The Notesnook Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Notesnook in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Notesnook
The Insider’s Guide
Open source, end-to-end encrypted notes on every platform
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among note-taking apps, read from Notesnook’s own pages.
Made by Streetwriters (Private) Ltd. · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Notesnook’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Notesnook’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.2
GPA, above 129 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade
Notesnook is an open source note-taking app that encrypts notes on your device before they sync, so the company cannot read them. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and the web, with a rich editor, linked notes, reminders, a password-protected vault and a web clipper. The free plan allows unlimited notes on unlimited devices; paid plans mainly add attachment storage and raise limits.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Notesnook, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The encryption happens without you doing anything.
- 1
Best for private, encrypted notes that are free to keep
Notesnook encrypts notes on your device before they sync, and the free plan covers unlimited notes on unlimited devices.
- 2
Paid plans start at $1.67 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Essential).
- 3
There is a free plan
Free forever, no card: unlimited encrypted notes on unlimited devices, with 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB per file, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 10 active reminders.
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and Web, with a browser extension too.
- 5
End-to-end encryption
Everything is encrypted on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 before it syncs, so the servers hold only data they cannot read.
- 6
Rich editor
The editor handles tables, task lists, outlines, code blocks, maths formulas, images and file attachments, with Markdown support.
- 7
Vault and app lock
The app can require a fingerprint, PIN or password to open, and a vault puts selected notes behind a second password.
- 8
A 3.2 GPA, above 129 of 147
That is against the other note-taking apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Notesnook you could make: notes, web clipper, linked notes and Markdown. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Notesnook at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Essential)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial on monthly and yearly plans; a payment method is required. The 5-year plan has no trial.
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Streetwriters (Private) Ltd., since 2019
- Category
- Note-Taking Apps
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
- Store rating
- 4.7 on the App Store, 668 ratings
The report card
Best for private, encrypted notes that are free to keep
Notesnook encrypts notes on your device before they sync, and the free plan covers unlimited notes on unlimited devices. But free allows 50 MB of uploads a month, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 10 reminders, paid plans mostly raise those numbers, the trials need a payment method, and the website shows local prices with tax, so our dollar prices come from the US App Store.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Essential is $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year on the US App Store. That sits inside the lowest-priced quarter of this category, which ends at $2.99, and well under the $6 middle. What it buys is mostly storage, though: 1 GB a month instead of 50 MB. Students get Pro for $19.99 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Free forever, no card, unlimited encrypted notes on unlimited devices. A text note-taker could live here for years. Not an A, because the caps are real ones you can reach: 50 notebooks, 50 tags, 10 active reminders and 50 MB of attachments a month. |
| Features | B | It covers the job: an editor with tables, task lists, code, math and attachments, notes that link both ways, a vault behind a second password, reminders, a Chrome and Firefox clipper, publishing a note as a web page, and an inbox API. Everything is encrypted, but Standard Notes and Joplin do that too. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.7 from about 670 App Store ratings, short of the 1,000 ratings an A needs behind it. The encryption happens without you doing anything. The plans take a minute to compare, as they differ mostly in storage numbers. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and the web, plus a clipper for Chrome and Firefox. An inbox API lets Zapier, IFTTT or your own script drop notes in, encrypted with your key. That's the full set. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Notesnook is for
- Fits if you want encrypted notes on a mix of devices without paying
- Works for people who want open source apps and a sync server they could host themselves
Who it is not for
- Skip it if your notes are full of photos and scans, as free allows 50 MB of uploads a month and 10 MB per file
- Tight if you organize with lots of tags, because free stops at 50 tags, 50 notebooks and 10 active reminders
- Not for you if you want one plain price, since the website shows local prices with tax, and ours come from the US App Store
- Watch out: the 14-day trial needs a payment method, and the prepaid 5-year plan has no trial
- Pricey if you need room for attachments, as 10 GB a month means Pro at $69.99 a year
Good to know
Good for
- People who want notes the provider cannot read
- Unlimited notes across many devices on a free plan
- Users who want open source clients and sync server
- Students and educators, who can get Pro for $19.99 a year
Worth knowing
- The free plan allows 50 MB of attachment uploads a month and 10 MB per file, and caps notebooks and tags at 50 each.
- Paid tiers mainly raise storage and limits: Essential gives 1 GB a month, Pro 10 GB and Believer 25 GB.
- Prices on notesnook.com are localized by country and shown with tax; the dollar prices here come from the US App Store listing.
- The 5-year plan is prepaid and does not include the 14-day trial.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$1.67
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Notesnook has a free plan. Paid plans start at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Essential).
Free forever, no card, unlimited encrypted notes on unlimited devices.
Free
$0
Unlimited notes and devices, 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB file size, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 100 versions per note.
Essential
$1.99
per month, or $19.99 per year (US App Store prices)
1 GB of storage a month, 100 MB file size, 500 notebooks and tags, 50 active reminders and 1,000 versions per note.
Pro
$6.99
per month, or $69.99 per year (US App Store prices)
10 GB of storage a month, 1 GB file size and unlimited notebooks, tags, colors and reminders. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.
Believer
$8.99
per month, or $89.99 per year (US App Store prices)
25 GB of storage a month and 5 GB file size, with every limit removed. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.
The free plan
Free forever, no card: unlimited encrypted notes on unlimited devices, with 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB per file, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 10 active reminders.
Trying it first
14-day free trial on monthly and yearly plans; a payment method is required. The 5-year plan has no trial.
Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
The pricing page labels yearly billing as 2 months free. On the US App Store, Essential is $19.99 a year against $1.99 a month, and Pro is $69.99 against $6.99.
Stated on notesnook.comEducation
Pro for $19.99 a year for students and educators
Students and educators can apply with an EDU email address or an official document to get Notesnook Pro for 19.99 USD per year. It lasts one year and can be reclaimed.
Stated on notesnook.comOther savings
Prepaid 5-year plans for Pro and Believer
Pro and Believer can be paid for five years at a time, at a lower monthly rate than the standard yearly price shown on the pricing page.
Stated on notesnook.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Notesnook Pro”, against $4.49 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺15,99 | $0.33 | 93% less |
| India | ₹ 89 | $0.92 | 80% less |
| South Africa | R29.99 | $1.81 | 60% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 129.00 | $2.05 | 54% less |
| Australia | $6.49 | $4.53 | about the same |
| United Kingdom | £3.99 | $5.27 | 17% more |
| Germany | 4,99 € | $5.59 | 25% more |
| Mexico | $589.00 | $32.36 | 621% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
7
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and Browser extension
Open source, end-to-end encrypted notes on every platform. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, end-to-end encrypted, notes, Markdown, linked notes, web clipper.
Everything is encrypted, but Standard Notes and Joplin do that too.
- End-to-end encryption
- Everything is encrypted on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 before it syncs, so the servers hold only data they cannot read.
- Rich editor
- The editor handles tables, task lists, outlines, code blocks, maths formulas, images and file attachments, with Markdown support.
- Vault and app lock
- The app can require a fingerprint, PIN or password to open, and a vault puts selected notes behind a second password.
- Linked notes
- Notes link to one another, and each note lists both the notes it points to and the notes that reference it.
- Web clipper and published notes
- An open source clipper for Chrome and Firefox saves pages or selections into notes. A single note can be published as a web page, optionally behind a password.
- Reminders and Inbox API
- Reminders can be set on any note and fire from the device. An inbox API lets Zapier, IFTTT or your own script add notes, encrypted with your key.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Zapier
- IFTTT
Notesnook is made by Streetwriters (Private) Ltd., and has been around since 2019.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
129/147
Other note-taking apps it is graded above
Notesnook's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 129 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 128 of 147) and worst on ease of use (B, above 47).
Its paid plans start at $1.67 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 6 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 148 note-taking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Notesnook’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 48 of 147
- BFree plan and trialAbove 71 of 147
- BFeaturesAbove 100 of 147
- BEase of useAbove 47 of 147
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 128 of 147
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 103 note-taking apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Notesnook is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Notesnook you could make: notes, web clipper, linked notes and Markdown. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 129 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade. It costs $19.99 a year. Notesnook is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Notes, web clipper, linked notes and Markdown: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- End-to-end encryption done properly.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Notesnook’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Standard Notes, Joplin, Obsidian, Evernote and Simplenote
The 5 tools Notesnook is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Standard Notes
Free plan · from $90/yr
End-to-end encrypted notes app with open source clients.
- Notesnook also covers linked notes.
- 3.6GPA
Joplin
Free plan · from €2.40/mo
Open source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose.
- Notesnook also covers linked notes.
- 3.6GPA
Obsidian
Free plan · from $4/mo
Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device.
- Only Notesnook lists a web app.
- Notesnook is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Notesnook also covers web clipper.
- 2.6GPA
Evernote
Free plan · from $99/yr
Note-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search.
- Only Notesnook lists a Linux app.
- Notesnook is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Notesnook also covers Markdown and linked notes.
- 3.4GPA
Simplenote
Free
Free plain-text notes that sync across every major platform.
- Only Notesnook lists a browser extension.
- Notesnook is self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Notesnook also covers web clipper.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook has a free plan. Free forever, no card: unlimited encrypted notes on unlimited devices, with 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB per file, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 10 active reminders.
How much does Notesnook cost?
Notesnook lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Notesnook work on?
Notesnook is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and Web.
Does Notesnook offer any discounts?
Notesnook publicly lists the following: Two months free with yearly billing; Pro for $19.99 a year for students and educators; Prepaid 5-year plans for Pro and Believer.
How is Notesnook rated?
Notesnook's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 668 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Is Notesnook open source?
Yes. Notesnook is open source, according to its own site.
Is Notesnook end-to-end encrypted?
Notesnook describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.
What does Notesnook integrate with?
Notesnook's listing names Zapier and IFTTT. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Notesnook have a student discount?
Pro for $19.99 a year for students and educators. Students and educators can apply with an EDU email address or an official document to get Notesnook Pro for 19.99 USD per year.
Does Notesnook have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial on monthly and yearly plans; a payment method is required.
Who makes Notesnook?
Notesnook is made by Streetwriters (Private) Ltd. It dates from 2019.
What are the alternatives to Notesnook?
The closest alternatives to Notesnook in our directory are Standard Notes, Joplin, Obsidian, Evernote and Simplenote.
How does Notesnook compare with other note-taking apps?
Notesnook's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 129 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 8.
Is Notesnook good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Notesnook B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $1.67 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 6 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Notesnook?
The plain part of Notesnook you could make: notes, web clipper, linked notes and Markdown.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Notesnook’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Notesnook's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-11.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Streetwriters (Private) Ltd. Prices change, so check notesnook.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Notesnook, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/notesnook
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Notesnook: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/notesnook
Know someone choosing between note-taking apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/notesnook/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded note-taking apps after Notesnook, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Note-Taking Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 148 note-taking apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft OneNote Insider's GuideMicrosoft's free digital notebook for typed, inked and audio notes3.8 GPA
- Goodnotes Insider's GuideHandwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant3.6 GPA
- Joplin Insider's GuideOpen source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose3.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Notesnook’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Notesnook is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Streetwriters (Private) Ltd. Prices and plans change: check notesnook.com before you buy.