VidNotes
Watch. Note. Brief.
Only for Mac
Free · In‑App Purchases
Mac
Take notes that link to the exact second they came from. Now just press Return to save — capture thoughts as fast as you think them.
Anchor every thought to a moment.
VidNotes turns lectures, podcasts, and interviews into a searchable
research library. Take notes that link back to the exact second they
came from. Generate AI research briefs that cite every claim with a
timestamp. Connect ideas across your entire library through an
auto-built knowledge graph.
Designed to live on your Mac, not a server. Bundled on-device AI
means no API keys, no subscription, no cloud upload, no account.
WHO IT'S FOR
• Students turning recorded lectures into study able material
• Researchers processing podcasts and interview archives
• Knowledge workers extracting decisions from meeting recordings
• Anyone who watches long-form video and wants to remember what mattered
KEY FEATURES
Timestamped Notes
Type a note while watching — VidNotes anchors it to the current second.
Click any note to jump back instantly.
On-Device Transcription
WhisperKit runs entirely on your Mac. Pick the quality level that fits
your machine: Fast (244 MB), Balanced (770 MB), or High Quality (1.5 GB).
First download per model is one-time. Three model sizes mean accurate
transcripts for technical lectures and interviews.
AI Research Briefs
Four layers: overview, key claims (each linked to a timestamp), entities,
notable quotes, topic map, reading list, open questions, flashcards, and
a draft research note ready for Obsidian.
Bundled Local AI (Apple MLX)
Briefs, chat, and synthesis run on-device through Apple's MLX framework —
no API key required. Three model sizes for different speed/quality
tradeoffs.
Knowledge Graph
Every person, book, paper, company, and tool mentioned across your
library is auto-extracted, deduplicated, and connected. Click any node
to see every video where it appears.
Cross-Video Synthesis
Surface where your sources agree, contradict, or fill in each other's
gaps. Build a citation-rich research document from your whole library.
Frame Capture with AI Annotation
Press a key to grab any frame. VidNotes runs OCR + content-aware
annotation: math becomes LaTeX, code gets language-detected fenced
blocks, charts get plain-prose descriptions.
Persistent Chat per Video
Ask questions, get answers grounded in the transcript and your notes.
Conversation persists across tab switches and app launches.
Export Everything
Markdown, Obsidian (with wikilinks), Anki flashcards, PDF.
YouTube Workflow
Plays YouTube videos via embed. For videos with public captions, click
Transcribe and the transcript fills instantly. For videos without —
download the file and drop it in for full WhisperKit transcription,
paste a transcript from anywhere.
PRIVACY-FIRST
• Everything stays on your Mac unless you opt into a cloud AI provider
• No analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting, no account
• Your library is a local SQLite database
• Cloud AI calls (when enabled) go directly from your Mac to the
provider you chose — VidNotes is never in between
PRICING (one-time purchase, no subscription)
Free — Player, notes, library, search, Markdown export
Scholar ($9.99) — Adds transcription, frame capture, OCR, formula
recognition, visual timeline, Anki export
Researcher ($39.99) — Adds AI briefs, chat, synthesis, knowledge graph,
On-device AI via Apple MLX, Obsidian export
Pay once. Use forever. No tier downgrades. No surprise renewals.
REQUIREMENTS
macOS 14.0 or later. Apple Silicon recommended for full Local AI speed
(Intel works but slower).
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Faster note capture
Saving a note is now a single keystroke: just press Return to save, and Shift+Return to start a new line. Prefer the old way? ⌘+Return still saves too.
This one came straight from a user request — thank you for the feedback, and keep it coming.
The developer, Hazrienne Ahmad Feisal, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Hazrienne Ahmad Feisal
- Size
- 14.7 MB
- Category
- Productivity
- Compatibility
Requires macOS 14.6 or later.
- Mac
Requires macOS 14.6 or later.
- Mac
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Researcher Tier $39.99
- Scholar Tier $9.99
- Copyright
- © VidNotes

