Key takeaways
- 715+ GitHub stars and 48 releases in roughly two months — created April 11, 2026, v1.0.0 on April 17, v2.2.0 on June 10 — one of the fastest release cadences in the minimalist-notes category
- The differentiator is keyboard depth plus agent access: full Vim motions (operators, registers, marks, macros, ex commands), leader-key flows, and a bundled first-party MCP server that exposes the vault to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex
- Plain .md files in a folder you own, no database — but the app itself is Electron and cross-platform (macOS/Windows/Linux plus a self-hosted Go-backed web app), so it is Mac-supported rather than Mac-native
- Entirely free and MIT-licensed, written almost single-handedly by developer Adib Hanna — solo-maintainer risk is the honest trade for the price
FAQ
What is ZenNotes?
ZenNotes is a free, open-source, keyboard-first Markdown notes app that stores notes as plain .md files on disk and adds Vim motions, split and preview workflows, diagrams, CSV databases, and a first-party MCP server for AI assistants.
How much does ZenNotes cost?
Nothing — it is MIT-licensed open source with no paid tier; the website states "Free, open source, and yours."
Is ZenNotes a native Mac app?
No — the desktop app is Electron, shipped for macOS (signed and notarized), Windows, and Linux, with a self-hosted web mode backed by a Go server; it supports the Mac well but is not Mac-native like FSNotes.
How is ZenNotes different from Obsidian?
Both are Electron apps over plain Markdown vaults, but ZenNotes is fully open source (Obsidian's core is proprietary), ships Vim motions and an MCP server first-party rather than via community plugins, and has no plugin ecosystem or built-in sync service.
Executive Summary
ZenNotes is a keyboard-first Markdown notes app built on one premise: your notes are ordinary .md files in a folder you own, with no hidden database underneath.[1] On top of the plain files it layers real Vim motions — operators, registers, marks, macros, and an ex prompt, not a keybinding veneer — plus leader-key flows, a command palette, split/preview/pinned-pane workflows, tasks, tags, daily notes, backlinks, and math/diagram rendering (KaTeX, Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph).[2][1] The category-unusual addition is agent access: a first-party MCP server and a zen CLI expose the vault to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex, so assistants work on the same files the user does rather than a copy.[2][1]
The project is two months old and moving fast: the repository was created April 11, 2026, hit v1.0.0 six days later, and shipped 48 releases through v2.2.0 on June 10, 2026 — which added Notion-style Table and Board database views over plain CSV files.[1][3][4] It stands at 715+ stars and 31 forks as of June 2026, is MIT-licensed and entirely free, and is written almost single-handedly by developer Adib Hanna (201 of 202 commits).[1][5] The honest caveat for this category: the desktop app is Electron and cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux, plus a self-hosted Go-backed web app), making ZenNotes Mac-supported rather than Mac-native — unlike most of its category siblings.[1]
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Creator | Adib Hanna (solo maintainer; 201 of 202 commits)[5][1] |
| Founded | April 2026 (repo created April 11; v1.0.0 April 17)[1][3] |
| Funding | None disclosed; free open-source project |
| GitHub Stars | 715+ (31 forks) as of June 2026[1] |
| License | MIT[1] |
| Primary Language | TypeScript (Electron desktop; Go server for self-hosted web)[1] |
Product Overview
The core loop is deliberately boring: pick a vault folder, and every note is a normal .md file inside it — created, renamed, archived, trashed, and watched for external changes, with Obsidian-style flat-vault layouts supported.[1] The app assumes you want to move fast: first-class Vim mode, leader-key flows, command palette, pane and tab motions, and local ex commands, with edit, preview, split, pinned reference panes, and detached note windows as first-class modes.[1]
v2.2.0 added the most ambitious feature to date: any .csv file in the vault becomes a full database with editable Table and Board views, typed fields, sort/filter, and rows that open as real Markdown pages — "à la Notion / Obsidian Bases" in the project's own framing, with a Vim-keyed grid (h/j/k/l, dd, gg/G).[4]
Key Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Plain-file vault | Ordinary .md files on disk; no database for note content[1] |
| Vim mode | Operators, registers, marks, macros, ex prompt; leader-key flows[2] |
| Rendering | KaTeX math, Mermaid, TikZ, JSXGraph diagrams inline[2] |
| CSV databases | Notion-style Table + Board views over plain .csv, rows as Markdown pages (v2.2.0)[4] |
| Organization | Tasks, tags, search, backlinks, daily notes, archive/trash, quick capture[2][1] |
| MCP server | First-party; vault exposed to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex[2] |
zen CLI | List, read, search, capture, edit, tasks, folders, MCP from the terminal; powers a Raycast extension on macOS[1] |
Product Surfaces
| Surface | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop app | Electron; native menus, auto-updater, floating windows | macOS (arm64/x64, signed and notarized), Windows x64, Linux (AUR, .deb, .pacman, AppImage)[1] |
| Self-hosted web | Browser frontend + Go server, for home servers and LAN | Available (Docker)[1][2] |
| Hosted web | Same stack with auth and multi-user storage | Planned[1] |
zen CLI + Raycast | Terminal companion installed from Settings; Raycast extension on macOS | Available[1] |
Technical Architecture
ZenNotes ships from one monorepo with a shared app core (packages/app-core) and multiple runtimes: an Electron desktop shell, a self-hosted web app backed by a Go server, and a planned hosted mode on the same web/server stack.[1] Note content never enters a database — the vault is watched for external edits, so the files remain editable by anything else (including agents over MCP and scripts over the CLI).[1] macOS builds are signed and notarized, and the app auto-updates after the first download.[1]
Key Technical Details
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deployment | Local desktop (Electron) or self-hosted web (Go server); no cloud service[1] |
| Storage | Plain .md (and .csv) files in a user-chosen vault; no note database[1] |
| Sync | None built-in — bring your own (the plain-file vault works with any file sync) |
| Agent integration | First-party MCP server + zen CLI[2] |
| Open Source | Fully — MIT license, TypeScript, on GitHub[1] |
Strengths
- Plain files with no lock-in, fully open source — the entire app is MIT-licensed and the vault is ordinary Markdown on disk, a stronger ownership story than Obsidian (proprietary core) or Typora (paid, closed).[1]
- The deepest keyboard story in the category — real Vim motions with operators, registers, marks, macros, and ex commands, plus leader-key flows and a Vim-keyed database grid, ship first-party rather than as plugins.[2][4]
- Agent-native before its competitors — a bundled MCP server and CLI make the vault directly readable and writable by Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Codex, a workflow category siblings leave to third-party tooling.[2]
- Exceptional release velocity — 48 releases between April 17 and June 10, 2026, including a full CSV-database feature, UI consistency pass, and platform fixes in v2.2.0 alone.[3][4]
- More surfaces than a typical notes app — desktop, self-hosted web, CLI, and Raycast cover desk and terminal workflows from one shared core.[1]
Cautions
- Electron, not Mac-native — unlike most category siblings, ZenNotes is a cross-platform Electron app (macOS/Windows/Linux plus self-hosted web); buyers choosing this category for native AppKit feel and footprint should look at FSNotes instead.[1]
- Solo-maintainer risk — 201 of 202 commits are from one developer; there is no organization, funding, or contributor bench behind the project's bus factor.[1][5]
- Two months old — repo created April 11, 2026; the velocity is impressive but there is no track record of long-term maintenance, and 33 issues were open as of June 2026.[1]
- No built-in sync or mobile apps — the plain-file vault works with generic file sync, but there is no first-party sync service or iOS/Android client, which Obsidian and FSNotes both offer in some form.[1]
- No independent community evaluation yet — essentially zero substantive third-party discussion exists (see below), so every feature claim is vendor-stated, albeit verifiable in source.[6]
What Users Say
There is no substantive independent community discussion of ZenNotes as of June 2026 — and that absence is itself a data point for a two-month-old project. An HN Algolia search surfaces a single submission ("ZenNotes – Open-source local Markdown app with system-wide Vim motions," June 11, 2026) with 2 points and zero comments, plus one link-aggregator comment listing ZenNotes among new Markdown editors alongside Markpad and Memos; no substantive Reddit threads were found.[6] The project lists a Discord community on its website, but its sentiment is not independently auditable.[2] Until real user discussion accumulates, the only pressure-testing available is reading the MIT-licensed source itself.[1]
Pricing & Licensing
| Tier | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free (only tier) | $0 | Everything — desktop apps for macOS/Windows/Linux, self-hosted web, zen CLI, MCP server, auto-updates[2][1] |
The website's framing is "Free, open source, and yours"; there is no paid tier, donation requirement, or license key as of June 2026.[2]
Licensing model: MIT — the full application (desktop, web, server, CLI) is open source in one repository.[1]
Hidden costs: None monetary; the real costs are solo-maintainer continuity risk and bring-your-own sync.[1]
Competitive Positioning
Direct Competitors
| Competitor | Differentiation |
|---|---|
| Obsidian | Also Electron over plain Markdown, with a massive plugin ecosystem and paid sync; ZenNotes counters with a fully open-source core and first-party Vim + MCP instead of community plugins |
| FSNotes | The Mac-native, Swift, open-source choice with iOS support and git versioning; ZenNotes trades native feel for cross-platform reach, deeper Vim, and agent integration |
| Typora | Polished minimalist WYSIWYG editor, paid and closed-source; ZenNotes is free, open, and keyboard-first rather than mouse-and-prose-first |
| Logseq / Zettlr | Other open-source Markdown tools; ZenNotes differentiates on Vim depth, CSV databases, and the bundled MCP server |
When to Choose ZenNotes Over Alternatives
- Choose ZenNotes when: you want Vim-grade keyboard editing over plain
.mdfiles, your AI assistants should operate on the vault directly via MCP, and a fully open-source stack matters more than native-app polish. - Choose Obsidian when: you want the plugin ecosystem, first-party sync/publish, and mobile apps, and a proprietary core is acceptable.
- Choose FSNotes when: Mac-native performance and iOS support are the point of being in this category.
- Choose Typora when: you want the cleanest WYSIWYG Markdown writing surface and do not need open source or keyboard-first workflows.
Ideal Customer Profile
Best fit:
- Vim users who want their notes editor to honor a decade of muscle memory — operators, registers, macros included[2]
- Developers running Claude Code or Codex who want notes readable and writable by agents through a first-party MCP server[2]
- Plain-file purists who want full ownership (MIT source +
.mdon disk) and are comfortable wiring their own sync - Self-hosters who want the same notes app on a home server via the Go-backed web mode[1]
Poor fit:
- Users who chose this category specifically for Mac-native apps — ZenNotes is Electron[1]
- Anyone needing first-party sync, collaboration, or mobile apps
- Risk-averse users who require a maintained-for-years track record rather than a two-month-old solo project[1]
Viability Assessment
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Financial Health | N/A — unfunded free OSS; sustainability rests entirely on one developer's continued interest[5] |
| Market Position | Promising newcomer — 715+ stars in two months is strong for the category, but Obsidian-scale mindshare is orders of magnitude away[1] |
| Innovation Pace | Exceptional — 48 releases from v1.0.0 (April 17) to v2.2.0 (June 10, 2026), including CSV databases and a theming/UI pass[3][4] |
| Community/Ecosystem | Minimal — one near-silent HN submission, no Reddit footprint, 31 forks, one significant contributor[6][1] |
| Long-term Outlook | Unproven — the plain-file format caps the downside (notes survive the app), but app longevity depends on a solo maintainer[1] |
The mitigating structural fact: because the vault is plain Markdown with no database, abandonment risk is unusually cheap — if the project stops tomorrow, every note opens in Obsidian, FSNotes, or a text editor unchanged.[1] That makes the adoption bet asymmetric in a way most two-month-old software is not.
Bottom Line
ZenNotes is the most interesting new entrant in minimalist Markdown notes in 2026: genuinely free and MIT-licensed, the deepest first-party Vim implementation in the category, and the only sibling shipping agent access (MCP server + CLI) as a core feature rather than an afterthought — all over plain files that owe the app nothing. The honest trades are that it is an Electron cross-platform app rather than a Mac-native one, it is two months old, and it is effectively one person's work with no community record yet.
Recommended for: Vim-fluent developers who want keyboard-first plain-file notes that their AI agents can read and write directly, and who value open source over native polish.
Not recommended for: Users who need Mac-native feel, first-party sync, mobile apps, or a vendor with a multi-year maintenance track record.
Outlook: Watch whether contributors beyond Adib Hanna materialize, whether the planned hosted mode ships, and whether the release cadence survives the first six months — with plain-file portability as the safety net, trying it costs almost nothing.
Research by Ry Walker Research • methodology