BetterNotes is a modern, open-source productivity workspace designed to be faster, smarter, and more private than Notion.
It runs 100% locally on your machine. No cloud delays, no subscription fees for basic features, and you own your data (JSON format). It integrates the raw power of Groq AI (Llama 3 / GPT-OSS 120b) to perform deep internet research, automate tasks, and refine your writing instantly.
- Deep Research Agent: Ask a question, and the AI browses the live web to compile a detailed markdown report with citations.
- Context-Aware Chat: A sidebar assistant that "sees" your current note and dashboard tasks.
- Agentic Actions: Tell the AI to "Create a task to buy milk" or "Make a new folder for Work", and it controls the app interface for you.
- Slash Commands: Type
/to insert headers, checklists, dividers, or trigger AI summaries. - Smart Drag & Drop: Drop PDFs, Word Docs, or Text files directly into the editor to append them, or into the grid to create new notes instantly.
- Markdown Native: Fast, clean typing experience with instant formatting.
- Habit Tracking: Automatic GitHub-style consistency grid based on your task completion.
- Productivity Wave: Real-time visualization of your daily output.
- Persistent Scratchpad: A quick-capture area that auto-saves everything.
- Cinematic Boot Sequence: A satisfying startup animation.
- Glassmorphism Design: Modern, fluid animations using Framer Motion.
- Global Command Bar: Press
Ctrl+Kto navigate anywhere or trigger actions instantly. - Themes: Pixel-perfect Dark and Light modes.
Windows:
Download the latest .exe installer from the Releases Page.
(Mac & Linux builds coming soon)
Built with the Modern Electron Stack:
- Core: Electron, React, TypeScript, Vite
- Styling: TailwindCSS, Shadcn Concepts
- Animation: Framer Motion
- Charts: Recharts
- AI: Groq SDK
# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/AdhirajPersonal/BetterNotes.git
# 2. Install dependencies
npm install
# 3. Run Development Mode
npm run dev
# 4. Build for Windows
npm run build:winBetterNotes is Local-First. Your notes and tasks are stored in AppData on your computer. We do not have a server. We do not track you. To use AI features, you must provide your own Groq API Key (Free tier available) in the Settings menu. The key is stored securely on your device.
Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit a Pull Request. Fork the Project Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature) Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature') Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature) Open a Pull Request'
Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.