Own your knowledge
Metis turns a folder of Markdown notes into a connected, AI-native source of truth - a native macOS app with a live-preview editor, a bidirectional link graph, private on-device AI, and git history. No cloud lock-in. $14.99 one-time, 7-day free trial.
$14.99 one-time · 7-day free trial · macOS 15+ · Mac, iPad & iPhone
Local-first
Your notes are plain .md files on your disk - the source of truth. No lock-in, ever.
Native
Real SwiftUI app, not Electron. Instant start and light at thousands of notes.
Private AI
On-device Apple Intelligence. Confidential notes never leave your Mac.
Open format
Markdown + YAML front matter. Portable, diff-able, scriptable, future-proof.
Git history
Snapshots, diffs, and one-click restore, built in. Real provenance.
A knowledge base, not just a notes app
Everything that makes a pile of notes into a connected, manageable second brain.
Editor: Live, Wysiwyg & Reading
Three modes. Live shows markers on inactive lines; Wysiwyg hides Markdown on every line with a floating format bar; Reading renders images, GFM tables, code, and LaTeX math.
Locked, private notes
Lock any note with a password and Touch ID. Locked notes are encrypted on disk and in iCloud, and stay out of search, Spotlight, and the graph until you unlock them.
Links, backlinks & graph
[[wiki links]] with automatic backlinks, aliases, unlinked mentions, and a graph view sized by connections.
Typed properties
Add status, owner, due, priority, or custom keys as color-coded chips - stored as standard YAML front matter.
Keyword + semantic search
Operators (tag:, path:, title:) plus on-device semantic search that finds notes by meaning, not just words.
Tasks & agenda
Markdown checklist tasks and due dates roll up into one agenda (Overdue / Today / Upcoming / Someday).
Git version history
Make a vault a git repo for snapshots, per-note history, side-by-side diffs, restore, and auto-snapshot.
Open & portable
Import files or whole folders; export a note or the whole vault as Markdown or HTML - publish your vault as a static site. No lock-in.
iCloud sync
Optional files-first iCloud sync across your Macs, with conflict detection and a resolution UI.
Notes that double as a tracker
Typed properties, Markdown tables, and wiki links turn a vault into a live dashboard - statuses, owners, and due dates roll up across linked notes, all in plain .md you own.
AI superpowers on confidential notes
Metis runs Apple's on-device Foundation Models, so the smart features work on your most private knowledge without sending anything to a cloud or paying a per-seat AI fee.
- Summarize a note in a click
- Writing assist: continue, rewrite, fix grammar, make concise, expand
- Suggest tags and links from your own content
- Ask Vault: agentic Q&A across your notes, with citations
- Daily / weekly review digest of what changed
Requires a Mac with Apple Intelligence (macOS 26). Metis is fully usable without it; AI features are gated and optional. Learn more about private AI.
A knowledge base your coding agents can read
Metis ships a built-in MCP server, so Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Cursor can search, read, link, and create notes in your vault - the same plain .md files are one source of truth for you and your agents. It runs locally over stdio; your notes never leave your Mac.
search_notes - find notes by keyword/meaningread_note - pull a note into the agent's contextlist_links - follow backlinks and connectionscreate_note - let the agent capture into the vault
How Metis compares
An honest, high-level look. See the full head-to-head pages for the details.
| Feature | Metis | Obsidian | Notion | Apple Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes are plain Markdown files | - | - | ||
| Native (not Electron) | - | - | ||
| Built-in private on-device AI | - | - | Writing tools | |
| Locked, encrypted notes | Plugin | - | ||
| Git version history + diffs | Plugin | Paid | - | |
| Backlinks & graph | - | - | ||
| Price | $14.99 · 3 devices | Free* | Freemium | Free |
* Obsidian is free for personal use; Sync, Publish, and commercial use are paid. Competitor details reflect early 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is Metis?
Metis is a native, local-first Markdown knowledge base for macOS. Your notes are plain .md files in a folder you own, and Metis is a fast native view over them - with a live-preview editor, backlinks and a graph, typed properties, on-device AI, semantic search, and git history.
How much does Metis cost?
Metis is a one-time $14.99 purchase, per major version - no subscription. Try every feature free for 7 days first (no credit card). One license covers your Mac, iPad, and iPhone (up to 3 devices); buy on the Mac or the App Store and sign in to unlock everywhere.
Is it an Obsidian alternative?
Yes - a native one. Metis shares Obsidian's local-first Markdown model but is built natively (not Electron) with private on-device AI and git history built in, no plugins required. You can even open your existing Obsidian vault.
Can I lock or encrypt private notes?
Yes. Lock any note with a password and Touch ID; locked notes are encrypted on disk and in iCloud, and stay out of search, Spotlight, and the link graph until you unlock them. Your password is the only key - it cannot be recovered, so choose one you will remember.
Where are my notes stored and is the AI private?
Notes are plain Markdown files on your own disk. The AI runs entirely on-device via Apple Intelligence, so nothing is uploaded. On-device AI needs macOS 26; the app itself runs on macOS 15+.
Can I move my notes in and out?
Always. Notes are standard Markdown + YAML, readable by Obsidian, iA Writer, git, or any editor. Import files or folders, export a note or the whole vault as Markdown or HTML (a linked static site), and there is a Plain Markdown mode that edits a project folder in place.
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