Show HN: Jot, a menu bar app that catches a thought before it's gone

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Jot: Capture any thought in a keystroke

macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · One-time $4.99

Capture any thought

in a single keystroke.

Jot lives in your menu bar. Press ⌥Space from anywhere,<br>type what's on your mind, and it's saved to a searchable local log.<br>No app to open, no account, nothing leaves your Mac.

Get Jot for lifetime access<br>See how it works

One-time payment · Yours forever

How it works

Three keystrokes from thought to saved.

No window to find, no document to name, no sync to wait on.

Press the hotkey

Hit ⌥Space in any app, and a small panel floats in instantly, already focused.

Type the thought

A name, a link, a to-do, a half-formed idea. Then press ⌘↵.

Find it later

Everything lands in one searchable log in your menu bar. Search, copy, export to Markdown.

Why Jot

Small, fast, and entirely yours.

Zero friction

One global hotkey from any app. The fastest path between a thought and a place to keep it.

On-device & private

Every capture is stored in plain JSON on your Mac. No account, no servers, no telemetry.

Permission-free

No Accessibility, microphone, or screen-recording prompts. It just works the moment you install it.

Instant search

Type a word, see every matching capture. Click any one to copy it straight to your clipboard.

Markdown export

Your whole log, one dated section per capture, exported to a Markdown file whenever you want it.

One-time price

Five dollars, once. No subscription, no upsell, no "Pro" tier nagging you from the menu bar.

Pricing

Buy once. Keep it forever.

$9$4.99one-time

Launch price · 45% off

The full app, every feature, no tiers

Use on up to 3 of your Macs

Free updates for every version, forever

No subscription, no recurring charges

Buy Jot

Secure checkout via Polar (taxes included). Your download<br>link and license key arrive by email the moment you pay; paste the key on<br>first launch.

Already bought? Download Jot and find your key in your Polar account.

Prefer Apple's store? Get Jot on the Mac App Store ($4.99).

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FAQ

Good questions.

Is it really a one-time payment?<br>Yes. $4.99 once unlocks Jot on up to three of your Macs, with free updates for every future version. No paid upgrades, ever. No subscription.

Does it work offline?<br>Completely. Capturing and searching never touch the network. Jot only contacts Polar to verify your license, and it keeps working offline for two weeks between checks.

Where are my notes stored?<br>In a plain JSON file inside your Mac's Application Support folder. Nothing is uploaded anywhere. You can export everything to Markdown at any time.

Which Macs are supported?<br>macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel. The app is a universal binary.

How do I activate it?<br>After buying, Polar emails you a license key. Download the app, launch it, and paste the key once. That's it.

Do you offer refunds?<br>No, all sales are final. Jot is a $4.99 app delivered instantly as a license key, so purchases are non-refundable. If it won't activate or you hit a snag, email us and we'll make it right. See our Refund Policy.

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© 2026 Arun Brahma. All rights reserved. Jot is an independent app for macOS and is not affiliated with Apple Inc.

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