# Standard Notes

> End-to-end encrypted notes app with open source clients

Standard Notes is a note-taking app that encrypts notes and files on your device before they sync, so only you hold the keys. The free plan covers plain-text notes with sync across unlimited devices on web, desktop and mobile. Paid plans add richer note types such as Markdown, rich text and spreadsheets, longer revision history and, on Professional, 100 GB of encrypted file storage. The application and server source code are public.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Standard Notes (since 2016)
- **Website:** https://standardnotes.com
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Standard Notes has a free plan. Paid plans start at $90 per year (Productivity).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** 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.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Standard | Free | 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. |

Read from https://standardnotes.com/plans on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Standard Notes before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **30% student discount** (Education): Students get 30% off any plan, except offline subscriptions, by emailing the support team from a student email address. Source: https://standardnotes.com/help/38/does-standard-notes-offer-a-student-discount
- **Help for people who cannot afford a plan** (Other savings): Standard Notes invites anyone facing economic difficulty to email support with their circumstances so a plan that works for them can be arranged. Source: https://standardnotes.com/help/56/what-if-i-can-t-afford-the-price-of-extended
- **Discounted offline subscription for self-hosting** (Other savings): 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. Source: https://standardnotes.com/help/48/can-i-use-extensions-with-a-self-hosted-server

## App Store prices by country

"Professional Plan", as each country's App Store showed it on Oct 9, 2026. These are the app's prices, not the website's.

| Country | Price | In US dollars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | $119.99 | |
| United Kingdom | £119.99 | about $158.47 (32% more) |
| Germany | 129,99 € | about $145.41 (21% more) |
| Canada | $149.99 | about $105.17 (12% less) |
| Australia | $199.99 | about $138.86 (16% more) |
| India | ₹ 12,900 | about $133.29 (11% more) |
| Brazil | R$ 599,90 | about $119.58 (about the same) |
| Mexico | $2,499.00 | about $138.74 (16% more) |
| Turkey | ₺2.999,99 | about $60.96 (49% less) |
| Indonesia | Rp 1,999juta | about $111.55 (7% less) |
| Philippines | ₱ 6,990.00 | about $110.95 (8% less) |
| South Africa | R2,499.99 | about $150.15 (25% more) |

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.7 out of 5 from 3,737 ratings in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1285392450

**Tags:** Notes, End-to-end encrypted, Open source, Self-hostable, Works offline, Markdown, Web clipper

## Alternatives

- [Notesnook](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notesnook): Open source, end-to-end encrypted notes on every platform. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notesnook-vs-standard-notes)
- [Joplin](https://toolgpa.com/tools/joplin): Open source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/joplin-vs-standard-notes)
- [Obsidian](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obsidian): Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/obsidian-vs-standard-notes)
- [Simplenote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/simplenote): Free plain-text notes that sync across every major platform. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/simplenote-vs-standard-notes)
- [Evernote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/evernote): Note-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/evernote-vs-standard-notes)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://standardnotes.com
- https://standardnotes.com/plans
- https://standardnotes.com/features
- https://standardnotes.com/help/38/does-standard-notes-offer-a-student-discount
- https://standardnotes.com/help/56/what-if-i-can-t-afford-the-price-of-extended
- https://standardnotes.com/help/48/can-i-use-extensions-with-a-self-hosted-server
- https://standardnotes.com/help/46/is-the-standard-notes-source-code-public
- https://standardnotes.com/help/39/what-country-is-standard-notes-located-in
- https://standardnotes.com/help/20/what-happens-to-my-data-when-my-subscription-expires
- https://standardnotes.com/help/51/what-is-the-refund-policy-on-standard-notes-extended
- https://standardnotes.com/help/usage/how-do-i-clip-web-pages
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/standard-notes/id1285392450

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/standard-notes
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).