Every thought deserves a moment of clarity.

A private, beautifully simple app for your notes, reminders, and tasks. Everything you capture belongs only to you — by design, not by policy.

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We'll let you know when it's ready — nothing else.

Most apps ask what you're creating before you've thought about it.

Note. Task. Reminder. Pick one.

Catchlight doesn't ask. There's one kind of thing — a Take. Start writing and it's a note. Add a date and it's a reminder. Add a checkbox and it's a task. All three if it needs to be. The same object, shaped by you — never by the app.

A Take is a thought captured in the moment. It's your perspective. It's spontaneous. It's personal.

A catchlight is invisible when it works. So is our encryption.

Your Takes are end-to-end encrypted on your phone and whenever they leave your device. We don't hold your keys. We don't see your data. Not because we choose not to — because we genuinely can't. That's not a feature. It's just how it's built.

Encrypted, obviously — how else would you do it?

The privacy promise millions of people had relied on quietly broke.

When Apple removed Advanced Data Protection for UK users in early 2025, the alternatives were either too complex, too limited, or too unpleasant to use every day.

The problem was never really about privacy. It was about finding something that felt as good as what you'd left.

Why leave privacy to corporations when you can be in control?

Catchlight is your solution.

You can have both beauty and function — you just have to be willing to try.

Considus is a small independent studio with two simple ideas. Apps should be functional, private, but beautifully crafted — and allow you to always be in control of your data.

Catchlight started as a personal frustration — one person who'd lost trust in their notes and reminders app and couldn't find anything worth switching to. Functionality in a beautiful form is difficult to find.

A technique invented out of love.

The name comes from the movies. A catchlight is the small specular reflection of light in a subject's eyes — the thing that makes a portrait feel alive rather than flat. The technique was invented by cinematographer Lucien Ballard for his wife, actress Merle Oberon — a way of drawing light to what mattered most in the frame.

A catchlight is also known as an Obie. After her.

In Catchlight, your most important Take is called an Obie too. The one thing in your frame that is most important to you. Pinned. Elevated. Catching the light.

The name wasn't invented. It was found — the same way the technique was. And it felt like the right thing to build.

The small light that makes everything feel alive.

Everything you need to know.

• Is Catchlight truly private?

  Yes. Your Takes are encrypted on your device using a 12-word Privacy Phrase that only you hold. Catchlight — and Considus — never have access to your data. We can't read your Takes, and we can't recover them if you lose your Privacy Phrase. We never see them, store them, or ask for them.

• What's a Take?

  A Take is the only kind of thing in Catchlight. It can be a note, a task, a reminder, or all three at once — you decide, and you can change your mind at any time. There's no separate notes app, tasks app, or reminders app. One place for everything.

• How is Catchlight different from Apple Notes?

  Apple Notes stores your data in iCloud, which Apple can access. Catchlight uses zero-knowledge encryption — your data is encrypted on-device using a key only you hold. We genuinely cannot read it. Catchlight also unifies notes, tasks, and reminders in one item, so you never need to decide where to put something.

• Do I need an account?

  No. No account, no email address, no sign-up of any kind. You create a 12-word Privacy Phrase on first launch. That's your key. It belongs to you alone.

• Can I use Catchlight without internet?

  Yes. Catchlight is offline-first — every feature works without network access. Cloud sync is optional: you choose a folder in any provider you trust. Catchlight runs no cloud of its own.

• How does it compare to Standard Notes or Notesnook?

  Both are privacy-focused, but they require an account and — for most features — a subscription. Catchlight requires no account, uses a local Privacy Phrase for encryption, and unifies notes, tasks, and reminders in one item type without a monthly subscription.