1. Text it
A sentence, a photo, a voice note, a video. Anything that crosses your mind, sent to one number. Sidenote saves it and replies only when a reply earns its place.
A journal you text.
Send a thought, a photo, or a voice note to a number in Messages. Sidenote keeps it, checks in twice a day, and writes up your day each night.
Start journaling →Free for 14 days. Then $10 a month. No app to install.
Sidenote
+1 587-555-0142
Today 10:42 AM
realized in the meeting that I keep saying yes to things I want to say no to
Kept that. What was the thing you wanted to say no to today?
the offsite planning. nobody else would do it so I did
Today 12:36 PM
How’s the day going?
fine. tired. Biscuit woke me up at 5
photo: dog on a porch
Saved.
No app. No blank page.
Capture takes five seconds and happens where you already are.
2. Two check-ins
Around lunch and in the evening it asks one short question. Never two in a row, never needy. Text “pause” and it stops.
3. Your day, written up
At 10 p.m. you get a short entry in your own words, sent back into the thread. Structure and dates from Sidenote. Every fact from you.
The nightly entry
Your words. Lightly joined.
Sidenote is an editor, not an author. It never adds a feeling, a person, or a lesson you didn’t write. If you were terse, the entry is terse.
Thursday, Sep 310:00 p.m.
Saying yes again
Realized in the 10am meeting that I keep saying yes to things I want to say no to. Today it was the offsite planning; nobody else would do it, so I did. Later, in a voice note, I got closer to it: I don’t mind planning it, I mind that nobody asked. Tired all day. Biscuit woke me up at 5 and then sat on the porch like he owned it.
Photos: Biscuit on the porch, the planning wall from the offsite meeting.
what did I say about the offsite last week?
Three mentions. Tue Sep 1: “nobody else would do it so I did.” Thu Sep 3, voice note: “I don’t mind planning it, I mind that nobody asked.” Fri Sep 4: you called it “the thing eating my week.” Want the full entries?
yes
Recall
Ask your journal a question.
It answers from your own record, with dates and your exact phrasing. Nothing it didn’t find, nothing you didn’t say.
Private by default.
This is your record. You can take it with you or make it disappear, either one in a single text.
Export in one command
Text “export.” You get a zip: one markdown file per day plus your photos and voice notes.
Delete in one command
Text “delete everything,” confirm once, and every message, photo, and entry is gone within a minute.
No content in logs
Our systems log timings and error codes, never what you wrote. Media sits in a private bucket behind expiring links.
Not used for training
Sidenote never trains models on your journal. The privacy page names every third party that touches your content.
A journal, not a therapist.
Sidenote reflects. It doesn’t diagnose, score, or advise, and it isn’t a crisis line. If you’re ever in a bad spot, call or text 988 in the US or your local emergency number. Sidenote will tell you the same thing.
One price. Two ways to pay it.
Your first 14 days are free. No card up front.
Monthly
$10a month
Cancel any time by text. Your data stays exportable for 90 days after.
Yearly
$80a year
Full refund within 14 days if it isn’t for you. Just email us.
Questions
Do I need to install anything?
No. Sidenote is a number in Messages. Save it as a contact and text it like anyone else.
Does it work on Android?
Not yet. Sidenote runs on iMessage so photos, videos, and voice notes arrive intact. Android is on the list once the first version proves itself.
What happens to my photos and voice notes?
Voice notes are transcribed so the entry can quote you. Photos get a short private caption so the entry can mention them. Both are stored privately and come with you on export.
I don’t want the check-ins.
Text “pause.” Sidenote keeps saving what you send and writing your entry, and stops asking. “Quiet” turns off replies too, if you just want a place to put things.
Who reads this?
No person does. Your messages pass through a messaging provider, a speech-to-text provider, and an AI provider, all named on the privacy page. Nobody is ever notified with your content, including us.
SN
Why I built this
I’ve bought three journaling apps and quit all of them inside a month. The thought always showed up mid-day, and by the time I opened the app the texture was gone. What I never quit was texting myself notes. Sidenote is that habit, with someone on the other end who keeps the record straight.
It’s invite-only for now, capped at 25 people, so I can talk to each of you.
Mykola
Edmonton