With Quick Note/Live text Apple Notes would be a contender for default note app if …

FWIW Shareful ( ‎Shareful on the Mac App Store ) allows you to do all of these:

Byword and Ulysses automatically convert the exported rtf data to Markdown, though Drafts does not.

Also, a lot of what’s needed to do the other tasks you describe is already there & accessible though AS - run this in Script Editor:


tell application "Notes"
	set n to selection
	properties of item 1 of n
end tell

See also Applescript and 'notes': Open note in new window - Stack Overflow