Simplenote
Plain text, everywhere, free, and it has never once changed its mind.
By Automattic · since 2008 · simplenote.com · Open source
B- · out of 10
Simplenote does one thing: plain text with tags and markdown preview, synced instantly to every platform. No images, no attachments, no AI, no upsell. Automattic keeps it running as a free product, and it is still the fastest way to have the same text on a Linux box and an iPhone.
How it scores
Features25% of score
4.4Depth and breadth of what the app can do.
Ease of use20% of score
8.8Speed, polish and how long it takes to feel at home.
AI15% of score
1.0Quality and usefulness of the built-in AI, not just its presence.
Sync & reliability15% of score
8.6How dependably notes move between devices.
Value15% of score
9.0What you get for what you pay.
Platform coverage10% of score
9.4How many places you can actually use it.
Pricing
No paid plan
Free tier: All of it, free, with no account limits and no ads.
There is nothing to buy. Automattic funds it as a side project.
Platforms
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- Web
20 tracked features supported
What it does well
- Opens and syncs faster than anything else here
- Free forever with no tiers to think about
- Version history slider on every note
- Native apps on all six platforms, including Linux
Where it falls short
- Text only: no images, files or attachments
- No folders, only tags
- No AI, no linking, no structure of any kind
- Development is essentially maintenance
Our take
Feature-poor on purpose, and still the right answer if all you want is text on every device.
Best for: Writers who want a synced text file and nothing more.
Feature by feature
Capture & input
How notes get into the app in the first place.
- Voice recording
- Audio transcription
- Speaker identification
- Meeting recording
- Handwriting / stylus
- Drawing canvas
- OCR / handwriting search
- Web clipper
- Share extension
- Quick capture
- Images
- PDF & documents
- Document scanning
Organization
How notes are structured, linked and found again.
- Tags
- Folders / notebooks
- Multi-level folders
- Internal links
- Backlinks
- Graph view
- Databases / boards
- Daily notes / journal
- Note templates
- Saved searches
- Pins / favorites
- Merge notes
AI
Assistants, generators and meaning-based search.
- AI chat / writing assistant
- AI agent with tools
- Custom AI agents
- Semantic search
- AI web search
- Connected apps for AI
- Prompt templates
- Custom AI instructions
- AI memory
- Scheduled AI tasks
- Flashcard generator
- Spaced repetition
- Quiz generator
- Fill in the blank
- Mind maps
- AI image generation
- Infographic generator
- Slide deck generator
- AI mini apps
- Brainrot video generator
- AI audio overview
- Bring your own model
- AI job notifications
Writing & editing
What the editor itself can actually do.
- Markdown
- Rich text
- Code blocks
- Math / LaTeX
- Tables
- Find and replace
- Version history
- Note info
Sync & data ownership
Where your notes live and how easily they leave.
- Cloud sync
- Sync through your own cloud
- Offline support
- Offline-first / own your data
- Self-hosting
- End-to-end encryption
- Locked notesPartly
- Daily backup
- Import
- Export
- Public APIPartly
- Command line tool
- Remote MCP server
- Plugins / extensions
Sharing & collaboration
Working with other people inside your notes.
- Share with people
- Real-time collaborationPartly
- Comments
- Public sharing
Experience
The everyday polish around the writing surface.
- Dark mode
- Custom themes
- Multi-languagePartly
- Command palette
- Split viewPartly
- Focus mode
- Home screen widgets
- Apple Shortcuts
Compare with
All Simplenote alternatives
Simplenote vs Grape
Adds: AI agent with tools, AI memory
Simplenote vs Obsidian
Plain markdown files on your disk, with a plugin ecosystem bolted on top.
Simplenote vs Apple Notes
Already on your phone, and better than it has any right to be.
Simplenote vs Craft
Documents that look designed before you touch anything.