Curio

Freemium#44 of 214 in Note-Taking Apps

Curio: Curio gives Mac users a flexible visual workspace for notes, research, PDFs, and tasks. Ranked #44 of 214 in Note-Taking Apps by our editors (4.9/10); pricing: Free plan · 14-day trial; best for mac users building visual idea spaces.

4.9/10★★☆☆☆Editor score

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At a glance

• Editor score
  4.9 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan · 14-day trial
• Best for
  Mac users building visual idea spaces
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  $5/mo
• Offline access
  Yes
• Founded
  2004 · North Carolina, USA
• Facts checked
  20 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.

Questions about Curio

Does Curio have a free plan? Yes, there is a free plan; paid plans start at $5/mo (Standard subscription).

How much does Curio cost? Curio lists 4 paid plans; the lowest is Standard subscription at $5/mo.

Is there a free trial of Curio? Yes: a 14-day free trial; no card is needed.

What does Curio run on? macOS. It runs as a desktop app.

What does Curio integrate with? 20 integrations, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity.

Who is Curio built for? Solo users and small businesses (our editorial estimate).

Your product? Our editors can test Curio in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Curio pricing

All 5 Curio plans and prices →

Curio fact sheet

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.9.3
• NotionA flexible workspace for teams that want notes and knowledge bases alongside databases and collaboration.9.2
• EvernoteA broad note-taking workspace for organizing information, tasks, calendars, and documents.9.0

See all Curio alternatives →

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Featured on iTechGuides

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026

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Last updated 14 Nov 2026 · How we research and update