Standard Notes vs Secure Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Standard Notes
Securely capture and sync your thoughts across all devices with end-to-end encryption. This app offers a simple, lasting place for all your notes, from personal thoughts to sensitive information, with robust privacy features.
- End-to-end encryption
- Cross-device syncing
- Offline access
- Passcode and biometric lock
- Tagging system
- Open-source code
- Optional productivity editors and themes
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Standard Notes is a private and secure end-to-end encrypted notes app. It allows you to write and sync your notes across all your devices, including your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and web browser. Private means your notes are end-to-end encrypted, so only you can read your notes. Even we can't read the contents of your notes. Simple means it does one job and does it well. Standard Notes is a safe and lasting place for your life's work. Our focus is making it easy to write notes wherever you are and syncing them with encryption to all your devices. Our users love us for: • Personal Notes • Tasks & Todos • Passwords & Keys • Code & Technical Procedures • Private Journal • Meeting Notes • Cross-platform Scratchpad • Books, Recipes, & Movies • Health & Fitness Log Standard Notes comes free with: • Seamless sync across all your devices, with easy to use applications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, web browsers, and other platforms. • Offline access, so you can access your downloaded notes even without a connection. • No limit on number of devices. • No limit on number of notes. • Passcode lock protection, along with Touch ID and Face ID protection. • A tagging system to organize your notes (like #work, #ideas, #passwords, #crypto). • The ability to pin, lock, protect, and move notes to trash, which allows you to recover deleted notes until the trash is emptied. Standard Notes is completely open-source, which means when we say your notes are encrypted with industry-leading XChaCha-20 encryption, and that only you can read your notes, you don't have to take our word for it. Our code is open to the world to audit. We made Standard Notes simple because longevity is important to us. We want to make sure we're here, protecting your notes, for the next hundred years. You shouldn't have to find a new notes app every year. To sustain our development, we offer optional paid subscriptions which give you access to powerful tools like: • Productivity editors (like Markdown, Code, Spreadsheets) • Beautiful themes (like Midnight, Focus, Solarized Dark) • Powerful cloud tools including daily backups of your encrypted data delivered to your email inbox every day, or backed up to your cloud provider (like Dropbox and Google Drive). We're always happy to talk, whether it be a question, thought, or issue. Please feel free to email us any time at help@standardnotes.com. When you take the time to send us a message, we'll be sure to do the same. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Secure Notes
Safeguard your private thoughts, voice memos, and sensitive information with robust, multi-layered security. This app offers military-grade encryption, biometric locks, and secure voice recording to keep your data protected. Enjoy a distraction-free, ad-free experience with a powerful rich text editor and seamless iCloud syncing across devices.
- 3-Layer Security (app, folders, notes)
- Secure Voice Recording
- Biometric Lock (Face ID, Touch ID, Passcode)
- iCloud Sync
- Rich Text Editor with Markdown
- Trash Recovery
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Lock your notes. Only you can access them. Secure Notes is a private and secure notes app designed to protect your thoughts, passwords, voice memos, and sensitive information. Everything is encrypted on your device, and even we cannot read your data. If you need a truly private place for your notes, Secure Notes gives you full control, strong protection, and a simple experience that works every day. Built for real privacy - Your notes are yours. Always. - No tracking - No analytics on your content - No data selling - No external access to your notes All data is stored securely on your device and, if enabled, inside your private iCloud account. This is not just a locked notes app — it is built for real privacy. Powerful protection Secure Notes uses multiple layers of protection to keep your data safe. 3-layer security: lock the app, folders, and individual notes Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode protection Lock specific notes with additional security Encrypted storage on device Designed to prevent unauthorized access Your notes stay protected even if your device is lost or accessed by someone else. Write, record, and organize Capture everything in one place. Secure text notes for daily use Voice notes up to 10 minutes Speech-to-text: transcribe any voice note with one tap Markdown editor with formatting support Live preview for better writing experience Organize notes into folders Whether you are writing ideas, journaling, or storing important information, everything stays private and accessible. Sync across your devices iCloud sync between iPhone and iPad Instant updates across devices Your data remains under your control No external servers. No unnecessary exposure. Designed for speed and simplicity Fast and responsive performance Clean, modern interface Dark mode support No ads or distractions Reliable experience every day Additional features Trash recovery for up to 30 days Improved text rendering Enhanced Markdown editing Notifications to stay on top of your notes Continuous performance improvements Why people choose Secure Notes Private journaling and personal thoughts Password and sensitive information storage Financial tracking and private records Health notes and personal logs Recovery phrases and secure data storage Anything you want to keep hidden, protected, and under your control. Security you can trust All notes are encrypted and stored locally unless you enable iCloud sync. We do not have access to your data and cannot read your notes. Deleting the app removes all unsynced data permanently. Terms and conditions: https://www.pixelport.io/app/secure-notes-lock-notes/terms-conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.pixelport.io/app/secure-notes-lock-notes/privacy-policy EULA: https://www.pixelport.io/app/secure-notes-lock-notes/eula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Standard Notes at 3.7K against Secure Notes's 719. Standard Notes also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Standard Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $119.99 per year and Secure Notes sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Standard Notes against 4.6 for Secure Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Standard Notes has 3.7K ratings behind it against 719, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Standard Notes's written reviews are positive against 65% of Secure Notes's.
Standard Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Secure Notes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Standard Notes | Secure Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (3.7K ratings) — better | 4.6 (719 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 63.4% of reviews | 65.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.7K — better | 719 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Standard Notes Ltd. | PixelPort LLC |
Customer experience
Standard Notes
Secure Notes
User reviews
Standard Notes
From 3.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and reliable sync
- 🔒 Excellent privacy and security
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 📚 Great for organizing notes
- 💻 Cross-platform availability
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔑 Frustrating login/authentication issues
- 💰 Expensive premium subscription
- 📱 Limited features in free version
- 🖍️ Lack of formatting options
Secure Notes
From 719 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🔒 Secure notes and folders
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Efficient note-taking
- 💡 Innovative features like Love Voice Notes
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitchy performance after updates
- 🤯 Overly complicated UI changes
- 🔒 Difficulty resetting passwords/access
- 💸 Essential features locked behind paywall
Bugs and requests
Standard Notes
Reported bugs
4 issues- Notes disappearing or getting deleted unexpectedly
- Sync issues between devices
- Keyboard and UI bugs on mobile
- Compatibility problems with older iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for images and attachments
- Implement a more robust search function
- Introduce a dark mode option
- Allow for better note organization (folders, nested tags)
- Add undo/redo functionality
Secure Notes
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent app crashes
- Delayed text input and display
- Inability to access locked notes
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to move notes between folders
- Option to customize font, size, and colors
- Trash/Recycle bin for deleted notes
- Cloud sync/backup functionality
In-app purchases
Standard Notes
- Professional Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year
Secure Notes
- Secure Notes - 1 Month PRO3 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Secure Notes - Pro Monthly3 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Secure Notes Pro Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
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- Secure Notes Pro Annual Offer$19.991 Year
- Secure Notes - 1 Year PRO$39.991 Year
- Secure Notes Pro - Lifetime$99.99
Questions
Is Standard Notes free?
Is Secure Notes free?
Which has better reviews, Standard Notes or Secure Notes?
Do Standard Notes or Secure Notes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Standard Notes or Secure Notes?
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