Floate vs Apple Notes: which notes app floats over your Mac?

Floate compared with Apple Notes
	Floate	Apple Notes
Floats above other windows	Every note, always	Per note, via Keep on Top
Shows over full-screen videos	Yes	Only with a workaround
Hidden from screen sharing	Yes, per note	No
New note from any app	⌘⇧N or the menu bar	Quick Note (Globe + Q)
Headings and checklists	Yes, type /	Yes, from the toolbar
Drawing inside notes	Yes, a canvas in any note	Yes
Folders and search	Yes	Yes
iPhone and iPad	No, Mac only	Yes, via iCloud
Where notes are stored	Files in a folder on your Mac	Apple Notes database / iCloud
Price	$4.99 once	Free with your Mac

Floating over your work

Apple Notes can keep a single note window on top, but that note won't appear over an app running in full screen. It's a window option, not what the app is built around.

In Floate, floating is the point. Every note opens on top of whatever you're doing - a full-screen lecture, a video call, a presentation - and stays there on every desktop. Press ⌘⇧N from any app to open one.

Quick notes

Apple's Quick Note (Globe + Q, or a hot corner) is handy for capturing a thought, but it opens a separate panel rather than a note that stays over your full-screen app.

Floate opens a fresh floating note with one shortcut or a click on the menu bar icon, and you can have several open at once.

Writing and formatting

Both apps support headings, lists, checklists, images and drawings. Apple Notes uses a formatting toolbar; Floate uses a / menu and a toolbar that appears when you select text, so you can format without taking your hands off the keyboard.

Storage and syncing

Apple Notes stores notes in its own database and syncs them across your Apple devices with iCloud. Floate saves each note as a file in a folder on your Mac. There's no Floate cloud and no account; to back them up, put the folder in iCloud Drive.

Which should you choose?

Choose Apple Notes if

You want your notes on your iPhone and iPad as well as your Mac.
You don't need notes over full-screen apps.
You'd rather not pay for a notes app.

Choose Floate if

You take notes while watching lectures, videos or calls.
You want to keep your notes out of screen shares and recordings.
You want notes visible over full-screen apps without workarounds.
You like notes stored as plain files you can see in Finder.

Questions

Can Apple Notes float on top of a full-screen video?

Not directly. Apple Notes can keep a note on top of normal windows, but full-screen apps get their own space, so the note isn't shown there without workarounds. Floate notes stay visible over full-screen apps.

Can I use Floate and Apple Notes together?

Yes. Many people keep Apple Notes as their long-term notebook and use Floate for notes they take while watching, reading or on calls.