Unfriction overview

Unfriction is a lightweight macOS overlay app built for instant capture without breaking focus.

It opens on a global shortcut in under 400ms, letting you quickly dump a thought, snippet, task, or extracted text and immediately return to what you were doing. No windows to manage. No setup. No cloud dependency.

Unfriction is designed for moments when opening a full notes app feels like friction.

Core Features

One global shortcut for instant notes
Smart tagging system that extracts tags as you type
Clipboard history to access recently copied items
Built-in OCR to extract text from screenshots and images
To-do lists with checkboxes inside notes
Export all notes with automatic local backups
Clean macOS-native UI with light and dark mode
Local-only storage with no accounts, sync, or tracking

OCR is powered by Apple’s native on-device frameworks, so extracted text never leaves your Mac. It works offline and integrates directly into the same fast capture flow as notes and clipboard history.

Everything in Unfriction is local-first by design. The app works without an internet connection. The only network request in the entire app is a one-time license validation after purchase.

Unfriction is intentionally small, fast, and opinionated. It is not trying to replace Notion or build a workspace. It exists to get out of your way.

Best suited for developers, writers, designers, founders, and anyone who values speed, privacy, and restraint over complexity.

What's new in version 1.4

New Features

Version 1.4 focuses on faster capture, smarter organization, and a smoother macOS-native experience.
Smart tagging system with automatic tag extraction.
Clipboard history for quick access to copied content.
Built-in OCR for extracting text from screenshots and images.
To-do lists with checkbox support inside notes.
Export and automatic local backups for all notes.