Features
Everything a note needs, nothing it doesn't.
noodl is an outliner and a mind map in one. It runs in your browser, works offline, and keeps your notes on your device unless you choose to sync.
One tree, two shapes
Every note is a single tree of nodes. The outline shows it as an indented list; the mind map shows the same nodes as branches. Switching with ⌘ ⇧ M never reloads the note or loses your selection.
- Each first-level branch gets its own colour, and its children inherit it in both views.
- Drag nodes to reorder or re-parent them. In the outline, drop on the top, middle or bottom of a row to place it before, inside or after that row.
- Collapse any branch, or expand the whole map to a level with ⌥1, ⌥2, ⌥3 and ⌥0.
- Three map styles: Ballpoint (curved branches, the default), Elbow, and Index card.
- Branches grow to the right, or set the layout to Balanced to spread them on both sides.
- Nodes can hold text, links, images or small tables you edit inline. Paste an image to add it as a node; images stay on the device that added them.
- Zoom with ⌘= and ⌘−, and fit the whole map in view with ⇧1.
Typeahead on every node
Start typing in any node, in either view. After two characters and a short pause (350 ms), the most likely ending appears as ghost text, with a marigold Tab chip to show that Tab will accept it. A dropdown offers up to five suggestions. In an empty node, wait a moment and it offers ideas for the branch instead.
- Context-aware. Suggestions use the path from the root (the note title) to your node and the node's siblings. Never your other notes.
- Never in the way. Typing is never blocked, late answers that no longer match are dropped, and Esc hides suggestions until you change the text.
- Works without AI. As a guest, offline, or with AI off, you get matches from phrases and words you have written in any of your notes, labelled “From your notes”.
- Your call. Set the suggestion delay (150–600 ms), stop Tab from accepting (→ still works), or turn AI off entirely; local suggestions keep working.
- On phones, suggestions appear as chips above the keyboard, next to buttons for indent, outdent and a new sibling; tap a chip to use it.
AI that drafts, then waits for you
AI features use Groq (with Google Gemini as backup), are available once you sign in, and are marked in marigold. Typeahead, generated maps and rewrites wait for you to accept them. Expanding a node into ideas applies at once, with Undo and a version snapshot taken first, so you can always go back.
Generate a map from a prompt
Describe a topic (or start from an example) and choose a depth of 2, 3 or 4 levels. You get a preview outline to read first, then Open map to keep it or Try again for another take.
⌘⇧G
Summarize pasted text into a map
Paste an article, transcript or notes (up to 6,000 characters). You get a new note titled from the text, organised into main points and details.
Generate › Summarize pasted text
Rewrite a node
Make it shorter, more specific or clearer, fix spelling and grammar, turn it into a question, or give your own instruction. You see the old and new text together and choose Replace, Insert below or Discard.
⌘J, or the AI menu on a selected node
Expand into ideas
Ask for ideas under a node and AI-suggested children are added to it directly. Keep the ones you like, delete the rest, or undo the lot.
AI menu on a selected node
Offline first, sync when you want it
Guest mode is the whole app. There is no sign-up screen. Notes are saved in your browser's IndexedDB as you type, and the app keeps working without a connection.
Sign in to sync. With your Google account, your notes are then stored in Supabase under your account and stay in step across devices. Notes you made as a guest are merged into your account. A status chip always tells you which state you are in: Local only, Syncing, Synced, Offline, or Needs review. Images stay on the device that added them and are not synced.
Conflicts never lose work. If the same note changed on two devices, the sync chip shows Needs review. Open it to see both versions side by side, with the differences highlighted, and keep one, the other, or both.
Safety nets. Deleted notes stay in the Recycle Bin for 30 days. Each note keeps its last 20 snapshots on this device, taken when you open it, every 5 minutes while you edit, and before an AI rewrite or expansion. Version history restores any of them, in place or as a copy. Snapshots are not synced.
Export and import
Seven formats from the Export menu (⌘ ⇧ E). Import Markdown outlines or noodl JSON, or drag a .md or .json file onto the window.
| Format | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Image of the map | Sharp image for slides, documents and chat. |
| JPEG | Image of the map | Smaller files for email and messaging. |
| Document | The map on one A4 page, ready to print. | |
| Markdown | Document | A nested bullet list. Opens in any editor and imports back in. |
| HTML | Document | A self-contained page you can open in a browser or attach to an email. |
| Plain text | Document | An indented outline for anywhere that doesn't render Markdown. |
| JSON | Data | Lossless: every node and its structure. Imports back in exactly. |
Settings › Data › Export all saves every note and folder as one backup file; Restore brings it back.
Organise and find
Search everything
⌘K searches note titles and the text inside every node, shows where each match lives, and jumps straight to it.
Folders
Group notes into folders, drag notes between them, and rename, duplicate or move notes from the row menu.
Templates
Start from Blank, Project plan, Lecture notes, Meeting notes, SWOT analysis or Story outline.
Light and dark
Follows your system theme, or pick one in Settings.
Accessible
Full keyboard control in both views, visible focus rings, a screen-reader tree in the outline, and reduced motion respected.
Any screen
Layouts for phone, tablet and desktop, with touch-sized controls on small screens.
Keyboard shortcuts
Two modes: select (a node is highlighted) and edit (you are typing in it). ⌘ is Ctrl on Windows and Linux. Press ? in the app for the full list.
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘K | Search notes and nodes, run commands |
| ⌥N | New note |
| ⌘⇧G | Generate a map with AI |
| ⌘⇧M | Switch between outline and mind map |
| ⌘\ | Show or hide the sidebar |
| ⌘. | Focus mode (hides the sidebar and toolbar) |
| ⌘⇧E | Export menu |
| ⌘Z | Undo (⌘⇧Z to redo) |
| ⌘, | Settings |
| ? | Show all shortcuts |
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tab | Accept the ghost text if it is showing, otherwise add a child |
| → | Accept the ghost text (caret at end of text) |
| ↑↓ | Choose another suggestion |
| Enter | Insert the chosen suggestion, or commit and add a sibling |
| ⇧Enter | New line inside the node |
| ⇧Tab | Outdent |
| Esc | Hide suggestions until the text changes; press again to stop editing |
| Backspace | On an empty node without children: delete it |
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tab | Add a child and start typing in it |
| Enter | Add a sibling below |
| ⇧Enter | Add a sibling above |
| Space | Edit the selected node (F2 also works) |
| ↑↓ | Previous or next node |
| ←→ | Parent or first child (outline: collapse or expand first) |
| ⌥↑ | Move the node up among its siblings (⌥↓ moves it down) |
| ⇧Tab | Outdent (⌘[ also works; ⌘] indents) |
| ⌘; | Collapse or expand |
| ⌥1 | Show the map to level 1 (⌥2, ⌥3; ⌥0 shows all) |
| ⌘J | Rewrite with AI |
| ⌘D | Duplicate the branch |
| ⌘C | Copy the branch as indented text (⌘X cuts, ⌘V pastes) |
| Delete | Delete the node and its branch, with Undo (Backspace also works) |
| ⇧1 | Fit the whole map in view (⌘0 also works) |
| ⌘= | Zoom in (⌘− zooms out) |
See it with your own notes.
Type a topic and press Tab to branch it. Everything stays on this device.
Free in your browser. Works offline. No account until you want sync or AI.