charts drawn from a table, LaTeX, Word export and calls recorded into a note. Mac only, no sync, and not free. Compared.
Notes on your Mac, with tables, charts and math
Koi for Mac is an offline notes app with tables, 11 chart types, LaTeX, to-dos and flashcards. Export to Word or PDF, and start by typing or by talking.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Craft has a free plan with 1,500 blocks. Plus is $8 a month, or $6.40 a month billed yearly, on its website at the time of writing. App Store prices are higher.
Yes. Craft has block formulas, inserted with /formula, and inline formulas typed between $$ and $$.
Yes, on macOS, iOS and the web. A document also exports to PDF, Markdown, TextBundle or an image.
If you work on one Mac and want dictation, recorded calls and charts in your notes, yes. If you need iPad, iPhone, sharing or databases, Craft is the better app.