Curio
Curio: Curio gives Mac users a flexible visual workspace for notes, research, PDFs, and tasks. Ranked #51 of 214 in Note-Taking Apps by our editors (4.9/10); pricing: Free plan · paid from $5/mo (annual) · 14-day trial; best for mac users building visual idea spaces.
At a glance
- Editor score4.9 / 10
- PricingFree plan · paid from $5/mo (annual) · 14-day trial
- Best forMac users building visual idea spaces
- Free planYes
- Offline accessYes
- Founded2004 · North Carolina, USA
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Freeform spaces combine notes, research, PDFs, links, and tasks
- Mind maps, boards, tables, stacks, and Kanban support varied workflows
- Strong export, linking, search, calendar, and AI integration options
Where it doesn't
- Available only on macOS
- Advanced use requires a paid license or subscription
- The free plan limits projects to 5 idea spaces
Our verdict on Curio
Curio is a local, macOS-only notebook for organizing notes, research, documents, images, PDFs, web links, multimedia, and tasks. Its freeform idea spaces let students, writers, researchers, designers, educators, project managers, engineers, and other individual professionals arrange mixed content visually. Alongside rich text and Markdown, it supports mind maps, lists, tables, index cards, pinboards, stacks, Kanban boards, presentations, PDF annotation, tags, priorities, ratings, resources, dates, and checklists. That makes it a fit for people who want more structure than a linear notebook without giving up an open canvas.
The pricing gives users several ways to move beyond the Free plan. Free includes rich text and Markdown, visual organization tools, search, tags, dates, priorities, and up to 5 idea spaces. A Standard license key costs $99.99 one-time and adds unlimited idea spaces with one year of updates. The Professional license key costs $119.99 one-time and adds advanced power-user features plus Curio CLI and MCP for eligible sustainers. Subscription options include Standard at $5 per month billed annually or $6 monthly, and Professional at $6 per month billed annually or $8 monthly. Mac App Store subscriptions include automatic updates, and a 14-day free trial is available.
Curio’s ecosystem is broad for a Mac-centered workflow: it connects with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Poe, Groq, Grok, Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen, Apple Shortcuts, Calendar, Reminders, and DEVONthink. It also supports wikilinks, backlinks, deep links, cross-references, query-based collections, and imports or exports for Markdown, PDF, HTML, CSV, OPML, and images. Choose Curio if visual organization, local project files, and varied content types matter more than platform coverage. Choose an alternative if you need a Windows, Linux, or mobile app.
Curio pricing
All 5 Curio plans and prices →
Curio fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Offline access | Yes |
| Supported platforms | macos |
| Note sharing | Yes |
| Real-time collaboration | Not verified |
| Storage limit | Not verified |
| Integrations | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Poe, Groq, Grok, Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen, Apple Shortcuts, Calendar, Reminders, DEVONthink, TaskPaper, OmniOutliner Pro, Curiota, iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive |
| Free trial | 14 days · no card needed |
| Deployment | Desktop |
| Platforms | macOS |
| Support | Email, Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 20 integrations: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Poe … |
| Pricing | Free plan · paid from $5/mo (annual) · 14-day trial (source) |
| Website | zengobi.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Curio integrations
Curio lists 20 integrations on its own site.
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Gemini
- Copilot
- Perplexity
- Poe
- Groq
- Grok
- Mistral
- DeepSeek
- Qwen
- Apple Shortcuts
- Calendar
- Reminders
- DEVONthink
- TaskPaper
- OmniOutliner Pro
- Curiota
- iCloud
- Dropbox
Alternatives to Curio
- Microsoft OneNoteA broad, collaborative note system with strong Microsoft integration and a capable free option.9.8
- NotionA flexible workspace for teams that want notes and knowledge bases alongside databases and collaboration.9.0
- EvernoteA broad note-taking workspace for organizing information, tasks, calendars, and documents.8.5
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The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Curio for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
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