Standard Notes review
A security-first note app with broad note types, offline editing, and no real-time collaboration.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Standard Notes is an end-to-end encrypted note-taking app for individuals who prioritize private storage across devices. Its free Standard plan covers plain-text notes, unlimited device sync, offline access, tags, and two-factor authentication. Notes can also be exported, imported, pinned, archived, moved to trash, recovered, or protected with an individual password. Applications are available on the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, making it suitable for people who want the same private note system across desktop and mobile.
The pricing structure separates basic private notes from broader writing and file features. Standard costs $0 per year and includes plain text. Productivity costs $90 per user per year with Markdown and rich text, checklists, code snippets, spreadsheets, folders, the Web Clipper, and one-year note revision history. Professional costs $120 per user per year and adds 100GB of encrypted cloud storage, offline file access, no file-size limit, maximum note revision history, and subscription sharing with up to five accounts. The free tier is useful for straightforward encrypted notes, while paid plans suit users who need varied formats, organization, revision history, or encrypted files.
Standard Notes has a broad feature set for personal note management, including nested folders, tags, offline editing, data export, and public sharing through Listed links. It is less suited to teams that need live co-authoring because real-time collaboration is not provided. The former Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive backup feature is also no longer available, and public note links through Listed are scheduled to shut down on December 31, 2026. Choose Standard Notes for encrypted, cross-platform personal notes; choose an alternative if collaboration or third-party drive backup is central to your workflow.
Standard Notes pros and cons
- Where it wins
- End-to-end encryption, two-factor authentication, and note-level password protection
- Offline editing across web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android
- Supports plain text, Markdown, rich text, checklists, code, and spreadsheets
- Where it doesn't
- Paid plans start at $90 per user annually
- No real-time collaboration
- Former Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive backup is unavailable
Standard Notes fact sheet, pricing and score →
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