Find the note you need before you lose your train of thought.
A fast, native, keyboard-first notes app for macOS.
Search, create, and edit Markdown notes without leaving one focused window.
Install with Homebrew · Download DMG · See the performance results · Benchmark details
nvNEXT keeps search, results, and writing together. Start typing to find an existing note. If nothing matches, press Return and the same text becomes a new note. There is no mode switch, workspace setup, or separate search screen to interrupt you.
- Results update as you type, even with short English or Chinese queries.
- Matches are highlighted in both the note list and the editor.
- Search ordinary text together with dates,
#tags,@mentions, Wiki links, or YAML metadata. - The first 100 ranked results are ready immediately; more load as you scroll.
- Press
⌃⌘Nfrom any app to summon nvNEXT with search already focused. - Use the arrow keys to move through notes and Return to create one.
- Jump between search, results, and editing without reaching for the mouse.
- Insert dates, open backlinks, preview Markdown, and browse history with shortcuts.
Your writing stays readable and portable. Export the whole library as Markdown and JSON, or use Folder Sync with iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, Syncthing, or any folder you choose.
nvNEXT is a native Swift and AppKit app with no web runtime in the typing path. It works offline, requires no account, and includes no telemetry. Your notes, search index, backups, and version history remain on your Mac unless you choose a synced folder.
Search speed is part of the product contract, not just a design goal. The reproducible acceptance benchmark uses 10,000 notes containing about 51.2 MB of mixed English, Chinese, and Markdown content. Each p95 value includes query planning, exact ranking, and materializing the first 100 results.
The most demanding recorded query—matching a common Chinese substring across the library—completed in 44.50 ms at p95. Every measured query shape stayed within the 50 ms interaction budget.
The result was recorded on an Apple M4 MacBook Air with 16 GB of memory and macOS 26.5. See the complete methodology, p50 values, and reproduction command. Performance will vary by Mac and library contents.
- Summon nvNEXT or press
⌘Lto focus search. - Type a few characters to narrow the library immediately.
- Use the arrow keys to select a note, or press Return to create one.
- Keep writing in Markdown while nvNEXT saves automatically.
Smart editing continues lists, tasks, block quotes, and fenced code. [[Wiki Links]], #tags, @mentions, backlinks, YAML front matter, Markdown preview,
and local version history are available when you need them without adding
permanent clutter to the window.
Install nvNEXT with Homebrew:
brew install --cask bearchao/tap/nvnextOr download the latest signed and notarized DMG. nvNEXT requires Apple Silicon and macOS 13 or later, and it can check for updates from inside the app.
Open the DMG, drag nvNEXT to Applications, and launch it. The default local library is ready immediately; no registration or cloud account is required.
- No telemetry and no nvNEXT account.
- Automatic local version history and rotating database backups.
- Full-library Markdown/JSON export and a standalone recovery tool.
- Folder Sync conflicts create a separate note instead of overwriting either version.
Notes and backups are stored unencrypted. If you enable Folder Sync, their confidentiality also depends on the folder and cloud provider you select. See Security for the full model and private reporting instructions.
Building and contributing
nvNEXT requires the macOS Command Line Tools and Swift 6 or newer. A full Xcode installation is not required.
Scripts/run-app.shRun the complete checks and the reproducible search benchmark with:
Scripts/check.sh
Scripts/benchmark-search.sh 10000 5120 15See Contributing for development guidelines and Releasing for the signed release process.
nvNEXT is open source under the MIT License.