Notes
Standard Notes
Standard Notes offers a privacy-conscious alternative in the notes space, with a stronger focus on data protection than many mainstream tools.
Overview
Standard Notes is an encrypted note-taking application that prioritizes privacy and simplicity. The service uses end-to-end encryption to protect all notes, ensuring that only the user can read their content. Standard Notes offers a clean, distraction-free interface focused on writing, with support for markdown, code blocks, and rich text editing through extensions. The application is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and web browsers, with automatic synchronization across all devices. Standard Notes provides both free and paid plans, with the free plan offering basic note-taking and the paid plan adding features like extensions, themes, and advanced editors. The service is open source (AGPL-3.0) and can be self-hosted. Standard Notes emphasizes longevity and sustainability, with a focus on preserving user data over the long term. The application is particularly useful for users who want a simple, secure note-taking service with strong encryption and privacy protections, without the complexity of more feature-rich alternatives.
Privacy highlight
Encrypted note-taking with mandatory . All notes encrypted on client before sync. and self-hostable. Strong privacy focus.
Quick facts
- Country:
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Pricing:
- Free
- Platform:
- Web, Android, iOS, Desktop
- Technical:
- Beginner
- :
- Yes
- :
- Minimal telemetry
- :
- Yes
- Open-source status:
- Fully open source
- :
- Yes
- :
- Yes
Key features
- Secure note-taking application.
Security & encryption Click to expand
- Yes
- Encryption protocols
- AES-256, ,
- Standard Notes uses for all notes. keys are derived from the user account password on the client side using PBKDF2 key derivation. All notes are encrypted using AES-256 before synchronization. The master key never leaves the user device - all and decryption happens locally. Standard Notes cannot decrypt user content as it does not have access to keys. The service supports optional two-factor and encrypted . Users can export encrypted for additional security.
- Offline support
- Yes
Telemetry & tracking Click to expand
- Minimal telemetry
- No
- Ip no
- Standard Notes collects minimal data for service operation and improvement. The service collects basic usage statistics including app version, platform, and feature usage. Standard Notes does not collect note contents, user passwords, or personal information. data is anonymized and aggregated. Users can disable through settings. The service uses to improve performance and fix bugs. Standard Notes routes through its own infrastructure.
Jurisdiction & compliance Click to expand
- Standard Notes is operated by Standard Notes Inc., which is based in the United States. Encrypted notes are stored on servers in the United States, but all data is encrypted on the client before transmission. The service operates under US privacy laws and complies with GDPR for European users.
- Standard Notes retains encrypted note data on its servers for cloud sync functionality. The service retains account information (email, subscription status) for account management. Standard Notes does not retain unencrypted note data - all data is encrypted on the client before transmission. The service retains logs for security and debugging purposes for a limited period. Users can delete their accounts and all associated data at any time. Deleted accounts and data are permanently removed from Standard Notes servers. Self-hosted instances have complete control over .
- Legal frameworks
- GDPR, CCPA
- Revenue sources
- Subscription, Freemium
Editorial signals Click to expand
- 89
- Trust score
- 90
- Trust breakdown (0–10)
- Encryption: 95, Audits: 85, Open source: 90, Telemetry: 85, Jurisdiction: 70, Transparency: 85, Trackers: 95
- Editorial notes
- Usability: 85, Performance: 85, Family friendly: 90
User experience Click to expand
- Signup requirements
- Onboarding difficulty (1-5)
- 1
- Accessibility features
- Web-based interface with keyboard navigation and screen reader support
Backup & portability Click to expand
- Yes
- Migration tools
- Export notes, Import from other services
- Account recovery, Note version history
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