Notes
Standard Notes
Standard Notes is a secure note-taking application. It helps you keep more control over your data.
Overview
Standard Notes is a simple, secure note-taking app that focuses on privacy and longevity. All your notes are encrypted on your device before they're synced, which means Standard Notes can't read what you write. The app has a clean, distraction-free interface that's perfect for writing. You can use it on your computer, phone, or tablet, and all your notes automatically sync across all your devices. Standard Notes has both free and paid plans - the free plan gives you basic note-taking, and the paid plan adds extra features like themes and advanced editors. Standard Notes is open source, so you can check the code yourself, and you can even run your own server if you want. It's perfect for people who want a simple, secure place to write notes without all the extra features that make other apps complicated.
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
Similar privacy apps
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Score 86Cryptee is a secure note-taking application. It helps you keep more control over your data.
Google Keep
Score 40Mainstream notes app from Google, tightly integrated with Google accounts and services.
Notesnook
Score 71Privacy-oriented notes app designed to reduce tracking compared to mainstream options.
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