I will go through some points why Self Manager is a great alternative to Apple Notes
Apple Notes is Apple's built-in notes app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac with folder/tag organization, sharing, document scanning, and checklists. It syncs via iCloud and can be used on the web at iCloud.com/notes.
Recent iOS 18 updates added live audio transcription for recordings, inline calculations (math), text highlighting, and collapsible sections, while collaboration still happens through iCloud-shared notes or folders.
Self-Manager.net is a fast, minimalist productivity app that organizes everything by date. Each day can hold multiple tables (lists) with notes, timers, and images—plus native AI to generate plans, summarize progress, and chat with your workspace.
Pricing is simple: $5/month Individual or $20/month Team (flat, unlimited collaborators) with a free 7-day trial.
Instead of scattering notes into folders, Self-Manager is date-first. Your Today plan, notes, timers, and images live together, with as many tables as you need on one day—ideal for daily/weekly execution and reviews.
I use Apple Notes personally when I don't have an internet connection and I have something in my mind that I want to quickly write down.
It is a great tool for quick notes but it lacks the ability to manage tasks and projects effectively.
Since the launch of Self-Manager, when I have an existing table created and an internet connection, I add the note to it because I want it linked to the tasks on the page.
The way notes work on Self-Manager is they are available for every table with tasks that you create.
Like Apple Notes, you can move to a past or next version of your note.
It is great when you want to keep track of multiple tasks.
Self-Manager has a unique approach to organize data by each day. This makes it very easy to use. Each day has its own data and you can add data to past and future dates.
The app feels desktop-fast in the browser: add tasks, drag between tables, switch dates, or start timers with minimal friction.
Navigating between tables and dates feels instant, like a native desktop application that doesn't rely on the internet.
Attach up to 100 original-quality images per table and review visuals across work using a global Images page—great for design, research, receipts, and screenshot-heavy notes.
On Self-Manager you can view all your images from all the tables in one place.
There is a button at the bottom of all tables "Show all images" which takes you to a page where all your images are visible. You can also go to the URL directly: self-manager.net/all-images
Above each row of images appears the date for which they were added. Clicking that date takes you to the date with all tables from that date and you can see the notes you took related to your images.
Apple Notes lets you attach media, but there's no global gallery across notes.
Self-Manager includes AI period summaries, AI task/table generation, and conversational AI chat about your own data—designed to automate setup and weekly reviews.
Apple Notes gained transcription and math capabilities in iOS 18, but it doesn't provide workspace-level AI planning or summaries.
Ask questions like "What took the most time this week?" or generate entire project plans from a simple description.
Start a timer on tasks and see table totals and completion insights for the day or period—useful for billing, retros, and estimating without spreadsheets.
Apple Notes has no native time tracking or totals.
Track how long tasks actually take, identify bottlenecks, and improve your planning over time with clear metrics.
Apple Notes shines on Apple devices and has a web version at iCloud.com/notes, but some capabilities vary on the web and collaboration depends on iCloud accounts/storage.
Self-Manager runs the same in any modern browser for you and your collaborators—no ecosystem lock-in, no feature variations across platforms.
Access your work from Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS—anywhere with a web browser.
Invite your whole team or clients for a flat $20/month on the Team plan—no per-seat fees—and keep everyone working in the same tables, notes, and images.
Your tables, tasks, notes and images are available all at once on a single page. You might want to add a new task and some notes related to it—you can do that on the same page.
You can edit all table info (title and description) and all tasks from a single panel without leaving the page.
If you want to reuse an entire table for a different date, you can just duplicate it and transfer it to the date you want.
The search from the sidebar on desktop or mobile top is powerful and searches through table names, tasks and notes. From the search results page you can click on the table name and navigate directly to that date and table.
If you live entirely in the Apple ecosystem, rely on quick personal notes, and want tight system integration (scan to Notes, Pencil handwriting, basic collaboration via iCloud), Apple Notes is excellent—especially with iOS 18's transcription and inline math upgrades.
Just keep in mind the iCloud reliance for collaboration and the more limited web experience compared to the native apps.
Choose Self-Manager if you want date-first daily execution, workspace-level AI (plans & summaries), clear time totals, a global image library, and predictable flat team pricing across platforms.
Choose Apple Notes if you prefer a simple personal notebook tightly integrated with Apple devices and iCloud.
For many freelancers, creators, and growing teams, Self-Manager delivers more capability per dollar and a smoother day-to-day planning rhythm.
Manage tasks, take notes
and upload related images
7 days free trial
Easily log in with your Google, Microsoft, Apple or X/Twitter account