Standard Notes
Encrypted first, everything else second. Now part of Proton.
By Proton · since 2016 · standardnotes.com · Open source
B- · out of 10
Standard Notes encrypts every note before it leaves your device and has done since 2016, long before it was fashionable. Proton acquired it in 2024. The free tier is plain text on every platform; paying adds rich text, spreadsheets, file attachments and long-term version history.
How it scores
Features25% of score
6.4Depth and breadth of what the app can do.
Ease of use20% of score
7.0Speed, polish and how long it takes to feel at home.
AI15% of score
2.2Quality and usefulness of the built-in AI, not just its presence.
Sync & reliability15% of score
8.4How dependably notes move between devices.
Value15% of score
7.4What you get for what you pay.
Platform coverage10% of score
9.4How many places you can actually use it.
Pricing
$8/month · $90/year
Free tier: Unlimited encrypted plain-text notes, synced across unlimited devices.
Paid plans are billed yearly and are now bundled with Proton subscriptions.
Platforms
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- Web
37 tracked features supported
What it does well
- Encryption is the default, not a paid extra
- The free plan is unlimited notes on unlimited devices
- Open source and self-hostable
- Runs on literally every platform
Where it falls short
- Free tier is plain text only, which surprises people
- No AI, and probably never will have any
- Editors feel dated, and no share extension to catch anything on the phone
- Attachments and images need a paid plan
Our take
The most trustworthy notes app here. That trust costs you every convenience feature of the last five years.
Best for: Anyone whose first requirement is that nobody else can read their notes.
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 clipperPartly
- Share extension
- Quick capture
- ImagesPartly
- PDF & documentsPartly
- Document scanning
Organization
How notes are structured, linked and found again.
- Tags
- Folders / notebooks
- Multi-level folders
- Internal links
- BacklinksPartly
- Graph view
- Databases / boards
- Daily notes / journalPartly
- Note templatesPartly
- Saved searchesPartly
- 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 / LaTeXPartly
- TablesPartly
- 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 dataPartly
- Self-hosting
- End-to-end encryption
- Locked notes
- Daily backup
- Import
- Export
- Public APIPartly
- Command line tool
- Remote MCP server
- Plugins / extensionsPartly
Sharing & collaboration
Working with other people inside your notes.
- Share with people
- Real-time collaboration
- Comments
- Public sharing
Experience
The everyday polish around the writing surface.
- Dark mode
- Custom themes
- Multi-language
- Command palettePartly
- Split view
- Focus mode
- Home screen widgets
- Apple Shortcuts
Compare with
All Standard Notes alternatives
Standard Notes vs Grape
Adds: AI agent with tools, AI memory
Standard Notes vs Obsidian
Plain markdown files on your disk, with a plugin ecosystem bolted on top.
Standard Notes vs Apple Notes
Already on your phone, and better than it has any right to be.
Standard Notes vs Craft
Documents that look designed before you touch anything.