Stay fully present.
We'll handle the notes.
Record once. Sidenotes turns your session into a clear, client-ready note — on your Mac, with a local AI model by default.
Free to try · No credit card · Apple Silicon
The hidden cost
You lose the session twice.
Once during, when your attention is already in the notes. Once after, when the session is over — and the writing isn't.
- Split attention
- You want to be fully there with your client. Part of you is already drafting the notes.
- Post-session depletion
- A session takes its toll. The documentation doesn't wait for you to recover.
How it works
Press Record. Sidenotes does the rest.
Three steps. From recording to structured note, all on your Mac.
- Record
- Record the session, talk through your reflections right after, or import a recording you already have. Then forget about it.
- Transcribe
- Your recording is transcribed on your Mac — editable line by line, timestamped, and accurate in 12+ languages. Nothing is uploaded.
- Structure
- Choose a template — GROW, SOAPIER, Coaching Log & Reflection, or your own. Sidenotes turns the transcript into a clear note you can review before your next session.
Before & after
Raw session in. Client-ready note out.
A short excerpt from an example session — and the note Sidenotes generated from it with the GROW template. No editing, no cleanup.
During — the raw transcript
47-min session-
Every time my manager adds something to my plate I just say yes. And then I'm, um, working Sundays again and I'm angry at myself.
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What happens right before you say yes?
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Honestly? I'm afraid the project falls apart without me. Which is… probably not true.
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If you said no once this week — where would it be safest to try?
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The Thursday reporting call. Anyone on my team could run that, really.
Transcribed on your Mac. Editable line by line.
After — the Sidenote
GROW template- Goal
- Protect weekends by handling incoming requests deliberately instead of by default.
- Reality
- Says yes automatically; driven by the fear that the project falls apart without them. Worked three of the last four Sundays — frustration is building.
- Options
- Hand the Thursday reporting call to a team member · a 24-hour rule before accepting new tasks · align priorities with the manager.
- Will
- Delegates the Thursday reporting call this week and observes what the fear does when the call happens without them.
- Next session
- Review how the handover felt. Explore the “it falls apart without me” belief.
Ready to review before your next session.
Fictional example client, shortened for reading. Works the same for a voice note you record right after the session. Your notes follow whichever template you choose — see the built-in formats .
Templates
Pick a format. Or build your own.
Seven structured formats out of the box. Plus a plain-text editor for anything you build yourself.
- Edit before saving
- Unlimited custom templates
- Works offline
- Universal Summary.
- Key points, takeaways, and action items from any recording.
- GROW Session Note.
- Goal, Reality, Options, and Will in a focused session frame.
- SOAPIER Coaching Note.
- Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan, Intervention, Evaluation, Response.
- Coaching Log & Reflection.
- An ICF/EMCC-compatible session log with coach self-reflection.
- Coaching Session Note.
- Universal post-session note for life, business, and executive coaching.
- + Custom Templates.
- Build any format you need with plain-text prompts.
Privacy & Local-First
Your data stays with you. By design.
Coaches work with sensitive client information. Sidenotes assumes that from the start: local files, local transcription, and local AI by default. If you connect a cloud provider, only the transcript text is sent — never the audio.
- Stored locally on your device
- Sessions, transcripts, and notes stay on your own machine — not on Sidenotes servers.
- On-device transcription
- Speech recognition runs on your Mac. Your recordings are not uploaded for transcription.
- Private AI by default
- The bundled local model works out of the box. If you connect a cloud provider, that is an explicit choice.
Pricing
Buy it once. Keep it forever.
Start with the free trial. Buy a Pro license when Sidenotes becomes part of your coaching workflow.
Free Trial
€0
Try 25 Sidenote generations free — one generation = one structured note. See if it fits before you buy.
- 25 Sidenote generations included
- Full transcription and structuring
- Built-in templates for trial generations
- No credit card needed
macOS · Apple Silicon
Pro
€129
Your version keeps working forever. One year of updates included.
- Unlimited note generations
- One-time license key
- 1 year of updates included
- Updates after year one: €59/yr — your version keeps working either way
- Unlimited custom templates
- Priority support
30-day money-back guarantee
FAQ
The questions coaches keep asking.
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Open the DMG, drag Sidenotes into your Applications folder, and launch it. On first launch, the onboarding wizard asks whether you want to use the bundled local AI model or connect a cloud provider. If you choose local — the default — Sidenotes downloads the speech and AI models once (~6.5 GB total: ~1.5 GB for Whisper Medium, ~5 GB for the local LLM). That's a one-time step; after that, everything runs on your Mac with no internet needed. If you choose a cloud provider instead, there's no local download at all.
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No, not by default. Speech recognition runs on your Mac, so your audio is never uploaded. If you stay with the bundled local model, the full flow stays on your Mac. If you choose a cloud provider, only the transcript goes to that provider for the AI step — your call, your terms.
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Yes — with your client's consent. Under the GDPR and in most European countries you need your client's informed consent before recording, so ask once and put it in writing; many coaches simply add a recording clause to their coaching agreement. Sidenotes makes that conversation easier: recordings and transcripts stay on your Mac by default, with no third-party cloud service involved, so there is less to explain and less for your client to worry about. And if you'd rather not record the session at all, record a short voice note right after — your own debrief in your own words — and let Sidenotes structure that instead. This isn't legal advice — when in doubt, check the rules that apply to your practice.
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Yes — fully, if you use the bundled local model. Speech recognition on your Mac and the local AI step both work without an internet connection. If you connect a cloud provider, only that optional AI step needs to be online.
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Sidenotes includes a bundled local model out of the box — no setup, no account. If you want a BYOK setup, connect OpenAI or OpenRouter with your own API key. You can also point Sidenotes at Ollama or another local OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Whatever a third-party provider charges is between you and them; Sidenotes adds no AI usage fees.
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Yes — by importing the recording. Sidenotes doesn't integrate with Zoom or Teams directly, but any audio or video file from those platforms (or any other) can be imported. The transcription and note-generation flow is the same.
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Polishing cleans your raw transcript by removing filler words and hesitations like "um," "uh," and "you know" while preserving the original meaning and phrasing. You can decide what gets cleaned up and adjust the writing style to match how you want your notes to read.
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Yes. Build unlimited custom templates with plain-text prompts — define the sections, the format, and any specific instructions for your approach. The free trial includes 25 generations with built-in templates; Pro adds unlimited custom ones.
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Yes. You buy the Pro desktop license once. Your version keeps working forever — no subscription, no expiry. The license includes one year of updates; after that, you can renew updates for €59/year if you want the latest features, or stay on your current version, which keeps working.
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Nothing. Sidenotes is a desktop app with a one-time license — there's no recurring payment to stop. Even if you never renew updates, your version keeps working, and your sessions, transcripts, and notes stay exactly where they always were: on your Mac — in a local database and audio files you control; nothing on our servers.
Looking for a full product walkthrough? See how Sidenotes works
Final step
Try Sidenotes on your next session.
Run 25 Sidenote generations free on your Mac. No account, no subscription, and no client data leaving your device by default.
25 free generations · No account needed · macOS · Apple Silicon