Everything, included
Powerful where it counts, quiet everywhere else
A full look at what SILONotes does. Every feature here is free and available to everyone. The short demos are placeholders for now, and real recordings will slot in soon.
Block Editor
Offline firstA calm writing surface with real structure. Headings, lists, checklists, images, and audio, all in one place.
Blocks that move with you
Write in clean blocks and rearrange them without fighting raw markdown.
- Headings, paragraphs, bullet and numbered lists, and checklists.
- Reorder, indent, and split blocks with a keystroke.
- A single Enter continues a paragraph, a double Enter starts a new block.
Formatting without the clutter
Bold, italics, strikethrough, code, links, and highlights, with a reading mode that renders it cleanly.
- A simple toolbar and familiar shortcuts like Ctrl or Cmd plus B.
- Per-block font size, typeface, alignment, and highlight color.
- A reading mode shows your note fully formatted, then flips back to editing.
Images and audio, held locally
Attach photos and recordings that live in your own storage, not a vendor cloud.
- Embed images and voice recordings right inside a note.
- Play the original audio next to its transcript.
- Copy media into SILONotes storage, or link to a file you already keep.
Silos and Organization
Sorted your wayGive every part of your life its own quiet compartment, and find anything in a second.
Private silos for each part of life
Journal, health, work, and ideas each get their own home, with their own templates and settings.
- Create as many silos as you like, and nest sub-silos one level deep.
- Give each a color and an icon so it feels like its own space.
- Set a default silo so new notes land where you expect.
Tags that route themselves
Write a hashtag in a note and it quietly joins the matching silo.
- Inline hashtags become tags as you type.
- A note tagged for a silo shows up there without moving it.
- Filter and browse by tag across your whole library.
Search, pins, and layouts
Full-text search finds every word, and the note list bends to how you like to work.
- Fast search across notes and book chapters.
- Pin the notes you return to, and sort the way you prefer.
- Choose from six list layouts, from a compact list to a gallery to a timeline.
Voice and Dictation
Private speechSpeak your notes and keep the words. Transcription runs on your own terms, not a notes vendor cloud.
Record and transcribe
Capture a thought hands-free and get clean text back.
- Record straight into a note, even with no connection.
- Transcribe on device, or through a speech server you choose.
- Long recordings are split and saved as they go, so nothing is lost.
Playback that follows the text
Jump from a paragraph back to the exact moment in the recording.
- Tap a line to seek the audio player.
- Adjust playback speed and scrub freely.
- Audio is stored efficiently in your local library.
AI, On Your Terms
You hold the keysThe app is complete without it. When you want help, you decide what leaves the page, and where it goes.
Templates for each silo
Different homes can call for different help, and you write the instructions in plain language.
- A journal can pull out mood, weather, and intentions.
- A health log can read a meal or workout into fields.
- A ledger can sort spending from a sentence.
Chat with your notes
Ask questions across a silo or your whole library, with answers that cite the notes they came from.
- Retrieval keeps prompts small, or send the whole collection when you want.
- Optional web search through your own SearXNG instance.
- Polish and insight tools help you tidy and understand a single note.
Your model, or your keys
Point SILONotes at a server you run, or bring keys for a provider you already trust.
- Works with Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, and other OpenAI-compatible servers.
- Bring your own keys for providers you use today.
- Only the text you submit for a run is ever sent, never your whole library.
Optional hosted AI is in development
For anyone who would rather not run a server, a hosted option is on the way.
- The details are still being decided and will be shared when ready.
- It will always be optional, and the app will always be complete without it.
- No feature is ever locked behind it.
Reader and Library
Deep readingBring long-form reading into a focused, offline room that lives beside your notes.
Import and read
Add books and documents and read them in a calm, paginated reader.
- Import EPUB, DOCX, PDF, and plain text.
- Chapters are stored locally, searchable, and easy to back up.
- Resume each book right where you left off.
Highlights and margins
Mark passages and keep them without leaving the page.
- Select text to highlight in a choice of colors.
- Highlights travel with your backups.
- Reader themes and fonts match the rest of the app.
Listen and Text to Speech
Audiobook playerHear any note or chapter read aloud, with a system voice or a speech server of your own.
Turn a note into a listen
Send any note to a small player and keep working while it reads.
- A persistent player follows you around the app.
- Queue several notes for continuous listening.
- Adjust speed to your pace.
Voices you choose
Use the built-in system voice, or point at a speech server you host.
- The built-in voice needs no keys and works offline.
- Connect an OpenAI-compatible speech server on your network.
- Cloned voice profiles travel with your backups.
Desktop and Mobile
Mac, Windows, LinuxThe same private library on your phone and your computer, with a few desktop comforts.
A real desktop app
Not a shrunken phone screen. A three-pane workspace built for a keyboard and a big display.
- Sidebar, note list, and editor side by side.
- A command palette and full keyboard shortcuts.
- Native menus and a window that remembers where it was.
Quick capture from anywhere
A global shortcut opens a small window to jot a thought without leaving what you are doing.
- Press the hotkey, type, and it saves to your default silo.
- A tray icon keeps capture ready in the background.
- The main window is one click away when you want the full app.
Built to be hardened
The desktop app is sandboxed, and your keys are stored with your operating system keychain.
- No account, no telemetry, and no background uploads.
- Optional at-rest encryption for the whole library is in development.
- The same private database format as the mobile app.
Backup and Portability
Open backupsYour library is a single portable file you can carry between devices and keep forever.
One portable file
Export everything into a checksummed .silo archive you can store anywhere.
- Notes, silos, media, highlights, voice profiles, and preferences in one file.
- Every file is verified on restore so a backup is never a mystery.
- Schema-versioned, so older backups keep restoring cleanly.
Move between phone and desktop
A backup made on one device restores on the other, media and all.
- Replace to make one device an exact copy of another.
- Merge to bring notes in while keeping what is only here.
- Media paths are rebuilt for the new device automatically.
Automatic local backups
Set it and forget it, entirely on your own machine.
- Schedule regular backups and keep the most recent copies.
- Choose a full backup with media, or a lighter notes-only file.
- Everything runs on device, with nothing sent away.
Privacy and Ownership
You own itOffline by default, transparent about the rest, and always yours to leave with.
Plain SQLite at the core
Storage you can copy, inspect, and trust for the long haul.
- No account is required to use the app.
- Each silo is its own space with its own templates.
- Six warm themes, including a cyberpunk palette when you want one.
Clear about what leaves
You always know the boundary, because you set it.
- Note text and audio never upload on their own.
- AI sends only the text you submit, to the place you chose.
- No analytics kits and no marketing trackers in the app.
Free forever, with everything included
SILONotes is free, and it stays free. Every feature is available to everyone, and nothing is held back behind a paid tier. There are no seats, no trials, and no locked buttons.
No paywalls, no locked features
Optional hosted AI is in development
If you ever want AI help without running your own server, we plan to offer an optional hosted option. The details are still being worked out and will be shared when they are ready. It will always be optional, and the app will always be complete without it.
To be decided, and always optional
Want the whole thing?
Join the waitlist and be first to know when SILONotes opens.
Your email is stored in a private database and is never sold or shared.