Minimalist Linux Scratchpad & Offline Markdown Buffer

The problem with notes apps on Linux

Linux users are notoriously hard to build for, and as a result, they are often left with two frustrating choices when it comes to notes and scratchpads.

The problem: Linux is treated as a second-class citizen

Most modern, beautifully designed note apps aggressively ignore Linux. The companies that build them focus entirely on macOS and iOS, maybe throwing together a reluctant Windows port if they have to.

If you use Linux as your daily driver, you are usually left with two bad choices. You can use a terminal-based editor like Vim or Neovim, which is incredibly powerful for code but terrible for quickly dropping in an image or maintaining a visually clear task list. Or, you can use a heavy Electron app that consumes an absurd amount of memory just to render plain text.

Your scratchpad should be light, fast, and native to your workflow, regardless of your operating system.

The solution: A violently fast scratchpad for every OS

Benchpad doesn't treat Linux as an afterthought. It was built from the ground up as a Progressive Web App (PWA) that installs directly into your Linux distribution, behaving exactly like a native app. We built a very sharp knife, and it cuts perfectly on Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, or whatever distro you are running today.

Native speed and global hotkeys

When you install Benchpad via a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Brave, Edge), it gets its own dedicated window, its own icon in your launcher, and runs completely independently of your browser tabs.

It opens instantly to a blinking cursor. It respects your keyboard shortcuts. You never have to wait for a "Loading Workspace" spinner.

A clipboard that doesn't forget

Linux power users live in the terminal. When you are constructing a massive ffmpeg command, writing a bash script, or debugging a log file, you constantly need a place to hold temporary text.

Your system clipboard only holds one item. Benchpad gives you three persistent pads. You can use the Now pad to aggressively accumulate multiple copied items—commands, outputs, and URLs—without worrying about overwriting them. Because it supports full markdown, your code blocks retain their syntax highlighting automatically.

A fenced code block in Benchpad with language selection and syntax highlighting

True offline-first architecture

You can write code offline. You should be able to write notes offline.

Benchpad writes every single keystroke locally to your machine's IndexedDB before the network is ever touched. If your Wi-Fi drops, the app doesn't complain, throw error banners, or force you into a read-only mode. It just works.

When you eventually reconnect, Benchpad's Yjs CRDT engine quietly syncs your work in the background, merging edits perfectly with your phone or your other machines.

Stop compiling your notes app

You don't need to build a note app from source just to get a clean interface.

Start writing on Linux for free

Related: For developers · A truly cross-platform notes app