Reflect
Daily notes and backlinks on local Markdown files, with AI on your own key
Overview
Reflect is a daily-notes and backlinks app from Reflect App LLC. Since July 2026 its main app is Reflect Open: an MIT-licensed rewrite that keeps notes as local Markdown files, syncs through iCloud or Git, and connects AI through your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or OpenRouter key. The Mac app is free; the original encrypted app continues as Reflect Classic.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 14 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
- Daily notes and backlinks on local Markdown files
- iCloud Drive or Git sync
- Optional AI with your own API key
- The same Markdown graph on iPhone and iPad
- Paid Classic subscribers get one year free
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- REST API (append-only)
Use cases
What you can produce with Reflect
- Daily notes with backlinks, tags and templates stored as plain Markdown files you own
- Sync between Mac and iPhone through iCloud Drive or a Git repository
- AI chat over your notes with links back to source notes, using your own provider key
- Rewrite, summarise or translate selected text with saved prompts
- Audio memos transcribed into the daily note by your chosen provider
- Web clips, selections and screenshots saved through the Reflect Capture Chrome extension
- A command-line interface for scripts and agents to read your notes
Reflect Open is a bold rebuild: the fast, minimal daily-notes app is now free and open source on the Mac, with notes kept as plain Markdown files that any editor, script or coding agent can read. AI works through your own provider key with per-note privacy, which keeps costs and data flows visible.
The catch is maturity. It is young software, Mac and iPhone only, with no web app, no Windows or Android, and no encryption beyond what iCloud or your Git host provides. Existing Classic users lose nothing, since Classic is still maintained. Worth trying for Mac users who value owning their files.
What we found
Reflect changed underneath this page in July 2026. The app it described, a paid, end-to-end encrypted daily-notes service from Reflect App LLC, still exists and is now called Reflect Classic. On 14 July 2026 founder and chief executive Alex MacCaw announced Reflect Open, a rewrite that stores notes as ordinary Markdown files in a folder the user chooses, syncs through iCloud Drive or a Git remote, and is published under the MIT licence on GitHub. The Mac app is free; the iPhone and iPad app is a paid subscription. Reflect Open is now what reflect.app promotes and where new development happens.
The familiar parts carried over: daily notes, backlinks, keyboard-first writing, tasks gathered from Markdown checkboxes, a Chrome extension for clipping, Apple Calendar and Contacts integration, and a command-line tool so scripts and agents can read the notes. The AI model is what changed. Reflect Open sends AI requests straight to the user's own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or OpenRouter key, billed by that provider, and notes marked private are never sent. Semantic search runs on the Mac, and AI chat answers with links back to source notes.
Reflect Open adds no encryption layer of its own, so privacy depends on iCloud settings or the Git host. And it is not yet complete: there is no web app, no Windows or Android version, and publishing and some integrations have not been carried over. Earlier versions of this page said there was no free plan and no API; the Mac app is now free, and Classic has a REST API that is append-only because its notes are encrypted.
On the US App Store, Reflect Pro costs $9.99 a month or $99 a year. Classic subscriptions continue and, Reflect says, carry over to the mobile app. For Mac users who want plain files and their own AI key, Reflect Open is now one of the more interesting options; anyone who needs Windows or a browser should wait.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Reflect's official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Reflect unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
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