Notes that think with you
Your second brain,
beautifully organized.
Cortex captures every idea the moment it arrives, then quietly connects it to everything you’ve written before — so nothing you think gets lost again.
Free forever plan · No credit card · Export anytime
Met with Maya about the Q3 relaunch.
She suggested revisiting the onboarding flow from last spring — worth re-reading those notes.
Trusted by thoughtful teams
Three habits, one calm tool.
Cortex is built around the way memory actually works — capture, connection, and recall.
Capture without friction
A blank note is one keystroke away, on every device. Write first, organize later — Cortex never gets in the way of a thought.
Notes that remember each other
Mention an idea once and Cortex quietly links it everywhere it belongs, weaving a map of your thinking as you write.
Recall, not just search
Ask a question in plain language and Cortex surfaces the note you half-remember writing — even if you used different words.
How it actually works
Write it down
A thought, a meeting, a half-formed idea. Drop it into Cortex exactly as it occurs to you.
Let it connect
Cortex notices references to people, projects, and past notes, and quietly links them together.
Find it later
Months on, search by feeling, not keyword — Cortex understands what you meant.
“Cortex is the first notes app that’s made me write more — not because it has more features, but because it has fewer decisions to make.”
Elena Suh · Writer & Editor
Gentle AI assistance
Summaries, follow-up questions, and tidy outlines — only when you ask.
Always in sync
Local-first storage means your notes load instantly, then sync quietly.
Private by default
End-to-end encryption on every plan, including the free one.
A map of your mind
Zoom out to see how a single note connects to a year of thinking.
Loved by careful thinkers
“I stopped losing ideas the week I switched. Cortex feels like the notebook I always meant to keep.”
“The linking is invisible until you need it — then it's the whole point. My research notes finally talk to each other.”
“Calm, fast, and it gets out of the way. That's rarer than it should be in a notes app.”
Simple, honest pricing
Start free. Upgrade only once Cortex earns it.
Personal
For your first second brain.
Free
- Unlimited notes
- Bi-directional links
- Sync across 2 devices
Pro
For people who write daily.
$8/mo
- Everything in Personal
- Unlimited devices
- AI assist & summaries
- Full history
Teams
Shared knowledge, kept tidy.
$15/mo
- Everything in Pro
- Shared workspaces
- Admin controls
- Priority support
Questions, answered
What makes Cortex different from a regular notes app?+
Cortex links related notes automatically and lets you search by meaning rather than exact words, so your past thinking stays usable instead of buried.
Can I use Cortex offline?+
Yes. Cortex is local-first — everything you write is saved to your device instantly and syncs whenever you're back online.
Is my data private?+
Your notes are end-to-end encrypted on every plan, including the free tier. We can't read your notes, and neither can anyone else.
Can I import notes from another app?+
Cortex supports Markdown, Evernote, and Notion imports out of the box, with links preserved wherever possible.
Start your second brain today.
Free forever, no credit card. Bring your existing notes in minutes.
Get started, it’s free