FloateCompared
Floate vs Stickies
Stickies has been on the Mac for decades: little coloured notes you can float on top of your windows. Floate takes the same idea and builds a modern notes app around it, with notes that float over full-screen apps, proper formatting, drawings, folders and search.
| Floate | Stickies | |
|---|---|---|
| Floats above other windows | Every note, always | Yes, via Float on Top |
| Shows over full-screen videos | Yes | No |
| Hidden from screen sharing | Yes, per note | No |
| New note from any app | ⌘⇧N or the menu bar | Only from selected text |
| Headings and checklists | Yes, type / | No |
| Drawing inside notes | Yes | No |
| Images and screenshots | Yes | Yes |
| Folders and search | Yes | No |
| Price | $4.99 once | Free with your Mac |
Floating, properly
In Stickies, you turn on Window > Float on Top for each note, and it still won't show over an app in full screen.
Every Floate note floats by default, over full-screen video and presentations and on every desktop.
More than a sticky note
Stickies notes are plain or lightly styled text. Floate has a / menu for headings, bulleted and numbered lists, to-do checklists, quotes and dividers, plus a canvas for drawing right inside a note.
Find your notes again
Stickies lives on your desktop as a pile of notes, with no folders or search. Floate keeps every note in a library window with folders, ⌘K search and light and dark mode.
Your notes, as files
Floate saves each note as a file in Documents/Floate (or a folder you choose), so you can back them up, browse them in Finder or sync them with iCloud Drive.
Which should you choose?
Choose Stickies if
- You only need a few short reminders on your desktop.
- You don't need formatting, folders or search.
- You want something free that's already installed.
Choose Floate if
- You want sticky notes that also float over full-screen apps.
- You need checklists, headings and drawings in your notes.
- You want your notes organised and searchable.
Questions
What's the best Stickies alternative for Mac?
If you like Stickies for keeping notes on top, Floate is built around the same idea with notes that also float over full-screen apps, plus formatting, checklists, drawing, folders and search.
Can Stickies float over full-screen apps?
No. Float on Top keeps a sticky above normal windows, but not over apps running in full screen. Floate notes do show over full-screen apps.
Try Floate free
Every feature, free for 7 days. No account. Then $4.99 once, yours to keep.
macOS on Apple silicon and Intel