Reflect
Reflect is an indie AI-powered networked note-taking application for individual knowledge workers, priced at a single $10/month tier with end-to-end encryption, backlinks, and AI features powered by GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini, distributed globally via self-serve PLG channels by a 1-10 person customer-funded team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Reflect does
Reflect is a privately held, Austin-domiciled (legally) but globally distributed software company that builds Reflect Notes, a single-player AI-powered networked note-taking application priced at a single $10/month tier (billed annually). Founded in 2021 by Alex MacCaw, the company has explicitly chosen to remain independently funded through customers and small investors—including a $1.208M round in January 2023 via Wefunder with GTMfund—rather than take traditional venture capital, and operates with a 1-10 person team. Its product is aimed at individual knowledge workers—writers, researchers, founders, and professionals—who want to capture and connect ideas through bidirectional backlinks forming a personal "second brain."
The core product architecture centers on networked notes with true end-to-end encryption (plaintext never reaches Reflect's servers), real-time cross-device sync via YJS, and a recently completed SQLite-powered frontend rewrite across iOS, web, and macOS that materially improved startup time and the ability to handle large note collections. AI capabilities are layered on top of third-party foundation models—OpenAI's GPT-4 and Whisper, Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 3.7, and Google's Gemini (with a 2M-token context window)—delivering voice transcription, AI chat with notes, custom prompts, semantic search via client-side embeddings, OCR on images and PDFs, and AI-generated link summaries. The product surface extends across native iOS and iPad apps, native macOS and Windows desktop apps, Chrome and Safari browser extensions, and a public API with Zapier integration; an MCP server was added in 2026 to let coding agents (Claude, Codex) read and edit notes.
Commercial mechanics are characteristic of a capital-efficient indie SaaS: a single pricing tier, 14-day free trial, fully self-serve product-led distribution through reflect.app, the App Stores, and browser extension stores, and no enterprise sales motion. The customer base is a long tail of individual SMB/consumer users; named logos in public materials are individual testimonials rather than enterprise accounts, and the only disclosed scale signal is ~6,000 Chrome Web Store users at a 4.6/5 rating. Marketing is content-led (blog, YouTube workflow videos, newsletter) and community-led (Discord). The company maintains GDPR and CCPA compliance posture and DMCA procedures, and positions its customer-funded, privacy-first, single-player philosophy as the core brand differentiator against VC-backed competitors such as Notion and Roam.
Reflect firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Reflect
- Legal name
- Reflect App, LLC
- Website
- https://reflect.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Reflect is an indie AI-powered networked note-taking application for individual knowledge workers, priced at a single $10/month tier with end-to-end encryption, backlinks, and AI features powered by GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini, distributed globally via self-serve PLG channels by a 1-10 person customer-funded team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Reflect industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Note-Taking Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive Reading & Writing Tools (Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, OCR, Dyslexia Support) (EDAFAKAA)
Keywords
Where Reflect is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Reflect business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription - Reflect Notes: Single subscription plan at $10/month billed annually ($120/year). Includes all features: networked note-taking, AI features, Chrome/Safari web clipper, Kindle sync, end-to-end encryption, iOS app. 14-day free trial.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | All-in-one plan - $10/month billed annually |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Reflect product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Reflect sells a subscription-based AI-powered networked note-taking application that uses bidirectional backlinks to form a personal knowledge graph, with end-to-end encryption, voice transcription via Whisper, and AI chat capabilities powered by GPT-4, Claude Sonnet 3.7, and Gemini. The product is available on iOS, macOS, iPad, Windows, and the web, with Chrome and Safari extensions for web clipping and Kindle highlight sync.
Product overview
Reflect is a single-product AI-powered note-taking application offered at one price point ($10/month). The core product is Reflect Notes, a networked note-taking app with bidirectional backlinks and end-to-end encryption. Key modules include: Reflect AI (GPT-4/Whisper-powered AI assistant for writing improvement, voice transcription, and semantic search), native mobile apps for iPhone and iPad, native macOS desktop app, and browser extensions for Chrome and Safari for web clipping. The Reflect API enables programmatic access for integrations. Reflect Academy provides educational content on note-taking best practices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Reflect Notes AI-powered networked note-taking application with bidirectional backlinks, end-to-end encryption, AI chat with notes, semantic search, voice transcription, and real-time sync across devices. Sold via a single $10/month annual subscription.
- Reflect Notes iPhone App Native iOS application of Reflect Notes for capturing ideas on the go, online or offline, with automatic sync, AI palette, voice transcription, advanced search, tasks aggregation, and a lock-screen recording widget.
- Reflect Notes for macOS Native macOS desktop application available for Apple Silicon and Intel processors, including split-pane view, inline PDF preview, voice transcription, and full Reflect Notes functionality.
- Reflect Notes iPad App Native iPad application of Reflect Notes, sharing much of the desktop app functionality including advanced search, AI chat with notes, and voice transcription.
- Reflect Chrome Extension Browser extension for saving websites, clipping content, syncing Kindle highlights, and saving Tweets directly into Reflect Notes from Chrome.
- Reflect Safari Extension Safari browser extension for saving web clips and syncing Kindle library highlights directly from Safari into Reflect Notes.
- Reflect API Public REST API supporting appending data to notes, retrieving bookmarked links, and task creation, used for workflow automation and third-party integrations (notably via Zapier).
Quantifiable outcome
- Performance improvements from SQLite rewrite: faster load times, handles massive note collections without reloading issues
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Reflect
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Reflect technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability10 records
Feature8 records
Reflect partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ReadwisecoreReadwise integration syncs reading highlights from Kindle, Apple Books, podcasts, and physical books directly into Reflect notes. Highlights are resurfaced at intervals for retention.
- OpenAIcoreGPT-4 and Whisper from OpenAI power Reflect's AI features including voice transcription and AI assistant capabilities.
- AnthropiccoreClaude Sonnet 3.7 integration for AI chat features, providing an alternative AI model for interacting with notes.
- GooglecoreGemini powers AI chat with up to 2M token context window, allowing analysis of large volumes of notes. Google Calendar integration for meeting sync.
- Google Calendar and OutlookcoreCalendar integrations allow importing meetings and events directly into Reflect daily notes for easy tracking.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Reflect competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Notion: Broader workspace platform that includes notes, docs, and databases with AI features. Competes for the same individual note-taking use case while also serving team collaboration at much larger scale.
- Evernote: Legacy incumbent in personal note-taking. Overlaps with Reflect's capture/search use case at much broader but slower-moving scale.
Emerging players
- Craft: Visually rich notes and documents app for Apple platforms with growing AI features. Competes for design-conscious individual knowledge workers.
- Tana: AI-powered outliner with structured knowledge graph features. Targets similar 'second brain' use cases as Reflect with a more structured/outliner-first approach.
- Readwise: Reading-highlights and knowledge retention tool that integrates directly with Reflect. Overlaps in the personal knowledge management workflow and is a partner rather than a direct note-taking competitor.
Direct peers
- Logseq: Open-source, local-first outliner with bidirectional links and block-level referencing. Competes with Reflect on privacy, networked notes, and individual knowledge management.
- Mem: AI-native note-taking app emphasizing automatic organization and search. Direct overlap with Reflect's AI-first knowledge worker positioning.
- Bear: Apple-focused markdown note-taking app popular with individual writers. Competes for the same personal note-taking user base, particularly on macOS/iOS.
- Roam Research: Pioneer of networked note-taking with bidirectional links. Directly overlaps Reflect's core 'graph of ideas' value proposition for individual researchers and writers.
- Obsidian: Markdown-based note-taking app with bidirectional linking and local-first storage. Most direct competitor to Reflect in networked/second-brain note-taking for individual knowledge workers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Reflect social profiles
Digital presenceReflect compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Reflect financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Reflect leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Reflect funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Reflect M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Reflect
What does Reflect do?
Reflect sells a subscription-based AI-powered networked note-taking application that uses bidirectional backlinks to form a personal knowledge graph, with end-to-end encryption, voice transcription via Whisper, and AI chat capabilities powered by GPT-4, Claude Sonnet 3.7, and Gemini. The product is available on iOS, macOS, iPad, Windows, and the web, with Chrome and Safari extensions for web clipping and Kindle highlight sync.
Is Reflect a public or private company?
Reflect is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Reflect founded?
Reflect was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Reflect based?
Reflect is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Reflect make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription - Reflect Notes.
Who are Reflect's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Notion and Evernote. Emerging players are Craft, Tana and Readwise. Direct peers are Logseq, Mem, Bear, Roam Research and Obsidian.
Does Reflect have an API?
Yes. Reflect offers a public API that supports appending data to notes, returning a list of bookmarked links, and task creation via API. Users can generate access tokens to integrate with Reflect. The API is available through their Academy documentation page and supports Zapier integration for connecting with dozens of applications. Developer documentation is at reflect.academy/api.
What industry is Reflect in?
Reflect's product category is Note-Taking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAA, Assistive Reading & Writing Tools (Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, OCR, Dyslexia Support). Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7371.