Plain by design
Notes and code stay real UTF‑8 files, with their original extension. Open them in any editor today—or years from now.
Free · No required account · Offline‑first
Markdown notes, without the lock‑in.
Write Markdown quickly, shape it with lightweight tools, and preview it beautifully while the source stays yours. When needed, the same app also edits HTML, JSON, PHP, JavaScript, SQL, and other safe UTF‑8 text files—not proprietary records.
Mac Catalyst compatibility (beta). Based on the iPad experience; some Mac-specific features may not be available.
Why Kihya Memo
Your ideas deserve an exit.
Too many note apps pile on formatting, fail at sync, then make backups and exports strangely hard. We built the opposite: quick to open, free to use, no mandatory sign-up, and made of files you can read anywhere.
Thought‑speed capture
Native iOS and Android screens keep the path from launch to writing short, so an idea has less time to disappear.
Your servers, like folders
Add SFTP, plain FTP, explicit FTPS, or implicit FTPS servers, then safely edit supported UTF‑8 files with local recovery drafts and history.
A calmer workflow
From flicker of thought to a file you own.
Scroll through the real app. The interface gets out of the way while your notes remain ordinary, portable files.
Open. Search. Capture.
Start without an account. Search file names and full note contents, then jump into a new thought before it slips away.
Write without formatting baggage.
Use headings, lists, checkboxes, emphasis, code, and links while clean Markdown remains underneath. The editor also opens HTML, JSON, PHP, ASP, JavaScript, CSS, SQL, and more with plain-text syntax colors, plus in-file Find, Replace, and regex Replace All with capture groups.
Preview beautifully. Stay portable.
Notes open in native Preview by default and remember whether you last left them in Edit or Preview. Toggle checkboxes, see local images, and open clearly marked file links without turning the original into a mystery format.
Sync only when you choose.
Connect your own Google Drive from Settings to continue across devices. Kihya Memo asks only for files it creates or you connect—not your entire Drive.
Thoughts do not wait for an app launch
A new note is already waiting on your Home Screen.
Add a Kihya Memo widget once, then begin with one tap. Choose a clean blank page or let a timely sentence give the first nudge—without signing in or loading a feed.
Quick New Note
Opens a blank editor with the keyboard ready. No empty file is left behind unless you actually write and save.
A Thought for the Moment
Shows an offline sentence for the time of day. Tap it to start a note and prepare a 4:5 image card you can share.
Home Screen widgets are available on iPhone, iPad, Android phones, and Android tablets. Widget sizes and refresh behavior can vary with the operating system and Home Screen app.
See how to add and use widgets
Small app, serious details
Everything needed to keep a thought alive.
Folders, files, recovery, export, and native layouts are part of the core—not leverage to keep you locked in.
Folders & full‑text search
Create nested folders, drag to move, rename safely, and search names plus note contents.
Versions & crash recovery
Keep pre-save versions locally and recover a recent draft after an unexpected exit.
Recoverable deletion
Deleted notes and folders go to Recently Deleted first, with optional device‑auth protection.
A real ZIP export
Export the visible folder tree as a ZIP. Trash and app-only recovery data stay out of it.
Phone focus, tablet space
Focused list-to-editor flow on phones; folder, file, and editor panes together on tablets.
Home‑screen shortcuts
Start a new note quickly or open a chosen document in a clean, read‑only view; Back or Close returns to the memo list.
The honest fit
Wonderful for ownership. Intentionally not everything.
The same choices that keep Kihya Memo light and portable also define what it does not try to become.
You will probably love it if
You value speed and ownership.
- You want to write immediately without creating another account.
- You want Markdown or TXT files that work in other editors.
- You keep reference files beside notes and prefer visible folders.
- You want optional device sync without sending notes to a Kihya memo server.
- You expect backups, ZIP export, and a recoverable trash to be normal features.
Good to know before you choose
It stays a focused file‑based notebook.
- It is not a real-time team collaboration suite or shared workspace.
- It does not hide Markdown behind a full WYSIWYG document editor.
- Optional sync uses your Google Drive; it is not a separate Kihya cloud.
- Local versions and crash drafts stay on that device and are excluded from cloud sync and ZIP export.
- If two devices change the same file, the app preserves a conflict copy instead of silently discarding one.
A good way to use it
Build a folder, not a dependency.
Start simple. Add structure only when your notes ask for it.
Kihya Memo/
├── inbox/
│ └── quick-thought.md
├── projects/
│ ├── plan.md
│ └── reference.pdf
└── archive/
- 01
Capture in an inbox
Keep one low-friction folder for fleeting thoughts. Name and move them only when they become useful.
- 02
Choose any text format
Use Markdown for notes, or keep HTML, JSON, PHP, JavaScript, SQL, config files, and extensionless text in their original form.
- 03
Keep related files nearby
Place photos, PDFs, and archives in the same project folder. Link them with relative paths so the bundle remains portable.
- 04
Connect Drive only if needed
Local-only is a complete way to use the app. Turn on Google Drive when continuing across devices matters to you.
- 05
Export periodically
Make a ZIP before major reorganizations or whenever you want an independent copy. Your files should outlive any one app.
Kihya~
What the name means
That little exclamation after a deeply satisfying sip.
In Korean, “Kihya~” is the sound that slips out after a truly delicious beer. Kihya Memo means a note app worthy of the same reaction: refreshingly fast, remarkably uncluttered, and simply good to use.
Privacy without fine-print theater
Your notes are not our business model.
No Kihya account is required. Note text, file names, paths, attachments, and searches are not sent to Kihya servers. Optional Drive sync runs only after you connect it.
Read the full privacy policy0
required Kihya accounts
2
optional, limited Drive scopes
.md
and .txt originals you can keep
What optional Drive access means
drive.file lets the app work only with files it created or you connected. drive.appdata keeps a private workspace identifier and, before one different text replaces another, a recovery safety record. Neither permission grants access to your whole Drive.
Analytics with strict boundaries
Firebase Analytics may receive an app‑instance ID, device and app version, approximate region, sessions, screens, and feature events. It never receives note content, names, paths, searches, attachments, or Google account information; advertising IDs, ad personalization, and User‑ID are not used.
External links stay external
Company, memo website, guide, policy, and support links open in your system browser only when you choose them. Android 1.0 has no retailer, regulated-goods, order, or payment link.
Five Korean typefaces, with thanks
Nanum Gothic, Nanum Myeongjo, Nanum Gothic Coding, Jua, and Poor Story are included under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. We thank their creators at NHN/NAVER, Sandoll, FONTRIX, Woowahan Brothers, the BM JUA authors, and Yoon Design.
Questions, plainly answered
Before your first note.
Need help with something else? Email help@kihya.com. Please do not send note contents, file names, paths, searches, or Google account details.
Browse all 40 answersIs Kihya Memo free?
Yes. The core app is free, and creating a Kihya account is not required. Android 1.0 has no retailer, order, payment, subscription, or purchase-reward link.
Can I use it without the internet?
Yes. Local note creation, editing, folders, search, preview, version history, and export work offline. Internet access is used for optional Google OAuth and Drive sync, Firebase Analytics, and links you choose to open.
Where are my notes stored?
Markdown and other editable UTF‑8 text or source documents remain ordinary files in local storage or at an external location you explicitly choose. If you connect Google Drive, originals are also synchronized to a visible “Kihya Memo” folder in your account.
What happens when I delete something?
The app first moves notes and folders to a recoverable Recently Deleted area. With Drive connected, the corresponding Drive item is moved to Google Drive trash. Permanent deletion happens only when you explicitly empty or delete from Recently Deleted.
Can I leave for another editor?
That is the point. Open Markdown, HTML, JSON, code, and other text files through the system Files interface, share them, or export the visible folder tree as a ZIP. Syntax colors never enter the file.
Why might a store page still say unavailable?
Both buttons now use the app’s official store addresses. While Apple and Google finish publishing, availability can appear at slightly different times by country, account, or device. Please try the same button again a little later.
Fast notes · Plain files · Yours to keep
Ready when the thought arrives.
The official App Store and Google Play addresses are connected. Availability may appear at slightly different times by country while each store finishes publishing.