v0.3.4 — Free & Open Source

Your notes,
beautifully fast.

A native markdown note-taking app built for speed, privacy, and personal knowledge management. No cloud. No Electron. Just your notes.

Download for Free View on GitHub
Cascade — Markdown editor with live preview, sidebar, and tabs
Features

Everything you need to think clearly.

Powerful enough for daily use. Simple enough to stay out of your way.

Live Preview Editor

Write in markdown, see it rendered instantly. Switch between Live Preview, Source, and Reading modes. Slash commands, smart lists, and code folding built in.

Wiki-Links & Backlinks

Connect notes with [[wiki-links]] and autocomplete. The backlinks panel shows every note that references the current one. Embed notes with ![[transclusion]].

Powerful Search

Vault-wide search with regex, case-sensitive, and whole-word filters. Quick Open and Command Palette for instant access to 40+ commands.

Rich Content

Math (LaTeX) blocks, Mermaid diagrams, callout boxes, table editor, highlight syntax, image controls, and code blocks with syntax highlighting.

Focus & Writing

Focus mode dims surrounding paragraphs. Typewriter mode keeps your line centered. Word count goals track your progress. Auto-save keeps your work safe.

Canvas Whiteboard

Infinite canvas for visual thinking. Drag text, file, and link cards. Connect with edges, group nodes, auto-layout, search, minimap, and export to PNG or SVG.

Real-Time Collaboration

Edit together on shared folder vaults. Live cursors, presence indicators, auto host election, and password-protected sessions. Zero config — just open the same vault.

Beautiful Themes

21+ built-in themes — Catppuccin, Nord, Dracula, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night, Solarized, and more. Visual card picker, custom accent colors, and installable community themes.

Daily Notes & Templates

Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly notes with customizable formats. Template system with variable replacement for consistent note creation.

Native Performance

Built with Tauri and Rust. No Electron, no browser overhead. Starts instantly, uses minimal memory, respects your resources.

Privacy First

Your files stay on your disk. No cloud accounts, no telemetry, no tracking. Vault-based storage you fully control. Optional GitHub sync for backup.

Plugin System

Extend Cascade with sandboxed plugins. Register commands, add sidebar panels, customize the status bar. Browse the built-in marketplace.

Import & Export

Migrate from Obsidian, Notion, Logseq, or Roam Research. Export to Markdown, HTML, or PDF. Your data is never locked in.

Themes

21+ themes to match your vibe.

Catppuccin, Nord, Dracula, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night, and more. Dark, medium, and light options with custom accent colors.

Catppuccin Mocha theme
Screenshots

See it in action.

Cascade screenshot
Tech Stack

Built with the best.

Modern, fast, and maintainable from the ground up.

Tauri v2 Desktop Runtime
React 19 UI Framework
TS
TypeScript Type Safety
Rust Backend Engine
CodeMirror 6 Code Editor
Tailwind CSS Styling
Zustand 5 State Management
Catppuccin Theme System
Get Started

Up and running in seconds.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Real-Fruit-Snacks/Cascade.git
cd cascade

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run tauri dev
Power User

Keyboard-first design.

Every action at your fingertips. No mouse required.

Quick OpenCtrl+O
Command PaletteCtrl+P
New FileCtrl+N
SaveCtrl+S
Search in VaultCtrl+Shift+F
Find & ReplaceCtrl+H
Toggle SidebarCtrl+B
SettingsCtrl+,
Close TabCtrl+W
Next TabCtrl+Tab
New CanvasCtrl+Shift+C
UndoCtrl+Z
RedoCtrl+Shift+Z
FAQ

Common questions.

Cascade is a free, open-source markdown note-taking app for personal knowledge management. It runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux using Tauri (Rust + WebView), so it's fast and lightweight compared to Electron-based alternatives.
Yes. Cascade is MIT licensed and completely free. There are no premium tiers, no subscriptions, and no feature gates. The full source code is available on GitHub.
Cascade runs on Windows (10+), macOS (11+), and Linux. Pre-built installers are available for all platforms on the GitHub Releases page.
Cascade shares many concepts with Obsidian — vault-based storage, wiki-links, backlinks, graph view, and a plugin system. Key differences: Cascade is fully open source (MIT), uses a native Rust backend instead of Electron, and ships with Catppuccin themes. It supports importing your existing Obsidian vaults.
Yes. Cascade includes an import wizard that supports Obsidian vaults, Notion exports (ZIP), Logseq directories, Roam Research (JSON), and plain markdown folders. Your existing notes and folder structure are preserved.
Yes. Cascade has a sandboxed plugin system where plugins run in secure iframes. Plugins can register commands, add sidebar panels, customize the status bar, and listen to editor events — all through a permission-controlled API.

Ready to get started?

Cascade is free, open source, and yours to keep.

Download Cascade Star on GitHub