Efficient Sticky Notes Portable for Windows

Efficient Sticky Notes has been a go-to recommendation for a free sticky notes app, but shareware upgrades are available: Efficient Sticky Notes Pro and Efficient Sticky Notes Pro Portable. They're basically identical, including their modest price, except the portable version can run from a USB drive, and all its "stuff" is inside its program folder instead of roaming throughout Windows. Both versions of Efficient Sticky Notes Pro do everything the free version does and more, including the ability to add attachments to notes. We tried Efficient Sticky Notes Pro Portable Edition in Windows 7.

Instead of skipping to the bottom, let's just say up front that Efficient Sticky Notes Pro, installed or portable, remains a top recommendation. With a polished user interface, taking some of the best elements from Web browsers and productivity apps, nothing about this program rubs us wrong (though more frequent display of the New Note hot key combo, Ctrl+N, would help). Speaking of help, Efficient Sticky Notes has a well-stocked Help menu. And the portable version worked flawlessly. But what really stood out about Efficient Sticky Notes isn't anything related to the tool's performance; it's the subtle but attractive skins on the Interface Style menu. We could choose from five color schemes -- black, blue, green, pink, and silver -- or five seasonal and holiday themes: Pumpkin, Springtime, Summer, Valentine, and Xmas. These latter five don't just change the skin color but also add subtle theme-like touches. For instance, Springtime shows budding branches in border backgrounds and flowers instead of checkmarks, while Pumpkin celebrates Halloween with cobwebs and spiders. Xmas is a winter theme, with ghostly snowflakes against a wintery blue background, though candy canes and other holiday touches keep the theme festive but not cloying, especially appropriate when the holidays are over but spring is still too far away.

Changing themes feels like new stationery. Will that make you more efficient? Maybe not, but it shows this program's refinement and attention to detail. The Portable Edition just adds more choice to Efficient Sticky Notes Pro.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Efficient Sticky Notes Portable 3.50 Build 333.