Scratchpad - Floating Notes But Better
For years, I kept a text editor open on my computer at all times
and when I needed a scratchpad, I would switch to it and type or paste
whatever I needed. Then Raycast
came along with it's floating notes feature, which is nice. It can be
summoned with a hot key. Then I found Scrap Paper,
which can also be called with a hotkey, syncs between computers and has
an iOS version. You can hide the icon in the menu bar if you just want
to use the hotkey. Furthermore, you can have the text window stay on top
of all other windows, which is a feature I want. Finally, I saw Scratchpad
on r/MacApps and I
thought I'd give it a try. It has everything Scrap Paper has, but can
also be launched from the dock. It adds
- Automatically creating clickable links from pasted URLS
- Control over font selection
- Text size adjustment
- Line spacing
- Smart quotes
- Smart Dashes
- Translucent background
Because it's text, you get access to the writing tools, spelling and grammar, substitutions, speech and the Mac Services menu. One awesome feature is the ability to use Quicklook on a link, which opens a small window with a live view of the web page, similar to the Little Arc feature in the Arc browser.
Scratchpad offers scripting and shortcuts support. You can enter text onto Scratchpad from any app that can open a URL.
There is a fully functional free trial of the macOS app available here. The only limitation is a reminder to buy the app every 12 hours, and no automatic updates. All data and settings carry over if you buy it on the App Store.
Scratchpad is available in the Mac App Store for $5. It's by well-known Indy developer Sindre Sorhus.