Starting 2025 with the Reflect notes app

January 2, 2025 7:10pm

On the surface, Reflect is as simple as it gets. When I open the app, I’m right on my daily note, when starting a new note, I get a blank screen. No toolbars, no bright shiny Share buttons, no distractions.

Under the covers, there is a lot to like:

End-to-end encryption
Markdown support
Keyboard shortcuts
Backlinks
Image and PDF OCR
A simple tasks interface
Voice note transcription
Built-in AI (OpenAI or Anthropic) for manipulating text, creating custom prompts, or even chatting with AI about selected notes
Readwise (or direct Kindle) sync
Import and export of notes in Markdown and other formats

Reflect feels like writing in the default notepad app on my OS, but with superpowers. The one big downside is the price tag: a $120 annual subscription. I’ve been using Reflect for a year and tried switching to Obsidian, but I keep coming back.

The Reflect YouTube channel is a great resource for anyone interested.