Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Smallpdf VS Noticky

Compare Smallpdf VS Noticky and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Smallpdf logo Smallpdf

PDF document management and conversion suite

Noticky logo Noticky

Noticky keeps your sticky notes visible above every app โ€” even in fullscreen. Global hotkey โŒ˜โ‡งN, Markdown, iCloud Sync, Touch ID. macOS 15+. $6.99 one-time.
  • Smallpdf Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21
  • Noticky Hero
    Hero //
    2026-06-01
  • Noticky Features
    Features //
    2026-06-01
  • Noticky Capture
    Capture //
    2026-06-01

Noticky puts colorful sticky notes on your desktop that stay on top of every window. Capture ideas instantly without switching apps.

ALWAYS ON TOP Your notes float above everything โ€” browsers, code editors, Zoom calls. Never lose sight of important info while you work.

INSTANT CAPTURE Press a keyboard shortcut from any app to create a note in seconds. No clicking through menus, no context switching. A Spotlight-style quick capture field lets you type and go.

MENU BAR ACCESS Noticky lives in your menu bar. Click to see all your notes, create new ones, or open the notes board โ€” all without a Dock icon cluttering your workspace.

MARKDOWN SUPPORT Bold, italic, bullet lists, checkboxes โ€” format your notes without leaving the keyboard.

6 VIBRANT COLORS Yellow, Pink, Blue, Green, Purple, Orange. Color-code your notes by project, priority, or mood.

LOCK SENSITIVE NOTES Protect private notes with Touch ID or your Mac password.

WIDGETS See your notes right on your desktop or Notification Center with 3 widget styles: single note, multi-note grid, or notes list.

iCLOUD SYNC Your notes sync across all your Macs automatically.

TAGS & REMINDERS Organize notes with tags. Set reminders so you never forget a to-do.

TEMPLATES Save note templates for recurring tasks โ€” meeting notes, daily standups, checklists.

โ€ข Always-on-top floating notes โ€ข Global keyboard shortcut (customizable) โ€ข Follow notes across Spaces โ€ข Drag & drop images into notes โ€ข Search across all notes โ€ข Soft delete with trash recovery โ€ข Lightweight โ€” no Dock icon, minimal resources

Smallpdf

$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Noticky

$ Details
paid $6.99 / One-off
Platforms
Mac MacOS Mac OSX
Release Date
2026 June
Startup details
Country
Belgium
Founder(s)
Leonidas Jeremy
Employees
1 - 9

Smallpdf features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Smallpdf provides a clean, intuitive, and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all technical levels.
  • Wide Range of Tools
    Offers a variety of tools for PDF editing, including compressing, merging, splitting, and converting PDFs to other formats.
  • Cloud Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, allowing users to work directly with their files stored online.
  • Security
    Utilizes strong encryption and deletes files from their servers after one hour, ensuring user data is kept secure and private.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Accessible from various devices including desktops, tablets, and smartphones with responsive web design.
  • Free Tier
    Provides a free tier with limited features, which is suitable for occasional or basic users.

Possible disadvantages of Smallpdf

  • Limited Free Features
    The free version only allows for two tasks per day and places restrictions on larger files and advanced features, leading to potential inconvenience for frequent users.
  • Subscription Cost
    The premium subscription can be considered expensive for some users, particularly those who only need occasional PDF edits.
  • File Size Limit
    Even with a premium subscription, there are restrictions on the maximum file size that can be uploaded and processed.
  • Internet Dependence
    Requires an active internet connection to use most of its features, which can be a limitation for users with unreliable or slow connectivity.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Despite strong encryption, some users may still have reservations about uploading sensitive documents to an online service.
  • Limited Customization
    The range of customization options for certain tools may be limited compared to more specialized PDF software.

Noticky features and specs

  • ALWAYS ON TOP
    Your notes float above everything โ€” browsers, code editors, Zoom calls. Never lose sight of important info while you work.
  • INSTANT CAPTURE
    Press a keyboard shortcut from any app to create a note in seconds. No clicking through menus, no context switching. A Spotlight-style quick capture field lets you type and go.
  • MENU BAR ACCESS
    Noticky lives in your menu bar. Click to see all your notes, create new ones, or open the notes board โ€” all without a Dock icon cluttering your workspace.
  • WIDGETS
    See your notes right on your desktop or Notification Center with 3 widget styles: single note, multi-note grid, or notes list.
  • LOCK SENSITIVE NOTES
    Protect private notes with Touch ID or your Mac password.
  • TAGS & REMINDERS
    Organize notes with tags. Set reminders so you never forget a to-do.

Analysis of Smallpdf

Overall verdict

  • Smallpdf is a reliable and efficient tool for managing PDF documents, suitable for both casual users and professionals. Its combination of versatility, ease of use, and security features makes it a strong contender in the realm of online PDF services.

Why this product is good

  • Smallpdf is considered good because it offers a wide range of PDF tools that are easy to use and accessible online. It provides functionalities such as PDF conversion, compression, editing, and signing, all within a user-friendly interface. This makes it an ideal choice for both individuals and businesses looking for efficient document management solutions. Additionally, it emphasizes security by ensuring encrypted file transfers, which is crucial for handling sensitive information.

Recommended for

  • Individuals who frequently work with PDFs and need a straightforward tool for conversions, compressions, or edits.
  • Students who need to annotate and organize their study materials in a PDF format.
  • Professionals who require a reliable tool for signing documents and collaborating with team members remotely.
  • Businesses looking for secure document management solutions with the flexibility of online access.

Analysis of Noticky

Overall verdict

  • Noticky appears to be a niche notification/monitoring app; without extensive independent reviews, it seems to be a functional, lightweight tool suited for users wanting simple alerting rather than an enterprise-grade solution.

Why this product is good

  • Simple, easy-to-use interface for setting up notifications
  • Lightweight app that doesn't require heavy setup or configuration
  • Likely offers quick alerts for specific triggers or events users care about
  • May be budget-friendly or offer a free tier for basic use

Recommended for

  • Individuals or small teams needing basic notification tracking
  • Users looking for a lightweight alternative to complex monitoring platforms
  • People who want quick setup without extensive technical configuration
  • Casual users monitoring a small number of triggers or events

Smallpdf videos

smallpdf tutorial video

More videos:

  • Review - Smallpdf Review
  • Tutorial - Smallpdf | How to do Unlimited Free Conversions ? | Hack for Smallpdf | Bypass limit of 2 conversion

Noticky videos

No Noticky videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Smallpdf and Noticky)
PDF Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
PDF Converter
100 100%
0% 0
Writing Tools
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Smallpdf and Noticky.

What makes your product unique?

Noticky's answer:

Noticky is the only sticky note app on macOS that stays visible above fullscreen apps. It's a native Swift/SwiftUI menu bar app (not Electron), launches instantly with โŒ˜โ‡งN, and uses the right macOS window level to overlay everything โ€” coding sessions, video calls, presentations. macOS 15 Sequoia and later only, built specifically for the latest Apple APIs.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Noticky's answer:

Apple Stickies disappears in fullscreen and hasn't been updated in years. SideNotes uses a sidebar drawer that hides itself. Tot is great for jot-and-toss but vanishes in fullscreen too. Noticky is the only one that stays on screen no matter what you're doing โ€” even above a fullscreen Xcode, Premiere Pro, or Zoom call. $6.99 one-time on the Mac App Store, no subscription, every future update included.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Noticky's answer:

macOS power users who spend their day in fullscreen apps: developers, writers, designers, video editors, students taking lecture notes, and people in back-to-back video calls. Anyone who needs a piece of information โ€” a checklist, a script, a snippet, a meeting agenda โ€” to stay one glance away while they work in another app. Not for long-form note-taking. For keeping critical info visible.

What's the story behind your product?

Noticky's answer:

Built solo by Leonidas, a Belgian indie developer, because every sticky note app on macOS disappears the moment you go fullscreen. He needed his standup checklist to stay visible during fullscreen Xcode sessions, and Apple Stickies couldn't do it. macOS treats fullscreen as a separate Space โ€” most third-party tools fail there. Noticky uses a specific window level to overlay everything, even fullscreen. Launched on Product Hunt in May 2026, then approved on the Mac App Store. Sold direct via Stripe in the EU and via the Mac App Store everywhere else.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Noticky's answer:

Swift 6 and SwiftUI for the UI, AppKit for window-level management (the trick that makes fullscreen overlay work), Core Data with CloudKit for iCloud Sync across Macs, Foundation Models framework for on-device smart tagging, LocalAuthentication for Touch ID lock. Zero third-party dependencies, no Electron, no telemetry. Requires macOS 15 Sequoia minimum.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Noticky's answer:

  • Independent macOS developers working in fullscreen IDEs (Xcode, Cursor, VS Code)
  • Solo founders and indie hackers tracking daily metrics
  • Writers and researchers using fullscreen text editors (iA Writer, Ulysses, Scrivener)
  • Students taking notes during fullscreen lectures and video courses
  • Designers working in fullscreen Figma, Sketch, or Affinity
  • Power users running macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 26 Tahoe

User comments

Share your experience with using Smallpdf and Noticky. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Smallpdf and Noticky

Smallpdf Reviews

Best Free Alternatives to Adobe Acrobat in 2026
Smallpdf is a well-known online PDF platform with a clean interface. It works entirely in the browser and integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox, making it convenient if you store files in the cloud. The free tier limits you to two tasks per hour and adds a watermark on some output files. Files are uploaded to Smallpdf's servers for processing.
Best Online Image Converters in 2026: Docpose.cloud Leads the Pack
Users highlight Docpose.cloudโ€™s reliabilityโ€”no failed conversions even on rare formats. CloudConvert gets praise for quality tweaks but frustrates with daily resets. iLoveIMG is loved for extras like AI, but free limits irk. Smallpdf suits PDF-image hybrids, less pure images. Convertio is straightforward but caps freebies quick.
Source: fileproinfo.com
Ever wondered why bank statements are always in PDF?
Platforms like iLovePDF and Smallpdf are among the most popular choices. They do a decent job for simple PDFs, but I quickly realized a few issues:
Source: medium.com
Top 10 PDF Converters for converting to or from PDF effortlessly
Smallpdf is one of the most well-known PDF converter tools online. Offering a simple, user-friendly interface, it allows users to convert files to and from PDF without any hassle. Smallpdf supports over 18 file types and integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox for easy cloud storage access.
The 13 Best Free PDF Editors (February 2024)
One of the quickest ways to add images, text, shapes, or your signature to a PDF is with Smallpdf. I find it extremely easy to use for those things, but I opt for one of the editors that top this list if I need to edit the text because this one won't do it for free.

Noticky Reviews

We have no reviews of Noticky yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Smallpdf seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 38 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Smallpdf mentions (38)

  • OpenDataLoader: Safe, Open, High-Performance โ€” PDF for AI
    According to statistics from smallpdf.com, by 2025, there will be a massive 2.5 trillion PDF documents stored worldwide, and 290 billion new PDF documents will be created every year. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Stirling-PDF: local web application to perform various operations on PDFs
    Smallpdf [1] probably deserves a mention here. Not OSS and not self-hosted, but Iโ€˜ve used it occasionally and it has always worked really well. When I was running an agency, we inherited their first office โ€“ very cool folks. [1] https://smallpdf.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Looking fore college ruled template to print
    And use this one to merge two single-page pdf to make a double side page. Source: over 2 years ago
  • PDF to Excel without O365/Adobe Acrobat?
    I don't have Office 365 for the "Get Data" option, nor do I have Adobe Acrobat. I've tried the smallpdf website but it came out a mess, possibly because my original spreadsheet had highlighted rows and lots of text in some of the cells. Source: about 3 years ago
  • 5 tips to improve your SaaS user onboarding
    Examples of companies doing this well: - SmallPDF users can convert or compress a limited number of files without an account โ€” turning users into advocates and customers once paid use cases comes along; - Freshline uses interactive product demos to help users self-educate and understand the value of their features, without a paywall or registration;. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

Noticky mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Noticky yet. Tracking of Noticky recommendations started around May 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Smallpdf and Noticky, you can also consider the following products

iLovePDF - Premium online PDF tool set

Sidenote - Timestamped notes on YouTube videos

Adobe Acrobat DC - Make your job easier with Adobe Acrobat DC, the trusted PDF creator. Use Acrobat to convert, edit and sign PDF files at your desk or on the go.

Apple Notes - Apple Notes functions as a service for making short text notes.

Sejda - Split, merge and other powerful PDF tools.

Antinote - Antinote provides beautiful temporary notes, calculations, and custom calculators with lifetime updates.