Lockbook vs Standard Notes
We give Lockbook and Standard Notes the same GPA: 3.2 out of 4.0. Lockbook grades higher on value for money. Standard Notes grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lockbook
Open-source encrypted notes app with Markdown and drawing
Standard Notes
End-to-end encrypted notes app with open source clients
How we grade them
| 3.2GPALockbookVery good | 3.2GPAStandard NotesVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium is $2.99 a month for 30 GB, which is the cheap end of notes apps here. It's the only paid plan and it has the same features as Free, so you're only ever paying for space. You buy it inside the app. | CProductivity is $90 a year, about $7.50 a month where this category typically starts at $5.99, and only yearly prices are listed. That buys Markdown, rich text and folders, but still no file storage. Files need Professional at $120. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree has every feature: sharing and collaboration, Markdown, drawing and offline mode. The limit is storage, 25 MB of it. That goes a long way on plain text and not far at all once you add drawings and files. | BFree forever, with encryption, sync on unlimited devices, offline access and daily email backups. That's generous. But notes are plain text only, there are no folders, and history only covers your current session. |
| Features | BEncryption that covers file names too, a Markdown editor, an SVG canvas, sharing with read or write access, offline use and a command-line client. Solid. But the site says it's in its infancy, and document history, comments and a browser clipper are listed as coming soon. | AEnd-to-end encryption on everything, rich text and Markdown notes, spreadsheets, a 2FA authenticator, a web clipper, note history and 100 GB of encrypted file storage on Professional. That's the whole job, done privately. |
| Ease of use | BPick a username and you're in, with no email or password. Do look after the secret key it gives you, a 24-word phrase, because it's the only way in and can't be recovered. No App Store rating is on record, so a B is as high as we go. | A4.67 from about 3,700 App Store ratings. The free plan is plain text and tags, so there's not much to learn. The catch is knowing which note types go read-only if a paid plan lapses. |
| Platforms and integrations | BNative apps for iPhone, Mac, Windows, Linux and Android, plus a command-line client, and you can self-host the server. There's no web app, and the listing shows no integrations. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus a clipper for Chrome and Firefox on paid plans. You can host the server yourself too. But the listing shows no integrations and no API, so it keeps to itself. |
| Best for | encrypted Markdown notes and sketches, cheaply | private notes nobody else can read |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Lockbook and Standard Notes. How we grade
Where they differ
- Lockbook starts at $2.99 per month. Standard Notes starts at $90 per year (Productivity).
- Only Standard Notes lists a web app.
- Only Standard Notes lists a browser extension.
- Standard Notes also covers web clipper.
At a glance
| Lockbook | Standard Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.99 per month | $90 per year (Productivity) |
| Free plan | 25 MB of storage with sharing and collaboration, Markdown and drawing support, and offline mode. | Standard plan: end-to-end encrypted plain-text notes, unlimited device sync, offline access, tags, password-protected notes, two-factor authentication and daily encrypted email backups. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Lockbook LLC | Standard Notes |
| Price read from | lockbook.net | standardnotes.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Lockbook
- People who want notes and files the provider cannot read
- Markdown writers who also sketch or keep files beside their notes
- Developers who want a command-line client and open formats
Standard Notes
- Private notes that the provider cannot read
- Keeping sensitive records and documents alongside notes
- People who want open source apps and the option to self-host
- Small groups: Professional can be shared with up to 5 accounts
Worth knowing
Lockbook
- The free plan holds 25 MB. The only paid plan is 30 GB for $2.99 a month, bought inside the app.
- The secret key is the only way into an account and cannot be recovered if it is lost.
- There is no web app: the site lists native apps for iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux and Android, and a CLI.
- The site says the product is in its infancy; document history, comments and a browser clipper are listed as coming soon.
Standard Notes
- The free plan is limited to plain-text notes; Markdown, rich text, spreadsheets and folders need Productivity at $90 per year.
- The pricing page lists yearly prices only, and there is no free trial; refunds are offered within 14 days (Productivity) or 90 days (Professional).
- Encrypted file storage comes only with Professional, and files cannot be viewed or downloaded after a subscription expires.
- When a subscription lapses, notes in the paid editors become read-only until switched back to plain text.
Key features
Lockbook
- End-to-end encryption
- Content, including file names, is encrypted on the device. The vendor's staff can see only what the server needs, such as file counts, document sizes and the shape of the file tree.
- Key-based accounts
- Signing up takes a username and creates a secret key, shown as a 24-word phrase or a QR code. No email, phone number or password is collected.
- Markdown editor and SVG canvas
- Notes are written in Markdown and drawings are saved as SVG, both open formats that other tools can read. PDFs and images can be previewed.
- Sharing and collaboration
- A file or folder can be shared with read or write access, and the recipient can place it anywhere in their own file tree. Only the owner is billed for the space it takes.
- Native apps, offline support and a CLI
- Each platform has its own native client that works offline and syncs later. A command-line client keeps an encrypted local store and syncs on request.
- Self-hosting
- The server can run on your own infrastructure. Accounts on a self-hosted server cannot collaborate with users on the main Lockbook server.
Standard Notes
- End-to-end encryption
- Notes, tags and other data are encrypted on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before syncing, so the server stores only data it cannot read.
- Note types
- A note is plain text on the free plan. A subscription adds Super notes for Markdown, rich text, checklists and code, plus spreadsheets and an authenticator for 2FA codes.
- Sync and offline access
- Notes sync across unlimited devices on the web, desktop and mobile, and an offline copy stays available without an internet connection.
- Revision history and backups
- Daily encrypted email backups come with every plan. Note history covers the current session on the free plan, 1 year on Productivity and is unlimited on Professional.
- Encrypted file storage
- Professional includes 100 GB of encrypted storage for photos, videos and documents, with no file size limit (tested up to 2 GB) and offline file access.
- Web Clipper and folders
- Paid plans add a Chrome and Firefox extension that clips a full page, an article or a selection into a note, and nested folders built from tags.
Plans
Lockbook
Free$0
25 MB of storage with sharing and collaboration, Markdown and drawing support, and offline mode.
Premium$2.99
per month
30 GB of storage with the same features as Free. It is bought inside the app; the US App Store lists it as a $2.99 in-app purchase.
Standard Notes
StandardFree
Plain-text notes with end-to-end encryption, unlimited device sync, offline access, tags and daily encrypted email backups.
Productivity$90
per year
Adds the Super note type for Markdown and rich text, spreadsheets, Daily Notebooks, folders, the Web Clipper, an authenticator and 1-year revision history.
Professional$120
per year
Adds 100 GB of encrypted file storage, subscription sharing with up to 5 accounts, maximum revision history and hardware security key support.
Ways to pay less
Lockbook
No public discounts listed.
Standard Notes
- Education
30% student discount
Students get 30% off any plan, except offline subscriptions, by emailing the support team from a student email address.
- Other savings
Help for people who cannot afford a plan
Standard Notes invites anyone facing economic difficulty to email support with their circumstances so a plan that works for them can be arranged.
- Other savings
Discounted offline subscription for self-hosting
Offline subscriptions, which unlock the paid features on a self-hosted server, are sold at what the vendor calls a steep discount from the hosted plans.
