Everything you need to know.
Answers about Catchlight.
Privacy & security
Who can see your Takes, and who genuinely can’t.
Is Catchlight truly private?
Yes. Your Takes are encrypted on your device using a 12-word Privacy Phrase that only you hold. Catchlight, and Considus, never have access to your data. We can’t read your Takes, and we can’t recover them if you lose your Privacy Phrase. We never see them, store them, or ask for them.
Will I need to create an account?
No. No account, no email and no password, nothing. You receive a 12-word Privacy Phrase on first launch. That’s your key. It belongs to you alone.
Can Apple read my notes?
On a standard iCloud account, in effect yes, Apple holds the keys to your Notes and can access them or be compelled to. Only Advanced Data Protection makes them end-to-end encrypted, and new UK users can’t enable it. Catchlight is different, every Take is encrypted on your device with a key only you hold, so we genuinely can’t read them.
What’s the most private notes app for iPhone?
The most private setup is one where the company can’t read your notes and you don’t need an account at all. That’s what Catchlight is built to be, zero-knowledge by default, encrypted on your device with a 12-word Privacy Phrase only you hold, no sign-up, and it works offline. Others are strong too, we compare them honestly on our compare pages.
Do I need an account to use a private notes app?
Not with Catchlight. Many privacy-focused apps still ask for an email and a subscription, but Catchlight needs no account, no email and no password. You get a 12-word Privacy Phrase on first launch, and that’s the only key to your data.
The app
What a Take is, and how capture feels day to day.
What’s a Take?
A Take is the only kind of thing in Catchlight. It can be a note, a task, a reminder, or all three at once, you decide, and you can change your mind at any time. There’s no separate notes app, tasks app, or reminders app. One place for everything.
Can I use Catchlight without internet?
Yes. Catchlight is offline-first, every feature works without network access. Cloud sync is optional, you choose a folder in iCloud Drive or Dropbox, via the Files app. Catchlight runs no cloud of its own.
How flexible is Catchlight?
Extremely. Wherever there’s a decision to be made about the privacy of your thoughts, we give you the choice. Anywhere we can adjust the user interface, we give you the controls. Our privacy-first ethos means default settings are always the most privacy focused, but this is your data, so you get to choose.
Can I save my ideas quickly?
Yes. We’ve worked hard to ensure Catchlight doesn’t get in your way. From the lock screen, via widgets, you can go from locked to typing in around 2 seconds and we don’t launch the app, so no interruption if you were in the middle of something. You also have options for Home-screen and control centre widgets, all of which follow the same speedy approach.
How it compares
Where Catchlight sits next to the apps you might already use.
How is Catchlight different from Apple Notes?
Apple Notes stores your data in iCloud, which for most people, Apple can access. Catchlight uses “zero-knowledge” encryption and your data is only on-device, secured using a key only you hold. We never see it, read it or sell it. Catchlight brings together notes, tasks and reminders in one item. You never need to decide up-front where a thought goes or even what it is.
How does it compare to Standard Notes or Notesnook?
Both are privacy-focused, just like Catchlight. But they require an account and, for most features, a subscription. Catchlight requires no account, uses a local Privacy Phrase for encryption and unifies notes, tasks and reminders in one.
Is Catchlight open source?
Yes. Catchlight is published in a public repo on Considus GitHub and it’s open source under the standard Apache 2.0 licence. You can read, verify and reuse every line. Anyone can see exactly how the encryption works and that we really don’t harvest any data. Privacy you verify is always better than privacy left to trust.
Launch, price & data
When it ships, what it costs, and getting your Takes out.
When does it launch, and on what?
Catchlight launches first on iPhone (iOS 18 and later). It’s pre-launch today, join the list and we’ll email you the day it’s ready and you’ll get extra time on the free trial. Other platforms are planned to follow.
What will it cost?
Catchlight isn’t free, and we’d rather be clear about why. The only funding source for the app is the people who use it. No ads, no investors chasing a return, and we will never sell your data (we don’t even have any). It’s a simple annual subscription, around £14.99 a year, with a real free trial (30 days for early waitlist members, otherwise 14). And if you ever decide to stop paying, your Takes stay readable and exportable, you’re never locked out of your own thoughts.
Is my data locked in?
No. Catchlight gives you control and you have three options. You can export a single Take, all Takes in a single markdown file or use cloud storage to save an encrypted version. Even if you decide Catchlight isn’t for you, we don’t hold your thoughts hostage.