Standard Notes - Detailed Review
Productivity Tools
Standard Notes - Product Overview
Introduction to Standard Notes
Standard Notes is a secure and versatile note-taking app that falls squarely within the productivity tools category, particularly emphasizing security and privacy.
Primary Function
The primary function of Standard Notes is to provide a safe and simple space for users to write, store, and organize their notes, documents, and other personal data. It ensures that all data is end-to-end encrypted, meaning only the user has access to the contents of their notes.
Target Audience
Standard Notes caters to a broad range of users, including general users, students, and professionals. It is particularly useful for individuals who value privacy and security, such as freelancers, who can use it to share notes with clients securely.
Key Features
- End-to-End Encryption: Standard Notes uses audited, industry-leading end-to-end encryption to protect user data. This ensures that even the app’s developers cannot access the contents of the notes.
- Cross-Platform Syncing: The app allows users to write and sync their notes across all devices, including iOS, Android, web browsers, macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Multiple Note Types: Users can choose from various note types such as simple text, rich text, markdown, tasks & todos, passwords & tokens, and more. Each note type offers a distinct editing experience.
- Passcode, Face ID, and Fingerprint Locking: Users can protect access to the app with a passcode, Face ID, or fingerprint biometrics, adding an extra layer of security.
- Easy Data Import & Export: Standard Notes allows users to export their entire dataset in a single text file, which can be imported later or converted into formats for other services.
- Smart Views: Users can create custom queries to organize and view their notes, such as showing all notes edited in the last day or notes with specific titles.
- Offline Access: The app ensures that users have an offline copy of their data, allowing access to notes and files even without an internet connection.
- Automated Backups and Secure Cloud Sync: Standard Notes provides automated backups and secure cloud syncing to ensure data safety, even if a device is lost, damaged, or stolen.
Overall, Standard Notes is a reliable and secure tool for anyone looking to manage their notes and personal data with utmost privacy and security.
Standard Notes - User Interface and Experience
User Interface Overview
The user interface of Standard Notes is characterized by its simplicity and ease of use, making it an appealing option for those seeking a straightforward note-taking experience.
Simplicity and Ease of Use
Standard Notes boasts a very simple and intuitive design. The interface is not overwhelming, with a minimalistic approach that ensures a shallow learning curve. This means that users can quickly feel comfortable using the app without needing extensive time to familiarize themselves with its features.
Key Features
Basic Note-Taking
The free version of Standard Notes allows users to take basic, text-based notes. Users can add tags, pin notes to the top of their list, password-protect notes, star them, export, duplicate, archive, and sync them across devices.
Encryption and Security
One of the standout features is the use of end-to-end encryption (XChaCha20-Poly1305), ensuring that only the user can view their notes. This encryption is applied both in transit and at rest, providing strong security measures.
Additional Tools
While the free version is limited, the Productivity plan unlocks additional features such as rich text, markdown, spreadsheets, checklists, and code support. This makes it versatile for users with more advanced note-taking needs.
Organization and Accessibility
Tagging System
Standard Notes uses a tagging system similar to Gmail labels, which is efficient for organizing and finding notes. This system is more flexible than traditional folder hierarchies.
Syncing and Availability
The app is available on multiple platforms including Linux, MacOS, Windows, web, Android, and iOS, ensuring that notes are accessible and synced across all devices.
User Experience
The overall user experience is enhanced by the app’s focus on privacy and security. The end-to-end encryption and password protection for notes provide a high level of confidence in the security of the data. The app also includes features like two-factor authentication and automatic encrypted backups, further bolstering its security credentials.
Additional Functionalities
Inline Images and Note Linking
Standard Notes supports inline images and bi-directional note linking, which adds to the flexibility and control over note organization and presentation.
Plugin Support and Custom Views
The app offers plugin support and custom smart views, allowing users to customize their note-taking experience to suit their needs.
Conclusion
In summary, Standard Notes offers a clean, easy-to-use interface that prioritizes simplicity and security. Its features are designed to make note-taking efficient and secure, making it an excellent choice for users who value privacy and ease of use.
Standard Notes - Key Features and Functionality
Standard Notes Overview
Standard Notes is a comprehensive and secure note-taking app that offers a wide range of features to enhance productivity and data security. Here are the main features and how they work:
Security and Encryption
Standard Notes stands out for its strong focus on security and privacy. It offers end-to-end encryption, on-device encryption, and encryption at rest, ensuring your data is protected at all stages.
- End-to-End Encryption: This means that only you can read your notes, and not even the Standard Notes team can access them.
- On-Device Encryption: Data is encrypted before it leaves your device.
- Encryption at Rest: Data is encrypted while it is stored on the servers.
- Third-Party Security Audited: The app has been audited by third-party security experts to ensure its security standards.
Note Organization and Editing
Standard Notes provides several note types and editing tools to cater to different needs:
- Super Notes: This is a powerful block-based editor that allows you to embed images, link other notes and tags, create lists and checklists, and more. You can use keyboard shortcuts like `/` for block selection, `@` for embedding images or linking notes, and `-` or “ for lists and checklists.
- Markdown Editor: Supports markdown formatting, including headers, strikethrough, italics, block quotes, lists, and code blocks. You can toggle between raw markdown and rendered mode.
- Rich Text Editor: Allows for formatting text with various options like bold, italic, and more.
- Plain Text Editor: A simple editor for plain text notes.
Custom Smart Views
Standard Notes enables you to create custom smart views to filter and organize your notes based on specific criteria. You can set up views to show notes edited in the last day, notes with certain tags, or notes containing specific words. This feature makes it easy to find the notes you need quickly.
Bi-Directional Note Linking
This feature allows you to link notes to other notes, files to notes, and tags to files, creating complex relationships between your data. This helps in organizing your notes in a more intuitive and connected way.
Offline File Access
You can enable offline file access by going to Preferences > Backups and enabling File Backups. This allows you to access your images and documents without an internet connection, making it useful for situations like being on a plane or in a remote location.
Daily Notebooks
Standard Notes includes a Daily Notebooks feature, which creates a new note every day. This is ideal for keeping a daily journal and capturing your thoughts and experiences as they happen.
Tag Customization and Favoriting
You can customize tags with custom icons or emojis, making your notes more visually appealing. You can also favorite tags by right-clicking them, which makes them more prominent in your list.
Password Protection and App Lock
Individual notes can be protected with an extra layer of security by requiring a passcode to access. Additionally, you can set a passcode, Face ID, or fingerprint lock to protect access to the entire app.
Data Import and Export
Standard Notes allows easy data import and export. You can export your entire dataset in one simple text file, which can later be imported or converted into formats for other services.
Cross-Platform Availability
The app is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, web browsers, macOS, Windows, and Linux. This ensures you can access and edit your notes from any device.
Keyboard Shortcuts
For keyboard power-users, Standard Notes has added keyboard shortcuts for primary actions on web and desktop applications. These shortcuts are displayed directly in the interface.
Integrated Blogging Platform and Plugin Support
Standard Notes offers an integrated blogging platform and supports plugins, which extend the functionality of the app and provide a comprehensive note-taking ecosystem.
Conclusion
While AI is not explicitly mentioned as a core component of Standard Notes, the app’s features are designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier for users to manage and organize their notes without needing AI-driven assistance. The focus is on providing a secure, flexible, and powerful note-taking experience.
Standard Notes - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
Standard Notes is generally optimized for performance, but there are a few areas where users might encounter issues and can take steps to improve them:
Spellcheck
On desktop, spellcheck can be resource-intensive and slow down the plain editor. Disabling spellcheck via the Options menu can significantly improve editor performance.
Note Size
Large notes can slow down the application due to the encryption processes. It is recommended to keep notes under 1MB of text. If a note is too large, splitting it into separate notes can help.
Scrolling and Loading Notes
If you have a large number of notes and scroll deeply into the list, it can degrade UI performance. Refreshing the application or using the search function can help mitigate this issue.
Accuracy
Standard Notes is built with a focus on security and data integrity, which contributes to its accuracy:
Encryption and Security
The app uses end-to-end encryption, ensuring that your data is secure and accurate. Features like password protection for individual notes, passcode, Face ID, and fingerprint locking add an extra layer of security.
Data Integrity
The application allows for easy data import and export, ensuring that your notes are preserved accurately over time. Daily encrypted email backups also help maintain data integrity.
Features and Functionality
Standard Notes offers a variety of note types and features that enhance its accuracy and usability:
Note Types
The app supports multiple note types such as plain text, rich text, markdown, spreadsheets, and tasks. Each note type provides a distinct editing experience, ensuring that the content is accurately represented according to its purpose.
Smart Views and Organization
Users can create custom views to organize and filter notes, making it easier to find and manage specific notes accurately.
Limitations and Areas for Improvement
While Standard Notes is highly functional, there are some limitations:
Editor Capabilities
The spreadsheet feature, although useful, is not as powerful as dedicated spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. However, it still supports multiple sheets and formulas, making it sufficient for basic needs.
Performance with Large Note Lists
As mentioned earlier, scrolling through a very large list of notes can cause performance issues. Using the search function or refreshing the app can help, but this might still be a point of improvement for users with extensive note collections.
In summary, Standard Notes performs well in most scenarios, with some minor adjustments needed for optimal performance, especially with large notes or extensive scrolling. Its focus on security, data integrity, and diverse note types ensures high accuracy and usability. However, there are some limitations, particularly with advanced spreadsheet capabilities and handling very large note lists.
Standard Notes - Pricing and Plans
Standard Notes Pricing Structure
Standard Notes offers a clear and straightforward pricing structure, catering to various needs and preferences in the note-taking category. Here’s a breakdown of their plans and the features associated with each:
Standard Plan (Free)
- This plan is completely free and includes several essential features.
- You get end-to-end encryption using XChaCha20-Poly1305, ensuring your notes are highly secure.
- It supports unlimited device sync across web, desktop, and mobile devices.
- You can create plain text notes, organize them using tags, and password-protect individual notes.
- Other features include offline access, full data export in encrypted or plaintext format, two-factor authentication, and daily encrypted email backups.
- Community support is also available.
Productivity Plan ($90/year)
- This plan builds upon the Standard Plan and adds several advanced features.
- You can write and edit markdown and rich text, create checklists, code snippets, and spreadsheets with advanced formulas and rich formatting.
- It includes Daily Notebooks for better journaling and the ability to use Standard Notes as a 2FA authenticator for other services.
- You can organize your notes into folders and use the Web Clipper to save web pages as notes.
- Additional features include 1-year note revision history, account sign-in email notifications, and dedicated support.
- There is a 14-day 100% refund period if you decide it’s not for you.
Professional Plan ($120/year)
- This plan includes all the features from the Productivity Plan and adds several more.
- You get 100GB of encrypted cloud storage for your photos, videos, and documents.
- It allows subscription sharing with up to 5 accounts and has no limit on file size (tested up to 2GB).
- Other features include offline file access, local backups of your files on your computer, and the use of Moments to automatically capture a photo of yourself every day.
- This plan also offers maximum note revision history and hardware security key support.
- There is a 90-day 100% refund period.
Summary
In summary, Standard Notes provides a free plan that covers basic note-taking needs with strong security features, while the Productivity and Professional plans offer more advanced features and additional storage for those who require more functionality.
Standard Notes - Integration and Compatibility
Standard Notes Overview
Standard Notes is a versatile and secure note-taking app that offers extensive integration and compatibility across various platforms and devices, making it a reliable choice for managing your notes.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
Standard Notes is available on a wide range of devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, web browsers, Android devices, macOS (both Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux. This cross-platform compatibility ensures that you can access and sync your notes seamlessly across all your devices.
Browser Extensions
For web users, Standard Notes offers browser extensions such as the Standard Notes Clipper, which allows you to clip web pages and save them directly to your Standard Notes account. This is available for both Firefox and Chrome.
Command Line Tools
For users who prefer command-line interfaces, Standard Notes provides several tools. For example, standardnotes-fs allows you to mount your Standard Notes account as a filesystem, enabling you to edit your notes as plain text files. Other tools like sn-cli and sn-dotfiles help manage notes, tags, and dotfiles using Standard Notes.
Data Import and Export
Standard Notes supports easy data import and export, allowing you to transfer notes from other services like Google Keep, Evernote, SimpleNote, and OneNote. Tools such as the Google Keep to Standard Notes converter, Evernote2md, and notexfr facilitate these conversions, ensuring you can bring your existing notes into the Standard Notes ecosystem.
Custom Editors and Extensions
The app also supports a variety of custom editors and extensions that enhance its functionality. For instance, there are editors for tracking savings goals, cataloging home and coin inventories, and even a whiteboard feature using TLDraw. These extensions can be hosted on your own server using the Extensions Repository Builder.
Security and Privacy
One of the standout features of Standard Notes is its advanced security and privacy. The app uses industry-leading XChaCha-20 encryption, ensuring that your notes are end-to-end encrypted and only accessible by you. The open-source nature of the app allows for community audits, further enhancing trust in its security measures.
Smart Views and Note Types
Standard Notes allows you to create advanced custom queries for viewing and organizing your notes through its Smart Views feature. You can also choose from various note types such as simple text, rich text, markdown, tasks & todos, and more, each providing a distinct editing experience.
Conclusion
In summary, Standard Notes integrates well with various tools and platforms, ensuring that your notes are accessible, secure, and easily manageable across all your devices. Its extensive compatibility and range of features make it a highly versatile and reliable note-taking solution.
Standard Notes - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support Mediums
The primary and official support medium for Standard Notes is their email help desk. Users can contact the support team via email, where they guarantee a 100% response rate. Support inquiries sent through other channels like Discord, GitHub, or Twitter are not guaranteed to receive an official response, although the community may help other members.
Help Center and FAQs
Standard Notes provides a comprehensive help center that addresses many commonly asked questions. This includes guides on how to import notes from other services like Evernote, Simplenote, Apple Notes, and Google Keep, as well as instructions on creating and managing backups, deleting notes, using Markdown, and more.
Community Support
While the official support is limited to the email help desk, the community can be a valuable resource. Users can interact with each other through platforms like Discord and GitHub, where community members may offer help and advice.
Feedback and Bug Reporting
Users are encouraged to provide feedback, whether positive or critical, but it is important to maintain a polite tone. The support team appreciates feedback that helps in identifying and resolving issues, such as bug reports or feature suggestions.
Additional Resources
Blog and Announcements
Although not frequently updated, the Standard Notes blog provides important announcements and updates about the application. Inactivity on the blog does not indicate a lack of development activity but rather a focus on engineering.
User Guides and Tutorials
The help center includes detailed guides on various aspects of using Standard Notes, such as note types, editors, and how to perform specific tasks like adding images or enabling spellcheck.
By leveraging these resources, users of Standard Notes can find the support they need to maximize the utility of the application.
Standard Notes - Pros and Cons
Advantages of Standard Notes
Security and Privacy
Standard Notes stands out for its strong focus on security and privacy. It uses end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only you have access to your data, protecting it from hacks, data breaches, government access, and even employee access.Cross-Platform Compatibility
The app is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and macOS, allowing seamless syncing across all your devices. This ensures you can access your notes anywhere, anytime.Flexible Note Types
Standard Notes offers various note types, such as simple text, rich text, markdown, tasks and todos, and even passwords and tokens. This flexibility allows you to choose the best format for each note.Organization Features
The app includes features like hashtags, labels, and bi-directional linking, which enable you to categorize and interlink your notes in a layered, interconnected system. You can also create custom views to organize your notes based on specific criteria.Password Protection and Authentication
Each note can be protected with a passcode, and the app itself can be secured with Face ID, fingerprint locking, or a unique passcode. This adds an extra layer of security to your sensitive information.Easy Data Import and Export
Standard Notes allows easy import and export of your notes, ensuring you can preserve your data in a simple text file that can be used across different services.Minimalist and User-Friendly Interface
The app has a minimalist yet user-friendly interface that is easy to use, even for first-time users. It avoids a steep learning curve, making it accessible for those who value straightforward functionality.Disadvantages of Standard Notes
Limited Free Version
The free version of Standard Notes is somewhat limited compared to its competitors. It lacks advanced features such as additional templates (like spreadsheets and authenticators) and advanced formatting modes, which are only available to premium subscribers.Premium Pricing
While the free version is functional, the premium features come at a cost of $90 per year (or $58.50 during holiday sales), which might be a deterrent for some users.Performance Issues on Mobile
Some users have reported that syncing and decrypting notes on mobile devices can be slow and occasionally cause the app to crash, especially with a large number of notes.Lack of Advanced Features
Standard Notes does not include features like smart formatting, an “ask AI” feature, autocomplete, or auto-organization tools, which might be a drawback for users seeking more advanced editing capabilities.Simple Design
While the minimalist design is a plus for many, it can also be a minus for those who prefer more visually engaging or creative features. The app’s simplicity might feel underwhelming for users who need more advanced or stylized note-taking options. Standard Notes - Comparison with Competitors
Unique Features of Standard Notes
- End-to-End Encryption: Standard Notes is known for its strong focus on privacy and security, offering end-to-end encryption for all notes, regardless of the note type chosen. This ensures that all data is private and secure.
- Multi-Editor System: Standard Notes features a versatile note type system, including a to-do editor, spreadsheet editor, authenticator, markdown editor, and the powerful Super note type. The Super note type is a block-based editor that allows for extensive customization and linking between notes, files, and tags.
- Offline Access and Cross-Platform Sync: Users can access their notes offline and sync them across web, desktop, and mobile devices, making it highly accessible.
Alternatives and Comparisons
Notion
Notion is often cited as a top alternative to Standard Notes. Here are some key differences and similarities:
- Unified Workspace: Notion serves as a comprehensive workspace for notes, tasks, and project management, integrating AI features to generate text, autofill databases, and answer specific questions about stored information.
- AI Integration: Notion’s AI capabilities are more extensive, allowing users to generate documents, summarize pages, and assign action items. However, these features come at an additional cost.
- Versatility: While Notion is highly versatile and can handle complex database management, it may be more time-intensive to set up compared to Standard Notes.
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is another note-taking application that offers:
- File Storage & Sharing: OneNote is integrated with Microsoft services, allowing for seamless file storage and sharing. However, it lacks the end-to-end encryption and multi-editor system of Standard Notes.
- Compatibility: OneNote is part of the Microsoft ecosystem, making it a good choice for those already using Microsoft products.
Simplenote and Bear
- Simplenote: This is a minimalist note-taking application with markdown support. It is simpler than Standard Notes but lacks the variety of note types and advanced features.
- Bear: Bear is a note-taking tool for Mac and iOS, known for its simplicity and focus on writing. It does not offer the same level of customization or security as Standard Notes.
Todoist
Todoist, while primarily a task management tool, offers an AI Assistant that can help manage and break down tasks. However, it does not provide the same level of note-taking functionality as Standard Notes. The AI Assistant is only available on the Pro plan and upwards.
Conclusion
Standard Notes stands out for its strong security features, multi-editor system, and simplicity. If you prioritize end-to-end encryption and a variety of note types, Standard Notes is an excellent choice. However, if you need a more comprehensive workspace with advanced AI integration, Notion might be a better fit. For those looking for a more minimalist approach, Simplenote or Bear could be alternatives, but they lack the advanced features of Standard Notes.
Standard Notes - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about Standard Notes
How does Standard Notes secure my notes?
Standard Notes secures your notes using XChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption, which is one of the strongest forms of encryption available. All your notes, tags, and other data generated using the Standard Notes applications are encrypted end-to-end, ensuring that only you can access them.What features are included in the free plan?
The free plan of Standard Notes includes several key features such as end-to-end encryption, unlimited device sync on web, desktop, and mobile, plain text notes, offline access, organization of notes into tags, password protection for individual notes, full data export in encrypted or plaintext format, two-factor authentication, and daily encrypted email backups. Additionally, you get community support.What are the differences between the Productivity and Professional plans?
The Productivity plan, priced at $90 per year, adds features like the ability to write and edit markdown and rich text, create spreadsheets, use Daily Notebooks for journaling, and use Standard Notes as a 2FA authenticator. The Professional plan, priced at $120 per year, includes everything in the Productivity plan plus 100GB of encrypted file storage, maximum note history, and the ability to share your subscription with up to 5 other accounts.Can I use Standard Notes totally offline?
Yes, you can use Standard Notes totally offline. The app allows you to access and edit your notes even when you don’t have an internet connection. Your notes will sync once you are back online.How do I import my notes from other note-taking apps?
Standard Notes provides several ways to import notes from other apps. You can import notes from Evernote, Simplenote, Apple Notes, Google Keep, and even from a bunch of text files. Detailed instructions on how to do this can be found in the Help Center.Can I collaborate with others on a note?
Currently, Standard Notes does not support real-time collaboration on notes. However, you can share private notes with others, but they will not be able to edit them in real-time.How do I attach encrypted files to my notes?
You can attach encrypted files to your notes by dragging and dropping them into the note editor. If you are a Professional user, you have additional storage for encrypted files.What is the refund policy for Standard Notes?
Standard Notes offers a 100% refund on any plan within 14 days (for the Productivity Plan) or 90 days (for other plans). This policy is designed to make purchasing Standard Notes a risk-free decision.How do I use Markdown in my notes?
You can use Markdown in your notes by enabling the Markdown editor. This allows you to format your text using Markdown syntax. Detailed instructions on using Markdown can be found in the Help Center.Can I change my account email or password?
Yes, you can change your account email or password through the settings in the Standard Notes app. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can also reset it using the password recovery option.How do I delete my account?
To delete your account, you need to go through the account settings in the Standard Notes app. There are step-by-step instructions available in the Help Center to guide you through this process. Standard Notes - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of Standard Notes
Standard Notes is a highly regarded note-taking application that stands out for its strong focus on privacy and security. Here’s a comprehensive look at its features and who would benefit most from using it.
Key Features
- Security and Privacy: Standard Notes boasts 4x-audited, end-to-end encryption, ensuring your notes are highly secure. It also offers two-factor authentication, password protection for individual notes, and daily encrypted email backups.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: The app is available on a wide range of devices, including iOS, Android, web browsers, macOS, Windows, and Linux, making it versatile for users across different platforms.
- Note Types and Editing: The free plan offers plain text notes, while the paid plans (Productivity and Professional) add support for markdown, rich text, spreadsheets, checklists, and more. This variety caters to different note-taking needs.
- Storage and Sharing: The Professional plan includes 100GB of encrypted cloud storage and the ability to share subscriptions with up to five accounts. It also offers offline file access and local backups of your files.
Who Would Benefit Most
- Privacy-Conscious Users: Individuals who prioritize the security and privacy of their notes will find Standard Notes particularly appealing. Its end-to-end encryption and additional security features make it an excellent choice for those handling sensitive information.
- Basic Note-Takers: The free Standard plan is sufficient for users who only need to take basic plain text notes. It offers unlimited device sync, offline access, and tags, making it a solid option for simple note-taking needs.
- Advanced Users: Those who require more advanced features such as markdown, rich text, spreadsheets, and checklists will benefit from the Productivity or Professional plans. These plans also offer additional features like Daily Notebooks, folders, and one-year note revision history.
Overall Recommendation
Standard Notes is an excellent choice for anyone seeking a secure and versatile note-taking application. Here are some key points to consider:
- For Basic Users: The free Standard plan provides a solid foundation for simple note-taking with strong security features.
- For Advanced Users: The Productivity and Professional plans offer a wide range of additional features that make it a compelling alternative to other note-taking apps like Evernote.
- For Privacy: If security and privacy are your top priorities, Standard Notes is hard to beat due to its robust encryption and security measures.
In summary, Standard Notes is a reliable, secure, and feature-rich note-taking app that caters to a variety of user needs, making it a highly recommended tool for anyone looking to keep their notes safe and organized.