Comparison

Standard Notes vs Just Note2

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Offline access
  • Passcode and biometric lock
  • Tagging system
  • Open-source code
  • Optional productivity editors and themes
Features
Read full description

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/

About

Just Note2

This note-taking app offers a minimalist, ad-free, and privacy-focused experience. It securely stores your notes in a sandboxed environment and saves them in real-time, all for free.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Ad-free experience
  • Privacy-first data handling
  • Sandboxed environment for security
  • Real-time note saving
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Experience the epitome of simplicity with our note-taking app "Just Note". Designed with a minimalist approach, our application ensures an ad-free environment where your privacy is paramount. We don't gather your data, and our sandbox nature guarantees a secure space for your notes. What's more? It's completely free. Plus, never miss a thought with our real-time save feature. Dive into a seamless and safe note-taking experience now! Key Features: - Minimalist Design: Uncluttered and straightforward. - Ad-free: No interruptions, just your notes. - Privacy-first: We don't collect or store your data. - Sandboxed Environment: Your notes stay safe and secure. - Completely Free: No hidden charges or in-app purchases. - Real-time Save: Your thoughts are captured as you type. - Dark Mode: For a comfortable reading experience in low-light conditions.

Screenshots

Standard Notes4 screens
Just Note23 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Just Note2 at none against Standard Notes's 1. Just Note2 also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). Standard Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (3.8K vs 1). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Standard Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $119.99 per year. Just Note2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Just Note2 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Standard Notes has 3.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Standard Notes ships an update every 5 weeks, Just Note2 every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Standard Notes versus Just Note2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStandard NotesJust Note2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.8K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.8K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.112.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size92 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStandard Notes Ltd.KOSUKE OSAWA

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

Just Note2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Standard Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Professional Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year
None

Just Note2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Standard Notes free?
Standard Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Just Note2 free?
Just Note2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Standard Notes or Just Note2?
Just Note2 is rated higher. Standard Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while Just Note2 averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Standard Notes or Just Note2 have ads?
Neither Standard Notes nor Just Note2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Standard Notes or Just Note2?
Standard Notes ships an update every 5 weeks, and Just Note2 every 10 months. Most recently, Standard Notes was updated on November 3, 2026 and Just Note2 on October 30, 2026.

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