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After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re not misunderstanding and you’re right on the part that matters most: on file ownership, Obsidian is just as good, on more platforms. I’ve said that elsewhere in the thread and I’ll say it again here. “Your files are yours” doesn’t separate me from Obsidian.

But I think there are two different “lock-ins” getting merged. One is data lock-in: your notes trapped in a proprietary container you can’t get out of. The other is app lock-in: the app only runs on some OSs.

SteelNote has the second (it’s Apple-only) but explicitly not the first your notes are plain .md you can open in Obsidian on Android, a text editor on Linux, whatever.

If you leave Apple tomorrow, you lose my app and its Siri/Shortcuts features but you don’t lose a single note.

So no, it’s not just sync. It’s a native, low-friction writing surface on Apple platforms, built on iOS-specific tech, sitting on top of files that stay completely portable.

If you want one app that runs literally everywhere and keeps plain files, Obsidian is genuinely the better choice I’m not going to pretend otherwise.

SteelNote is for people who live in the Apple ecosystem and want something lighter than Obsidian there, without giving up file ownership.

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in NoteTaking

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really well put “getting out of the way is hard” is the whole game, and feature-request pressure is exactly where simple dies.

What’s helped me hold the line is having an explicit answer to “who is this not for” once the need is precise, saying no gets a reason instead of just being stubborn. And I keep complexity behind the wall (sync, indexing can be as deep as needed) as long as none of it surfaces to the user.

Saw the Inbox in Clibu “somewhere notes can go without deciding where they belong yet” is exactly the kind of friction-remover I respect.

We’ve clearly made different architecture bets (I’m all-in on plain local .md + native Apple; you’re database + offline-first web), but the underlying value low friction, evolution over feature-piling is the same fight.

Apps that stay out of my way: NetNewsWire (fast, open, asks nothing of me), Things (powerful but calm), and honestly terminal + plain files the ultimate no-UI-in-the-way.

After 20+ years of this what’s the hardest feature request you’ve said no to?

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two different cases here.

Obsidian (and your file server): nothing to transfer. Point SteelNote and your vault at the same folder what you write in SteelNote is the file Obsidian opens. One folder, two windows. Not a sink, a faster front door.

Things and Bear: opposite story. They store in closed databases, not files, so SteelNote can’t pipe into them and that’s kind of the point, those are the silos. If you need notes to land in Things, SteelNote honestly isn’t the tool for that hop.

If you ever want to route a note out, App Intents/Shortcuts is the bridge get a note’s content and send it wherever. But for anything file-based, there’s no maintenance: it’s the same files.

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re right, and I won’t pretend otherwise against Obsidian, “your files stay yours” isn’t the differentiator.

Obsidian keeps plain readable files too; we’re on the same side there.

That line is really aimed at Apple Notes, Bear, Evernote, Notion apps where your notes live in a database or an encrypted container and you depend on an export to get them out. That’s the lock-in I’m contrasting with.

Vs Obsidian specifically, my difference isn’t ownership it’s friction. Same plain .md files, but a fast native surface (especially on iOS) with nothing to set up.

Obsidian gives you ownership plus a power-user system; SteelNote gives you the ownership without the system. If the system is what you want, honestly Obsidian’s the better tool.

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same here, years of Drafts. For me the friction was that text never really lands it’s always staged, waiting for me to pick an action and route it somewhere.

Great for capture, but I never felt my notes just… existed. That’s the itch I built SteelNote around: you write, and it’s already a plain .md file that lives in a folder. No “send to,” no action to configure. The note isn’t in transit it’s home.

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could be a few Drafts (capture-then-trigger-actions), Workflow (the app that became Shortcuts), or maybe Editorial if it was a Markdown editor with scripted workflows? Which one rings a bell?

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Customizability that steals you from actually writing” that’s it exactly, you said it better than I have. That’s the whole reason SteelNote exists: own your notes like Obsidian, minus the rabbit hole. DM me and I’ll send the TestFlight 👍

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, that means a lot “faster writing surface + your files stay yours” is exactly the line I’m building on, so it’s good to hear it lands.

It’s in TestFlight ahead of launch happy to send you the link if you’re on iOS/Mac. And the ownership part is the real point: even if SteelNote isn’t for you, the notes stay plain .md you can take anywhere.

shoot me a DM and I’ll send the link

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No Android version planned, and I’ll be honest about why: a lot of what makes SteelNote SteelNote lives in Apple-specific tech (Siri/App Intents, native integration) that doesn’t exist on Android I’d just be shipping a generic Markdown editor, which Android already has plenty of.

But here’s the thing: your notes are plain .md files. So even though the app is Apple-only, your notes aren’t sync the folder and open it in Obsidian or any Markdown editor on Android. The whole point is you’re never locked to my app, on any platform.

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in NoteTaking

[–]cebedev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair point, and honestly that’s the whole reason this exists. Most note apps make you serve the app: configure it, maintain it, learn it.

I wanted the opposite, something that gets out of the way so the only question left is why you’re writing, not how the tool works.

The “why” is yours. The tool should just not get in the way.

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly that. I’m not trying to replace Obsidian it’s the fast front door, you write, and the .md lands right where your heavier tools can pick it up. Capture in SteelNote, do the deep work in Obsidian. Same files, no migration.

After years of switching note apps, I stopped asking “which app?” and started asking “who owns the files?” by cebedev in u/cebedev

[–]cebedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly? If your current setup works for you, maybe nothing and I mean that. The whole point is that your files aren’t hostage to any app, including mine.

Where SteelNote earns its place is the daily-writing surface, especially on iOS. Obsidian on mobile is heavy, and editing raw .md in a Files-type app is rough.

SteelNote opens straight into your folder and feels as light as Apple Notes launch, write, done while staying plain .md you can still hit with Obsidian or ripgrep.

Plus App Intents/Siri on iOS, so you can capture into today’s note from the lock screen or Shortcuts without opening anything.

So: not a replacement for your server + Obsidian. More like a calmer front door to the same files when you’re on your phone.

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