The Best Standard Notes Alternative for Every Need

Standard Notes is a popular choice for many seeking a simple and private notes app. However, users often look for alternatives due to specific feature requirements, platform preferences, or a desire for different pricing models. Whether you're on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, or prefer web-based solutions, there's a perfect note-taking app out there for you. This comprehensive guide explores the top alternatives to Standard Notes, helping you find the ideal fit for your note-taking habits.

Top Standard Notes Alternatives

Finding the perfect note-taking app can be a challenge with so many options available. We've compiled a list of the best Standard Notes alternatives, ranging from free and open-source solutions to feature-rich commercial applications, ensuring there's something for everyone.

Google Keep

Google Keep is a free, versatile note-taking service seamlessly integrated with the Google ecosystem, making it a strong Standard Notes alternative for users already invested in Google's services. Available across Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, Chrome OS, and more, it allows users to quickly capture notes, voice memos, and photos, all instantly synced across devices. Key features include sharing notes, offline functionality, visual organization, and location-based reminders, offering a more feature-rich experience than Standard Notes' simplicity.

Evernote

Evernote is a powerful freemium cross-platform app designed for comprehensive note taking, organizing, and archiving, serving as a robust Standard Notes alternative for those needing advanced features. It's available on Mac, Windows, Web, Android, iPhone, and more. Evernote allows users to create notes in various formats, including formatted text, webpages, photographs, and voice memos, with support for file attachments. Notable features include cloud sync, rich text formatting, OCR, cross-platform compatibility, Markdown support, and robust organization with tags and notebooks, making it ideal for power users.

NoteLedge

NoteLedge is a commercial digital notepad providing a comprehensive workspace for collecting information from multiple sources, making it an excellent Standard Notes alternative for creative and research-focused users. Available on Mac, Windows, Android, and iPhone, it excels in organizing notes, annotations, and excerpts from PDFs and web pages. Its powerful multimedia and creative tools, including audio recording, drag-and-drop functionality, handwriting support, and video import, allow for the creation of interactive notes and presentations directly from your device.

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote, part of the Microsoft Office Suite, is a freemium digital notebook application that provides a centralized space for notes and information, making it a strong Standard Notes alternative for those in the Microsoft ecosystem. Available on Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone, and more, it offers shared notebooks, syncing across devices via Windows Live, and optical character recognition (OCR). Features like hierarchical structure, visual organization, handwritten notes, web clipper, and extensive text formatting make it a versatile tool for various note-taking needs.

Simplenote

Simplenote, created by the company behind WordPress, is a free and open-source application renowned for its ease of use in managing notes, lists, and ideas, making it a direct and minimalistic Standard Notes alternative. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, and iPhone, it offers seamless synchronization across all devices without manual saving. Key features include cloud sync, Markdown support, tag-based searching, password protection, and file versioning, all within a clean, fast, and minimalistic interface focused on pure text note-taking.

Joplin

Joplin is a free and open-source note-taking and to-do application that stands out as a powerful Standard Notes alternative, particularly for users prioritizing privacy and data control. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iPhone, it supports a large number of notes organized into notebooks, all in Markdown format. Key features include end-to-end encryption, cloud sync (Dropbox, Nextcloud, WebDAV), Markdown support, a web clipper, and the ability to import notes from Evernote, offering a robust and secure note-taking experience with cross-platform synchronization.

Zim

Zim is a free and open-source desktop wiki application that brings the concept of a wiki to your local machine, offering a unique Standard Notes alternative for highly structured information management. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and BSD, it allows users to store information, link pages, and edit with WYSIWYG markup or lightweight syntax. Features include a wiki-like interface, HTML and LaTeX export, file versioning, offline functionality, and integration with Git, making it ideal for personal knowledge bases and documentation.

CherryTree

CherryTree is a free and open-source hierarchical note-taking application that serves as a highly organized Standard Notes alternative, storing data in a single XML or SQLite file. Available on Windows, Linux, and PortableApps.com, it features rich text editing, syntax highlighting for code, and an infinite hierarchical depth, allowing for complex note structures. Key features include encryption, Markdown support, export to HTML and PDF, integrated search, and internal linking, making it suitable for managing large volumes of structured information.

Turtl

Turtl is a freemium and open-source application focused on organizing and securing various types of data, making it a privacy-conscious Standard Notes alternative. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and supports Self-Hosted options, it uses high-end cryptography to protect your data with end-to-end encryption. Features include encrypted notes, Markdown support, client-side encryption, cloud sync, file sharing, and list management, ensuring that only you and chosen individuals can access your information.

CryptPad

CryptPad is a freemium and open-source suite of zero-knowledge, real-time collaborative editors and applications, serving as a privacy-by-design Standard Notes alternative for those needing secure shared workspaces. Available as Self-Hosted or Software as a Service (SaaS), all content stored on CryptPad is encrypted in your web browser before being sent, meaning no one, not even the server, can access your data without the keys. Features include collaborative writing, end-to-end encryption, Markdown support, direct file uploading, and no registration required for quick secure use.

Ultimately, the best Standard Notes alternative for you will depend on your specific needs, whether that's enhanced privacy, cross-platform availability, advanced organization features, or a simple, minimalist interface. Explore these options to find the perfect note-taking solution that aligns with your workflow and preferences.