I believe apps should be functional, private, and beautifully crafted, and you should always be in control of your data.

productHunt

Mark Stradling  • Peerlist

Catchlight is a private notes, tasks and reminders app for iPhone, built for people who want an Apple Notes alternative that keeps their thoughts genuinely private without making everyday capture any harder. It was built after the UK lost Apple's Advanced Data Protection, when trusting big tech with personal data stopped feeling sensible.It rests on one simple idea, a note, a task and a reminder are really the same thing. There is one kind of item, a Take. Start writing and it is a note. Tick a box and it is a task. Add a date and it is a reminder. All three if it needs to be. You shape each Take, the app never asks you to decide what something is before you have even had the thought.Privacy is the foundation, by design, not by policy:<ul><li>Private by design: every Take is encrypted on your device with a key only you hold, using AES-256-GCM. Your data stays yours alone, and it is built so even the maker cannot read it.</li><li>No account required: no email, no sign-up, no profile. The app never asks who you are.</li><li>Offline-first: every feature works with no internet connection. Nothing depends on a server.</li><li>Open source: the code is public (Apache-2.0), so anyone can review and verify exactly how the encryption works.</li></ul>Fast and calm enough to use all day:<ul><li>Instant capture: save a thought from the Lock Screen, a widget, the Action button, Control Centre or Siri, without unlocking your phone. It is saved and encrypted, waiting for you when you come back.</li><li>Intuitive interface: a clean, quiet design shows your Takes in chronological order, with the option to pin your single most important item as an Obie.</li><li>In-place editing: shape a Take by adding checklists, due times or repeat options directly in the editor.</li><li>Powerful search: find any thought instantly with on-device, encrypted search.</li></ul>Your data, on your terms:<ul><li>Optional sync: sync through a cloud folder you already own and trust, such as iCloud Drive or Dropbox, or keep everything local. Your Takes only ever leave your device as an encrypted file, and only if you choose.</li><li>No hostage data: export all your Takes, or just one, as plain Markdown at any time. Even if your subscription lapses you keep read and export access, so you are never locked out of your own notes.</li></ul>Catchlight is a calm, private home for your notes, tasks and reminders: encrypted, no account, offline-first and open source. A genuine private alternative to Apple Notes and Apple Reminders for anyone who wants privacy they actually control.It is pre-launch, iPhone only for now. Join the waitlist at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow ugc" class="break-all link-break text-gray-500 hover:underline" href="http://catchlight.app">catchlight.app</a> and early signups get a 30-day free trial.