Melo
Download free
Native for Mac

Capture anything and find it
again in seconds.

Melo is a workspace for your Mac where you save notes, links, and screenshots the moment they happen and ask for them back later in plain language.

Download freeSee pricing

Free to start · Pro from $4.99/mo or $29.99 lifetime · macOS

Melo on Mac

Capture & recall

Save a thought in one keystroke and ask for it later.

Press ⌥ Space to drop a thought into your memory. Later you can ask Melo about it in plain language and it answers from what you saved, with sources.

Capture a thought…
Commands
Take screenshotCommand
Upload fileCommand
Open BrainCommand

Built different

More than a note app

Melo isn't just an editor. It's a workspace your AI can see, so it can answer questions and help you using whatever is on your board.

What people are saying

People are switching from Notion and Obsidian.

Toknbase· Apr 22

“This is genuinely impressive stuff. As someone who is looking for Notion alternatives — great work seriously.”

AntelopeTough1558· Reddit

“For visual thinkers, it's a must. I really like the idea of everything being laid out on a board rather than the standard Notion/Obsidian display.”

Integrations

Your tools, one canvas

Pull from the apps you already use. Melo tiles it all together.

Notion
Q2 Roadmap, Meeting Notes...
Linear
MAR-142, MAR-87 In Progress
MON14
Calendar
Standup 9am, Design Review 2pm
Melo
Notion
Q2 Roadmap
Ship v1.0 by May
Tiling engine rewrite
AI context window
Linear
MAR-142Tiling engine
MAR-87AI context
MAR-91Data layer
MON14Calendar
9:00Standup
2:00Design Review

Appearance

Ayu Dark

Warm amber minimalInter
Soft pink on darkPlayfair Display
Arctic cool paletteSpace Grotesk
Smooth pastel mochaPlus Jakarta Sans
Off-white beige with pinkLora
Clean white with blueDM Sans
1-bit white on blackSilkscreen
Melo
Note
Q2 Planning
Ship v1.0 by end of May. Focus on stability over features.
“The canvas should feel like thinking out loud.”
AI Chat
You
Summarize my notes
Melo
Ship v1.0 by May, prioritize stability...
Todo
Design landing
Record demo

20+ themes. 10+ fonts.

Make it yours

One app, infinite setups

20+ themes. 10+ fonts. Desktop pets. GIFs. No two setups look the same.

Study

Study

Gesture Controls

Everything at your fingertips. Literally.

Wave, pinch, and swipe to navigate. No controller needed.

Hand tracking
Pinch to zoom
Swipe to navigate

PETS PETS PETS PETS

A cute friend dwells within Melo, because why not?

CUTENESS OVERLOAD
DocumentPDF

Chapter 4: Cognitive Load Theory

 

Working memory can hold approximately 7±2 items at any given time (Miller, 1956). When instructional materials exceed this capacity, learning is impaired.

 

Intrinsic load refers to the inherent complexity of the material being learned. Extraneous load is caused by poor instructional design. Germane load is the effort dedicated to creating lasting mental schemas.

 

Sweller (1988) proposed that instructional design should minimize extraneous load while optimizing germane load, ensuring working memory resources are directed toward schema construction.

 

4.1 Implications for Multimedia Learning

 

Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning (2001) builds on CLT by arguing that people learn more deeply from words and pictures than from words alone. However, adding pictures only helps when they reduce extraneous processing.

 

The redundancy principle states that presenting the same information in multiple formats simultaneously can actually increase cognitive load rather than reduce it.

Notejust now

Cognitive Load Theory

 

Working memory = ~7 items

3 types of load:

• Intrinsic = complexity of material

• Extraneous = bad design

• Germane = effort → schemas

 

Goal: minimize extraneous, maximize germane

Look up: Miller 1956, Sweller 1988

And there’s more

Too much to fit on one scroll.

What you’ve seen so far is the headline act. Melo ships with a long tail of small, sharp tools that quietly disappear into your workflow.

Window tilingClipboard historyVoice commandsHand gesturesWeb clipperMarkdown editorLaTeX renderingCode blocksLocal AI modelsCloud AI modelsPDF readerCalendar syncMulti-workspaceKeyboard-firstBacklinksUniversal searchWeb embedsTasksTagsPet companion+ more shipping weekly
Hamza
Hamza
Founder, building Melo

Built in public · One person

Hi, I’m Hamza. I built Melo because I was paying ~$27/month across five apps that never talked to each other, notes in one place, todos in another, AI in a third. Melo is the tool I wanted: one canvas, local-first, no subscription.

I ship updates most days. If you buy in early, you’re shaping what comes next, lifetime customers get every future update, forever.

Pricing

Get Melo

One-time lifetime license or a monthly plan. Start free.

Notion$10/mo
Todoist$5/mo
Paste$4/mo
Magnet$5/mo
Raindrop$3/mo
Total$27/mo ($324/yr)

or you can have Melo

Free

$0

1 project, 5 boards, two themes. No AI.

Download free →

Monthly

$4.99/mo

3-day free trial

Then $4.99/mo. Cancel anytime.

  • 3-day free trial, no charge upfront
  • Instant license email after checkout
  • Works offline, local-first by design
  • macOS native, Apple Silicon optimized
  • All future updates included

Lifetime ★

$49.99$29.99

Pay once and use Melo forever.

  • Instant license email after checkout
  • Works offline, local-first by design
  • macOS native, Apple Silicon optimized
  • All future updates included

macOS only.