Standard Notes
End-to-end encrypted notes
How much does Standard Notes cost?
Prices are current as of 30 Sept 2026.
1 subscription from $119.99
In the United States, Standard Notes has 1 subscription priced $119.99. It comes with a 7 days free trial.
| Subscription | Period | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Plan | AnnualTrial: 7 days | $119.99 |
10+ alternatives to Standard Notes
| Standard Notes |   Secure Notepad |   Proton Pass - Password Manager |   Simplenote |   UpNote - notes, diary, journal |   Proton Calendar: Secure Events |   Proton Drive: Cloud Storage |   Cryptomator: Protect Privacy |   Notesnook: Private notepad |   Lumo AI by Proton |   Anytype - The Everything App | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating / 5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Reviews | 8.2K | 25K | 22K | 15K | 5.3K | 4.3K | 4.1K | 2.2K | 2.1K | 1.7K | 1.3K |
| Released | 2017 | 2013 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2022 | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 | 2025 | 2023 |
| Monthly price | — | — | — | — | $1.99 | — | $9.99 | — | $4.49 | $12.99 | $9.99 |
| Annual price | $119.99 | — | $35.90 | — | — | — | $95.99 | $9.99 | $49.99 | $119.99 | $119.00 |
The going rate for each plan in United States, in its own currency, shaded from the cheapest price on the row to the dearest. Plans fewer than four in ten of the priced apps sell are left out.
Standard Notes reviews
4.7 out of 5, based on 8,191 reviews.
What people like
- End-to-end encryption keeps data private
- Syncs smoothly across different devices
- Simple interface gets out of your way
- Works well on Linux and Windows
- Password protection adds extra security layers
What they complain about
- Annual price is way too high
- Text size is too small to read
- Keyboard covers your notes while typing
- App crashes or freezes on startup
- Free version lacks basic formatting options
Standard Notes app
Great end to end encrypted notes great way to keep your notes and to see the time and date when you have a note for future references.
No undo?!?!?
It’s absolutely bonkers that this app doesn’t have an undo button. I just accidentally deleted a bunch of text from a note, and there’s no way to undo that. I’ll be switching to an app with that basic feature!
pretty good
I’ve been using this for years and there are definitely positives. But… I wish so much for keyboard shortcuts to move between notes and lists and tags. (I’m on OSX and iPhone using either the standalone app or web app in Safari, depending on which one is working at the moment). Positives: semi-securely syncs across devices, ability to tag and organize, robust default note types, but support for independent modules, searchable notes (but not available _inside_ some independent note types. I’m looking at you Markdown Alternative) Issues: security (some temporary files can be found in ~/Library/Containers/com.standardnotes.standardnotes/Data are plain text notes!), feature bloat (the unfortunate cost of success), non-adjustable tiny font size (specifically OSX standalone), and inability to export a proper markdown file from their officially supported note type. Overall still worthwhile, but cleaner apps are starting to flood the stage… which is frustrating since I just want to keep using StandardNotes.
Can't type/edit long notes / Inadvertent logouts
UPDATE: Removing another star. Keyboard still blocks editing. Since last updates, I'm now also logged out , inadvertently, way too often -- in the midst of trying to edit notes. This is becoming untenable. Update: The last update, again, broke the ability to scroll when composing/editing a note, making it impossible to see the part of the note covered by the keyboard. I’m now removing 2 stars, as this bug severely impacts functionality. PREVIOUSLY: Love this app! I recently subscribed in order to easily share end-to-end encrypted data between devices. Sharing works great, but until recently, it was difficult to compose/edit because the keyboard covered the bottom of the note on Apple devices and scrolling to bring it into view wasn't possible. (This limited utility, although it was still worth it to me for the amazing security in synching short notes.) Now, the problem has been FIXED, with a recent update!! I had also been unable to log in with my iPhone and had been limping along, only able to sync with my iPad and laptop. (That has been corrected now, too!!) THANK YOU, devs!
I liked StandardNotes
Did everything I needed it to do, but support seems to have gone downhill since Proton bought them up. Can’t get them to respond to an account issue that is making templates read-only.
Very good vs Joplin
Because Gboard is completely unusable in joplin, now.
Can you share and co-edit in it?
I don’t know if you can. I wish it had it. And if it has it, I wish the user interface was more intuitive to where I could find it easily.
Great app! Missing rich text though.
I’m really happy with this app. My one gripe is that you need to upgrade to get rich text formatting. Subscriptions to upgrade are a bit pricey for someone who only really has about five notes at a given time. I tend to make a lot of lists and checklists, so rich text or markdown would make a big difference.
A Bit Overpriced… 💰
The free version of the 'Standard Notes' app is relatively useless—it offers absolutely no formatting options. In order to utilise rich text formatting, the user must pay a prohibitively expensive yearly subscription fee.
Slow in lockdown mode
Takes a looong time to load on start. More than 10 seconds on wifi. Turning off lockdown mode helped, but that's a security risk.
Exactly how a note taking app should be.
It gets out of my way and lets me take notes on a secure and simple environment. Everything feels like it has a purpose and meaning behind its inclusion. Doesn’t try and bait you with grandiose productivity claims. Simple and secure and just lets me take notes. That’s it and that’s all I need.
Terrible Price.
Will never pay for this and honestly am just astounded by the price. $119 a year! For notes… let that sink in. Completely insane and out of touch pricing by the developer. It’s NOTES. For a basic writing app that isn’t even flashy and could use quite a modern design update compared to other apps.
Hard to do text search
Seems secure but it’s hard to do a text search to find previous entries.
Doesn’t work on the iPhone 15
Works on old iPhone SE, Mac, Linux, but can’t get passed the login screen on an iPhone 15.
Buggy
Paid for 5 years, app is buggy on iOS. Unable to use “Super Note” from phone as curser gets stuck first position it is placed (web is ok for this). Only plain text notes can be used Reported bug over 2 months ago, support responded but no updates since then and no follow ups.
Great app but not after update - search no longer works
So glad I found this app. Secure and notes accessible on all devices. I cloud lost my notes in two devices.
Can’t login
Can’t login into existing account. It just freezes and my screen goes black.
consider supporting Simplified Chinese
Your interface already supports dozens of languages. Why not consider supporting Simplified Chinese?
Insane Pricing
It’s a good app, but $120 a year for a notes app is bonkers. That’s way, way above market compared to other similar apps. They don’t give you any kind of a deal for being a Proton subscriber either.
So much potential
As a Proton user, I’d love to love Standard Notes but two things make it unusable. First is the cost. On top of the Proton suite I buy, the paid version feels like price gauging. The second is the UI on iPhone. It’s clunky but more importantly, font sizes can’t be increased - a total accessibility fail. Come on Proton, surely you can do better than this.
Free version is cool
One of the best-made, most cross-platform compatible apps for secure info that exists in 2026–and it’s free. Yes I wrote this in my own words and it’s my own opinion. Makes me want to get the paid version just to support them
Couldn’t even sign up
Explain this
Great App, Needs Finishing Touches
This app is fantastic. My constructive criticism is that it needs a Reminders capacity that creates reminders directly from notes, so users don’t need to use another app for their reminders. This is an unnecessary gigantic defect which will needlessly shed would-be users. I’d also like to see manual sorting of notes (and reminders), a tag list that is alphabetized when assigning tags to notes, and smart folders that can be created (as on Apple Notes) with one or more tags as folder conditions, instead of having to engage in manually coding folders. Last issue I’ve noticed is that uploading files exceeding a certain size is often short-circuited. Nevertheless, still a great app, which I highly recommend.
Only Yearly Payment Options?
I’ve been a paid supporter of this app ever since it first came out and today 2/24/26 I see that my subscription was cancelled and now forced into a yearly payment option. This, I cannot do. I have also been (and still am) a paid supporter of Proton in which I pay monthly, but not Standard Notes?
Solid but one annoyance
I really dislike how, when writing a note on mobile, the writing eventually gets obscured by the hide keyboard icon. It goes away for two lines when the focus shifts upwards, then comes back. Happens over and over and drives me nuts
Apple notes but not tied to apple
Much easier to keep in sync with non apple devices
Text in UI too small to even get started
Impossible to even test because the text in the interface is microscopic.
Doesn’t work with Lockdown Mode
The functionality gets better all the time and it’s one of the only note apps that offers end-to-end encryption. I have to ding it one star though, because you can’t log in with Lockdown Mode enabled. As a security-oriented app this is a little frustrating, because you’ll have to disable Lockdown Mode, then log in, then enable it again. Otherwise great.
good for privacy, terrible for editing
I’d love to leave a positive review, but the app just isn’t good enough. I’ve decided to leave this feedback in the hope that the developers will improve its editing capabilities. You can’t even select and copy text , neither in the desktop app nor in the phone version. It’s frustrating, especially since I paid for a yearly subscription when there are other privacy-focused alternatives that actually work (at least for basic copy-and-paste , am I asking too much?).
Buggy
Extremely buggy and won’t sign in on iOS. No issues on other platforms.
Unable to write notes
Unable to write anything
Can't handwrite notes?
It forces OCR transcription of all notes. I'd prefer to just record notes as i write/draw them. This is a solution in search of a problem. Why is it impossible nowadays to find a simple app without 100 clunky 'smart' features?
Markdown support would earn that last star
Markdown support would earn that last star
Free plan is crippled
It’s a great app and the security is fantastic but I can’t afford to pay $90 a year for a note taking app when OneNote is free. I don’t mind the many other restrictions but not allowing bold, italic or underline in the free tier is a bit mean.
Pretty good! Interface needs improving
Good app! But- the only things that really stop it from being perfect in my opinion are A. Adding hyperlinks into the free plan as it’s probably not too server intensive it could be done on device and B. Making a more modern UI experience - the sync is a great feature
My Favorite Notes App
I know the free version of this app is pretty bare bones, but that’s exactly what I love about it. Having fewer formatting options means I spend more time writing. Also love the modern style UI. Only issue is that dark mode makes it nearly impossible to see the time, WiFi status etc.
Lost data
Suddenly all my data was deleted. No notice , no reason !
Better than other note taking apps
Covers all my use cases and is less in the way than other note taking apps. Can be a bit fiddly to set up self-hosting (that may just be my inability) but dev team are quick to respond and help with all issues.
Inaccessible
I really want to like Standard Notes as it is one of the few apps one can use for journalling where all your personal information isn’t harvested by the developer. Regrettably, getting on in years, I need to be able to actually see the text in an application and I can't do this with Standard Notes, where even the largest text setting is unreadable and, in any event, does not appear to affect the text size in the settings pages.
How to break your app and lose users?
Every time I try to open the app I get a login box to every detail. Trouble is the box is hidden but the keyboard so you can’t see what is going on and when you try and input the password field it defaults to email input field - feels hacked. I’m off!
Best end-to-end encrypted notes app!
This app syncs in real-time and keeps all my notes secure and ready when I need them! At first, I left the app because of the plain text only format on the free version, but I made peace with it. I also like the tagging feature, it helps keeps all my notes organized. I also like how you can password-protect both individual notes and the whole app! I’ve had a much better experience with Standard Notes than my previous E2EE notes app!
App doesn’t work
The app freezes and crashes a few seconds after opening every time. Have tried reopening and reinstalling.
Wonderful Notes App
Love using this app, especially across all of my apple devices. My only challenge using is highlighting text on my iPhone can be troublesome to select some but not all of text. Love the privacy side of it. I’m yet to use many of the features.
Fails its own philosophy
I was an early adopter of Standard Notes, previously having the 5 year plan. Their original selling point - besides encryption - was the longevity of plain text, but unfortunately they’ve continually changed, broken and removed features such that it would’ve been better not to use Standard Notes at all. Some old notes are a mess because they removed the editors that those notes were written with. Some add-ons are completely broken. Todo files are still functional but a terrible interface on mobile due to tiny text. They’re now pushing Super Notes, against their own philosophy, and have raised the price almost exponentially. On top of all this I can’t see an easy way to get my notes out in plain text, more than one at a time. I still love the encryption, but the rest is a mess.
Prefer Old UI
It's been a few months of the new updated UI. Initially, the change was drastic and had its unintuitive downsides - don't change what isn't broken. After a while now of continuing to use the app, I feel like, yes, the newer UI is worse than the old one. When opening the app, you are prompted to scan your fingerprint (I still have a home button), which is great and should be kept, and was on the previous version, but when asked to input the passcode, it pulls up the QWERTY keyboard. On the previous version, it would pull up the numpad. I much prefer the numpad. It is faster and less tedious than the keyboard. Moreover, when finished entering the passcode, the keyboard pops up again as it's generating keys. This is annoying. At this stage, I don't need to use the keyboard so it shouldn't be popping up.. Standard Notes has themes now (or has made you more aware of them). Every time I open the app, it has a box pop up at the bottom of the screen telling me it's applying the theme with a countdown. I applied the dark mode theme when this version came out, not changing it at all. It says its applying my system's theme. I never had this incessant issue in the other version. My system's theme is dark, too. No matter if i have the default or dark theme on, that pop up is there... It makes scrolling down annoying... What I loved about the previous version is that when you were making a note or editing one, you could swipe left and tag it. Now you have to tap the ellipsis and find in the drop down menu "Add Tag", which takes you to another menu to pick your tag. When picking a tag, it is less obvious if you've tagged it or not as the font simply going from normal to bold instead of being highlighted is a more subtle visual indicator. Honestly, i felt like the previous UI was more simple, intuitive, and obvious. It was simple to load up and navigate. It was intuitive as in it knew the best way to navigate you. It was obvious in the way that it responded to your note taking decisions. If i tag something, make it obvious. If I'm logging in, make it easy. This version feels clunky and cluttered. It doesn't make me feel good to get constant updates and nothing to address any issues I have, especially with the log in stage, hence why I made a review. I really like this app, I use it alongside Apple's default notes app, but I wish it could get back to being easier to even open...
Best iOS notes app
Standard Notes is the best note-taking app I’ve used on iOS. Easy 5-star recommendation! The interface is elegant, simple, and very easy to use. Everything feels clean and thoughtfully designed without unnecessary clutter. Syncing across devices has been flawless. Whether I’m on my phone or computer, my notes are always up to date. End-to-end encryption is built in, so my notes stay private by default. That level of security is rare in note apps and gives me real peace of mind.
Leaked
Leaked
UPDATE: Great App, needs middle-ground pricing.
UPDATE: 11 Aug 23: Originally 3 Star - NOW 4 Star: It’s only fair to give this brilliant app 4 Stars. I cannot give it 5 yet because the pricing must have a middle ground. If the people behind the app can find a ‘far more’ affordable way for folk to use it, I feel this could be a Content Creator/Influencers Dream App Stack Hero! There you go, Mr/Mrs/Ms Developer; I cannot say fairer than that. Great app. Does the stuff you want to do with a notes app very well. It has good features and great utility. Who on earth thought up the disgusting subscription price? Please, take the opportunity to tell us all; how is this worth £119.00? Really, tell us all on here how you work this out? In contrast, you can get MS Office 365 for a year with everything that offers for HALF the price!
Loved this app until they changed the UI. Now it’s unusable
Loved this app until they changed the UI. Now it’s unusable
Tp
Shame the text is so small.
Standard Notes price by country
An annual subscription costs $45.06 in Nigeria and $212.04 in Colombia — 5× more for the same thing. Below is the going rate for each plan in every country that sells it — the middle price of what the app charges there, in the country's own currency with the dollar equivalent beneath it.
| Country | Annual |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | $119.99 |
| Albania | $149.99 |
| Algeria | $119.99 |
| Angola | $119.99 |
| Anguilla | $119.99 |
| Antigua And Barbuda | $119.99 |
| Argentina | $119.99 |
| Armenia | $149.99 |
| Australia | A$199.99$139.85 |
| Austria | €129.99$147.88 |
| Azerbaijan | $119.99 |
| Bahamas | $129.99 |
| Bahrain | $129.99 |
| Barbados | $149.99 |
| Belarus | $149.99 |
| Belgium | €129.99$147.88 |
| Belize | $119.99 |
| Benin | $119.99 |
| Bermuda | $119.99 |
| Bhutan | $119.99 |
| Bolivia | $119.99 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | €129.99$147.88 |
| Botswana | $119.99 |
| Brazil | R$599.90$115.81 |
| British Virgin Islands | $119.99 |
| Brunei Darussalam | $119.99 |
| Bulgaria | €149.99$170.64 |
| Burkina Faso | $119.99 |
| Cambodia | $129.99 |
| Cameroon | $149.99 |
| Canada | CA$149.99$105.63 |
| Cape Verde | $119.99 |
| Cayman Islands | $119.99 |
| Chad | $119.99 |
| Chile | CLP 129,990$135.19 |
| China | CN¥998.00$148.51 |
| Colombia | COP 699,900$212.04 |
| Congo | $119.99 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic | $119.99 |
| Costa Rica | $119.99 |
| Cote Divoire | $119.99 |
| Croatia | €129.99$147.88 |
| Cyprus | €129.99$147.88 |
| Czech Republic | CZK 3,490.00$162.70 |
| Denmark | DKK 999.00$154.88 |
| Dominica | $119.99 |
| Dominican Republic | $119.99 |
| Ecuador | $119.99 |
| Egypt | EGP 2,999.99$57.61 |
| El Salvador | $119.99 |
| Estonia | €129.99$147.88 |
| Fiji | $119.99 |
| Finland | €129.99$147.88 |
| France | €129.99$147.88 |
| Gabon | $119.99 |
| Gambia | $119.99 |
| Georgia | $149.99 |
| Germany | €129.99$147.88 |
| Ghana | $149.99 |
| Greece | €129.99$147.88 |
| Grenada | $119.99 |
| Guatemala | $119.99 |
| Guinea-bissau | $119.99 |
| Guyana | $119.99 |
| Honduras | $119.99 |
| Hong Kong | HK$888.00$113.27 |
| Hungary | HUF 59,990$185.87 |
| Iceland | $149.99 |
| India | ₹12,900.00$135.50 |
| Indonesia | IDR 1,999,000$111.15 |
| Iraq | $119.99 |
| Ireland | €129.99$147.88 |
| Israel | ₪399.90$133.75 |
| Italy | €129.99$150.98 |
| Jamaica | $119.99 |
| Japan | ¥20,000$127.13 |
| Jordan | $119.99 |
| Kazakhstan | KZT 59,990.00$136.14 |
| Kenya | $149.99 |
| Kosovo | €129.99$147.88 |
| Kuwait | $119.99 |
| Kyrgyzstan | $129.99 |
| Lao Peoples Democratic Republic | $119.99 |
| Latvia | €129.99$147.88 |
| Lebanon | $119.99 |
| Liberia | $119.99 |
| Libya | $119.99 |
| Lithuania | €129.99$147.88 |
| Luxembourg | €129.99$147.88 |
| Macao | $119.99 |
| Macedonia | $119.99 |
| Madagascar | $119.99 |
| Malawi | $119.99 |
| Malaysia | MYR 599.90$147.03 |
| Maldives | $119.99 |
| Mali | $119.99 |
| Malta | €129.99$147.88 |
| Mauritania | $119.99 |
| Mauritius | $119.99 |
| Mexico | MX$2,499.00$139.61 |
| Micronesia | $119.99 |
| Moldova | $149.99 |
| Mongolia | $119.99 |
| Montenegro | €129.99$147.88 |
| Montserrat | $119.99 |
| Morocco | $119.99 |
| Mozambique | $119.99 |
| Myanmar | $119.99 |
| Namibia | $119.99 |
| Nauru | $119.99 |
| Nepal | $119.99 |
| Netherlands | €129.99$147.88 |
| New Zealand | NZ$199.99$112.99 |
| Nicaragua | $119.99 |
| Niger | $119.99 |
| Nigeria | NGN 59,900.00$45.06 |
| Norway | NOK 1,490.00$156.35 |
| Oman | $119.99 |
| Pakistan | PKR 29,900$107.96 |
| Palau | $119.99 |
| Panama | $119.99 |
| Papua New Guinea | $119.99 |
| Paraguay | $119.99 |
| Peru | PEN 499.90$146.17 |
| Philippines | ₱6,990.00$111.41 |
| Poland | PLN 699.99$182.29 |
| Portugal | €129.99$147.88 |
| Qatar | QAR 399.99$109.89 |
| Romania | RON 699.99$150.86 |
| Russia | RUB 9,990.00$118.41 |
| Rwanda | $119.99 |
| Sao Tome & Principe | $119.99 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 499.99$133.33 |
| Senegal | $119.99 |
| Serbia | €129.99$147.88 |
| Seychelles | $119.99 |
| Sierra Leone | $119.99 |
| Singapore | SGD 179.98$141.72 |
| Slovakia | €129.99$147.88 |
| Slovenia | €129.99$150.98 |
| Solomon Islands | $119.99 |
| South Africa | ZAR 2,499.99$152.35 |
| South Korea | ₩179,000$131.72 |
| Spain | €129.99$147.88 |
| Sri Lanka | $119.99 |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | $119.99 |
| St. Lucia | $119.99 |
| St. Vincent & The Grenadines | $119.99 |
| Suriname | $119.99 |
| Swaziland | $119.99 |
| Sweden | SEK 1,495.00$150.10 |
| Switzerland | CHF 120.00$144.23 |
| Taiwan | NT$3,990.00$125.43 |
| Tajikistan | $149.99 |
| Tanzania | TZS 299,900.00$113.31 |
| Thailand | THB 4,990.00$148.56 |
| Tonga | $119.99 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | $119.99 |
| Tunisia | $119.99 |
| Turkey | TRY 2,999.99$62.14 |
| Turkmenistan | $119.99 |
| Turks and Caicos | $119.99 |
| Uganda | $149.99 |
| Ukraine | $149.99 |
| United Arab Emirates | AED 499.99$136.24 |
| United Kingdom | £119.99$162.59 |
| United States | $119.99 |
| Uruguay | $119.99 |
| Uzbekistan | $149.99 |
| Vanuatu | $119.99 |
| Venezuela | $119.99 |
| Vietnam | ₫3,499,000$135.01 |
| Yemen | $119.99 |
| Zambia | $119.99 |
| Zimbabwe | $149.99 |
Standard Notes FAQ
- Is Standard Notes free?
- Yes. The app and its basic features are free, in all 175 countries it sells in. Premium features are paid: they start from $119.99 (US), across 1 subscription.
- Does Standard Notes have a free trial?
- Yes — a 7 days free trial (US).
- Where is Standard Notes cheapest?
- An annual subscription costs NGN 59,900.00 (≈$45.06) in Nigeria and COP 699,900 (≈$212.04) in Colombia, its cheapest and dearest countries.
- What are the best alternatives to Standard Notes?
- Secure Notepad (4.7 from 25,448 reviews, premium from $9.99), Proton Pass - Password Manager (4.8 from 22,400 reviews, premium from $35.90) and Simplenote (4.7 from 15,453 reviews).
Standard Notes download
Last updated 7 days ago.
Standard Notes sells in 175 countries. It was released 8 years and 11 months ago, on 13 Oct 2017. It holds a 4.7 rating from 8,191 reviews.
Supports 1 language: English.
How much does Standard Notes make?
Third-party estimates for the last 30 days, worldwide — not the store's own figures, which Apple publishes for nobody.
Revenue by plan
- Annual 100%
Revenue by country
- United States 56%
- Canada 5%
- Germany 5%
- United Kingdom 5%