Why switch from Standard Notes?

Usually one of three reasons: the free plan is plain text only and the rich editors cost $90 a year; everything sits behind an account, which some people would rather avoid; or the interface feels dated next to newer apps. Standard Notes remains an excellent, well-audited choice if none of those bother you.

What is the best free Standard Notes alternative?

Notesnook, if you want the same encrypted-by-default model with a rich editor for free. Obsidian and Joplin are free and keep notes in files you control. Dash is free on iPhone and the web, with a one-time $14.99 purchase for the Mac app.

Which alternatives are end-to-end encrypted?

Notesnook, Anytype and Cryptee encrypt everything by default. Joplin and Obsidian encrypt their sync end to end but keep files in the clear on your disk. Dash locks the notes you choose with AES-256 on the device and encrypts sync end to end.

Can I import my Standard Notes notes?

Export a decrypted backup from Standard Notes; it produces plain text and JSON. Obsidian and Joplin read plain text or Markdown directly, Notesnook imports from other apps through its app, and Dash accepts pasted text while you keep the backup as an archive.

Is Standard Notes still free?

Yes. Unlimited encrypted plain-text notes on every platform cost nothing. The Productivity plan at $90 a year and the Professional plan at $120 a year add rich editors, revision history and file storage. Standard Notes has been part of Proton since April 2024.

Dash Notes

Free on iPhone

Alternatives

Standard Notes Alternatives

Six encrypted or local-first apps for people who want rich text without the yearly plan, or notes without an account at all.

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Updated September 2026 · Dash team

Standard Notes is one of the most trustworthy notes apps there is: end-to-end encrypted since 2016, audited, open source, and now backed by Proton. People look for a Standard Notes alternative for a narrow set of reasons. The free editor is plain text and the rich ones cost $90 a year; everything lives behind an account; and the app looks its age. None of those is about security.

The six apps below each fix one of them without giving the security back. We build Dash, so it is listed first and judged by the same rules as the rest.

Six Standard Notes alternatives

01
Dash
Our app
A rich editor with no account: notes stay on your Mac or iPhone, any note can be locked with AES-256, and the Mac app is bought once. Sync is optional and end-to-end encrypted.
Best for
Encryption without an account or a yearly plan
Price
$14.99 once on Mac; free on iPhone and the web
Privacy
Offline by default; locked notes AES-256-GCM; sync end-to-end encrypted
- No account, nothing uploaded by default
- Rich editor, [[links]], tags, attachments, local AI
- Duress password, self-destructing notes, app lock; MIT licensed
- Encryption is per note you lock, not everything automatically
- No Windows or Linux app
- Sync is a subscription
02
Notesnook
The closest like-for-like replacement: encrypted by default behind an account, with a rich editor on the free plan and cheaper paid tiers than Standard Notes.
Best for
Standard Notes’ model with a better free tier
Price
Free; Essential $19.99 a year; Pro $69.99 a year
Privacy
End-to-end encrypted by default (XChaCha20-Poly1305, Argon2)
- Rich text without paying
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and web
- GPL-3.0 client and server
- Account required
- Free tier limits attachments to 50 MB a month
- Younger project
03
Joplin
Markdown notes and notebooks with end-to-end encrypted sync to the storage of your choice. Free, open source and everywhere.
Best for
Bringing your own storage
Price
Free; Joplin Cloud from €2.99 a month
Privacy
End-to-end encryption for sync, switched on by you
- Sync to Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV or Joplin Cloud
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
- AGPL-3.0, huge plugin ecosystem
- Encryption is opt-in
- Utilitarian interface
- No lock on individual notes
04
Obsidian
Plain Markdown files on your disk with a rich, extensible editor. Free for personal use; the end-to-end encrypted sync is the paid part.
Best for
Notes as files you own outright
Price
Free for personal use; Obsidian Sync $4 a month billed yearly
Privacy
Files stay local; Sync is end-to-end encrypted; no built-in note lock
- Plain files, no lock-in
- Backlinks, graph, thousands of plugins
- End-to-end encrypted sync
- No encryption at rest without plugins or full-disk encryption
- Set-up before you write
- Closed source app
05
Anytype
A local-first, end-to-end encrypted workspace with objects, relations and shared spaces. Source-available rather than open source, with a generous free tier.
Best for
A Notion-like workspace that stays encrypted
Price
Explorer free (1 GB network space); Builder $99 a year; Co-Creator $299 for three years
Privacy
Local-first with end-to-end encrypted peer-to-peer sync
- Encrypted collaboration, not just encrypted notes
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
- Free tier covers most personal use
- Its own source-available licence, not an OSI licence
- Heavier than a notes app
- Sync depends on Anytype’s network for the free space
06
Cryptee
An end-to-end encrypted document and photo vault from Estonia with a Markdown editor, ghost folders and a web-first design.
Best for
Encrypted documents and photos in one place
Price
Free up to 100 MB; paid plans from €3 a month for 10 GB
Privacy
End-to-end encrypted (AES-256), metadata included; based in Estonia
- Documents, files and photos under one encrypted roof
- Ghost folders that only open by name
- Web app runs anywhere
- Web-first; no native Mac app
- Only the web client is open source
- Storage-based pricing

Encrypted notes with no account to make. Dash is $14.99 once on Mac, free on iPhone.

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Why people leave Standard Notes

Plain text on the free plan. Headings, lists, tables and images need Productivity at $90 a year, which is more than most notes apps charge for everything.
An account at the centre. The encryption is real, but every note still passes through a service under a login, and some people would rather have neither.
The interface. Deliberately plain, which reads as dated next to Notesnook or Bear.

What to keep and what to fix

Keep encryption as the floor: whatever you move to should be end-to-end encrypted, or should keep notes on your device so there is nothing to encrypt in transit. Keep the open code, so the claim can be checked. Then fix the thing that made you look: Notesnook if it was the free editor, Dash if it was the account, Obsidian or Joplin if you want files you can open with anything.

Moving your notes out of Standard Notes

Export a decrypted backup from Standard Notes. You get plain text files and a JSON archive.
Import where it is supported. Obsidian opens a folder of text files as a vault. Joplin imports Markdown. Notesnook imports from other apps inside the app; check its help pages for the current list.
Or start fresh. In Dash, paste the notes you use and keep the backup as an archive, ideally inside an encrypted .dashpack export on a drive you control.

Pay once for the app. Sync is the only subscription.

No plan needed to take notes. Ever.

Dash for iPhone

Freeon the App Store

Same encryption, Face ID
Works fully offline
No account to make

Download

Dash Sync (optional)

$4.99/ month, or $47.99 / year

Mac, iPhone, iPad and web in step
Encrypted on your device first
7-day free trial, cancel any time

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Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Standard Notes vs NotesnookThe two encrypted-by-default apps side by side, with Dash as the third option.Open source note taking appsSix apps whose code you can read, compared on licence and encryption.Encrypted notes appHow Dash encrypts a note on the device.

Rich text, real encryption, no account.

$14.99 once on Mac. Free on iPhone.

Get Dash for Mac App Store