Lychee review
A free, open-source Markdown notes app for offline desktop writing.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Lychee is a free, open-source note-taking app for people who want a focused writing environment on the desktop. It stores notes locally in SQLite and works offline on macOS, Windows, and Linux, making it suited to personal knowledge bases, drafts, reference notes, and other writing that does not depend on cloud access. The MIT-licensed app does not require an account and is presented without tracking or paywalls.
The Free plan costs $0 forever and includes local-first note storage, offline use, rich-text formatting, slash commands, Markdown support, and search. Its writing and organization tools extend to bold, italic, code, links, images, tabs, keyboard shortcuts, trash and restore, and heading-based navigation within long notes. Drag-and-drop reordering and nesting provide a practical structure for notebooks, while slash commands offer a menu for inserting note blocks. These features give Lychee useful depth for focused individual writing without adding a paid-tier decision.
Lychee’s desktop scope is also its clearest boundary. It supports macOS, Windows, and Linux, but has no mobile apps, integrations, sharing, or real-time collaboration. That makes it a strong fit for users who prefer local files, offline access, and a private-feeling writing workflow, but a poor fit for distributed teams or people who need notes available across mobile and connected services. Choose Lychee for straightforward personal Markdown notes on a desktop; choose a broader platform when collaboration, integrations, or mobile access are central requirements.
Lychee pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free, open-source app with no account or cloud dependency
- Works offline on macOS, Windows, and Linux
- Rich Markdown, search, nesting, images, and SQLite storage
- Where it doesn't
- No mobile apps
- No sharing or real-time collaboration
- No integrations or AI features
Lychee fact sheet, pricing and score →
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