Research notes that link together

Coffee keeps each source, idea and draft as a plain Markdown file, and links them with [[wiki links]], tags and a graph, so a library of notes can grow without turning into a pile.

Link notes as you think

Type [[ and Coffee offers matching note titles. Follow a link to a note that doesn't exist yet and Coffee makes it. At the end of each note a "Linked from" list shows the notes that point to it. Rename a note and Coffee updates the links to it across your library.

Nested tags

Tags are plain text, so they work in any app. Nested ones say more, and the sidebar shows them as a tree:

#method/interview
#method/survey
#source/paper

A graph of how notes link

Press ⌥⌘G for a graph around one note, or across the whole library, built from the same links as the "Linked from" list. Private notes are left out.

Query blocks

A query block lists notes by their front matter, as a table or a board. Click a row to open the note:

```query
from: #source/paper
where: status != read
show: author, year
sort: year
```

Canvas and maths

Arrange notes, text and links as cards with arrows on a canvas, saved as the same .canvas files Obsidian uses. Formulas in $$ blocks and inline $…$ are drawn natively, in the note and in exports:

$$
\bar{x} = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i
$$

Bring in what you already have

Open a Word document (.docx or .doc), RTF or ODT file and Coffee makes a new Markdown note from it, with headings, lists, tables, links and pictures. The original isn't changed. With Apple Intelligence, Ask answers questions about your notes on the device.

What Coffee doesn't do

• Coffee has no citation support. There's no Zotero or BibTeX library and no citation styles. If you write papers with citations, Zettlr is built for that.
• There's no LaTeX export, and its maths is everyday TeX rather than all of LaTeX.
• Query blocks only read. You can't edit notes from the table, and there are no formulas or relations.
• Imports leave out comments and page layout, and Pages files can't be imported.
• Query blocks are on the Mac only. Ask needs macOS 26 or iOS 26 and Apple Intelligence.

Further reading

• Linking notes with [[wiki links]] without breaking them
• A graph view for your Markdown notes on a Mac
• Query your Markdown notes as a table or a board
• Coffee vs Zettlr: which Markdown app for your Mac?

Questions

Does Coffee support citations?

No. Coffee has no citation support, so there's no Zotero or BibTeX library and no citation styles.

Can Coffee open Obsidian canvases?

Yes. Coffee opens and makes .canvas files in the open JSON Canvas format, the one Obsidian uses.

How much does Coffee cost?

14 days free, with no card or account. Then €3 a month, €29 a year, or €79 once with two years of updates. One purchase covers the Mac, iPhone and iPad.

14 days free, with no card and no account. Then €3 a month, €29 a year, or €79 once with two years of updates. One purchase covers your Mac, iPhone and iPad. macOS 15 or later, iOS 18 or later. See pricing.