SyntaxPad
SyntaxPad is a lightweight, native macOS editor for notes, code, configuration files and Markdown — built entirely on Apple frameworks, with no Electron and no web runtime.
A fast, native Mac text editor.
It is not trying to replace Xcode or VS Code. It is the editor you reach for to open a config file, jot a note, read someone else's source, or write Markdown — and it opens instantly, every time.
Tabs, syntax highlighting, a background find-and-replace that will not freeze on a pathological regex, and a Markdown preview that renders locally under a strict content security policy.
Your unsaved scratch tabs survive a quit. Your open files come back where you left them.
What it does
100% AppKit and SwiftUI. No Electron, no bundled browser, no cross-platform runtime.
Unsaved scratch tabs and window state come back next launch.
For source files, configuration formats and Markdown.
Runs on a background queue behind a debounce, so a slow regex cannot hang the app.
Rendered on your Mac under a strict CSP that blocks scripts and network requests entirely.
Built to stay responsive on files that make lighter editors struggle.
This app collects no data
SyntaxPad collects no data. No accounts, no analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting, no advertising, and it makes no network requests. Your documents never leave your Mac.
Details
| Category | Developer Tools |
|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS |
| Availability | Available on the Mac App Store |
| Mac App Store | apps. |
| Bundle identifier | com. |
| Account required | No — there is no sign-up or login |
| Data collected | None |
| Privacy policy | flowlabapps. |
| Support | flowlabapps. |