What Is Napkin?

You know the feeling: an insight pops into your head while reading, walking, or half-asleep on the sofa. You swear you will remember it, yet by dinner it is gone. Napkin sets out to solve that everyday tragedy.

Napkin is a lightweight note-taking and “idea resurfacing” tool built for thinkers who collect snippets all day but do not have hours to maintain a formal knowledge base. Drop a quote, a shower-thought, or a saved highlight into Napkin and the app quietly organizes, links, and resurfaces it when the context feels right.

Think of it as a digital shoebox that not only stores your ideas, it nudges them back to you when they might spark something new.

Key Features of Napkin

Quick Idea Capture

When inspiration strikes, speed matters. Napkin’s capture flow lets you save text from the browser extension, iOS share sheet, or a simple ⌘-Shift-V shortcut. No notebooks to choose, no database fields to fill.

You paste, hit save, and move on with your life. The card appears instantly on your Napkin home feed, automatically time-stamped and ready for future connections.

Serendipity Feed

Napkin’s signature magic is the “Serendipity” algorithm. Each time you open the app, a small stack of older cards resurfaces next to your newest note.

The algorithm isn't just matching keywords, it weighs context and previous interactions to show timely, relevant connections. That gentle, almost playful resurfacing helps you rediscover forgotten notes without digging through folders.

Visual Canvas

Drag any card onto the infinite canvas and start clustering thoughts. Cards can be grouped, color-coded, or linked with arrows.

Writers love this for outlining articles, researchers use it to map literature reviews, and product managers sketch lightweight roadmaps. The interface feels tactile—almost like shuffling index cards on a real desk.

AI-Assisted Writing

Select a handful of cards and hit “Draft.” Napkin’s built-in GPT-4 wrapper produces a structured outline or a first-pass paragraph that weaves your snippets together.

You stay in the driver’s seat, editing tone and voice, but the AI jump-start clears the dreaded blank page.

Integrations and Export

Napkin links with Readwise, Kindle, and Pocket so highlights flow in automatically. Finished a project? Export everything to Markdown, PDF, or straight into Notion.

The export keeps backlinks intact, so you can archive a project without breaking connections.

Pricing: Simple and Predictable

Napkin keeps its pricing model refreshingly clear.

• Free – $0. Includes up to 100 cards and 10 AI drafts per month.

• Pro – $12/mo or $96/yr. Gives you unlimited cards, unlimited AI drafts, and priority support.

• Team – $18/user/mo. Adds shared workspaces, admin controls, and SSO.

The free tier is generous enough to test the workflow. Serious writers will likely jump to Pro once the 100-card ceiling starts to pinch.

FAQ

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The free plan caps you at 100 cards and 10 AI drafts each month. All core capture and resurfacing features remain available so you can evaluate the tool at your own pace.

How secure are my notes?

Napkin encrypts data in transit and at rest. The company states that no employee can view private content without explicit permission. Two-factor authentication is available on all tiers.

Does Napkin work offline?

Not yet. You need a connection to capture and view cards. An offline mode is on the 2025 roadmap, according to the public changelog.

Can I migrate from Notion or Evernote?

Yes. You can bulk import Markdown or ENEX files. Tags become hashtags, and internal links attempt to map to Napkin cards automatically.

What languages does the AI drafting support?

English, Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese. More languages are being beta-tested.

Final Thoughts

Napkin will not replace a full-blown knowledge-management system like Obsidian, but that is not its goal. It excels at frictionless capture and delightful resurfacing.

If you have stacks of half-forgotten sticky notes and want an assistant that brings them back to life, Napkin feels like a breath of fresh air.

Try the free tier, let the Serendipity feed surprise you for a week, and decide whether those rediscovered sparks are worth the upgrade. Odds are, they will be.