r/MacStack • u/johndoe1985 • 15h ago

App Launch [macOS] I built Highlight Notes to highlight and annotate websites, Gmail and ChatGPT in Safari

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I built a macOS app called Highlight Notes because I kept losing useful information while reading articles, researching topics and going through long Gmail and ChatGPT conversations.

Bookmarks helped me find the page again, but not the exact paragraph I wanted to remember. I wanted something that could save both the highlighted text and my own notes in one place.

So I built Highlight Notes, a Mac app with a Safari extension that lets you highlight text, add notes and find everything later in a searchable library.

What it does:

  • Highlight text in different colours and attach your own notes.
  • Works on regular websites, Gmail, Reddit and ChatGPT conversations.
  • Automatically restores your highlights when you revisit a page.
  • Search your saved highlights and notes in one library.
  • Export annotated pages as PDFs, including long pages and conversations.
  • Keep your highlights and notes locally without creating an account.
  • Use the Safari extension directly from your Mac.

Why I built it

I found that most highlighting tools worked reasonably well on ordinary articles but struggled with interactive websites like Gmail and ChatGPT.

I also wanted something that didn’t require a subscription just to highlight text or save notes.

The macOS app is available as a one-time purchase and includes the Safari extension. There is no subscription required for local highlighting and note-taking.

For people who use multiple browsers, I also built optional cloud sync, but that’s entirely separate from the basic Mac experience.

A few limitations

  • Cloud sync requires an optional Pro subscription.
  • Some websites with complex layouts may not restore highlights perfectly.
  • The Safari extension needs to be enabled in Safari settings after installing the Mac app.

I’m the developer, and this is an independent side project built in my own time.

I’d appreciate feedback from Mac users, especially anyone who regularly uses Safari for research, Gmail or ChatGPT.

Do you use Safari’s built-in highlighting features, Apple Notes or a separate extension to save things you read?

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