Comparison

Standard Notes vs Proton Authenticator

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

Proton Authenticator

Securely manage your two-factor authentication codes with an open-source, end-to-end encrypted authenticator app. It offers seamless cross-device syncing, effortless import from other apps, and robust backup options, all protected by strict Swiss privacy laws. Take control of your digital security with a trusted and private solution.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encrypted iCloud sync
  • Effortless import from other authenticators
  • Secure backup and export
  • Swiss privacy by design
  • Open source and transparent
  • Offline support
Features
Read full description

Get the authenticator trusted by millions — from Proton Mail, the world's largest encrypted email provider. Proton Authenticator is open source, end-to-end encrypted, and protected by strict Swiss privacy laws. Protect all your new accounts and strengthen security on your existing ones. Proton Authenticator keeps your 2FA codes secure, accessible, and completely private — with full control over where your data is stored. KEY FEATURES Local-First Storage:Your 2FA codes are stored entirely on your device, giving you complete control over your data. Effortless Import: Migrate from Google Authenticator, Authy, or any other app in seconds. Secure Backup & Export: Retain full control of your data with easy backup and restore options. Swiss Privacy by Design: Built under Switzerland's strongest data protection regulations. Open Source & Transparent: Auditable code. No tracking. No ads. Take control of your digital security with encryption you can trust. Free to use: No Proton account required, ad-free. Offline support: On mobile and desktop apps No other 2FA app provides this combination of security and privacy. Trusted by millions. Built by Proton. Take control of your digital security today. Terms of service: https://proton.me/legal/terms Learn more: https://proton.me

Screenshots

Standard Notes4 screens
Proton Authenticator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Proton Authenticator at none against Standard Notes's 1. Proton Authenticator also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). Standard Notes's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (3.7K vs 242). On price, review sentiment, 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. Proton Authenticator asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Standard Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Standard Notes has 3.7K ratings behind it against 242, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Standard Notes's written reviews are positive against 56% of Proton Authenticator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Standard Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Proton Authenticator weekly. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Standard Notes versus Proton Authenticator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStandard NotesProton Authenticator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.7K ratings) — better4.4 (242 ratings)
Positive reviews63.4% of reviews — better56.3% of reviews
Number of ratings3.7K — better242
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size92 MB119 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStandard Notes Ltd.Proton AG

Customer experience

Standard Notes

All ratings3,714 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews580 reviews
Positive63.4%
Neutral10.7%
Negative25.9%

Proton Authenticator

All ratings242 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews231 reviews
Positive56.3%
Neutral20.8%
Negative22.9%

User reviews

Standard Notes

From 3.7K App Store ratings

What 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

Proton Authenticator

From 242 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Cross-platform support
  • 🔒 Secure cloud sync
  • 👍 Easy import from other authenticators
  • 🚀 Convenient 'next' feature for codes

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy UI (scrolling jitters, random sorting)
  • 👎 Lack of customization options (pin favorites, change icons)
  • 🐛 Sync/login issues on iPad

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

Proton Authenticator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sync/login loop on iPad
  • 2FA input broken on non-iPhone devices
  • Screen strobing on iPad
  • Duplicate entries after import

Requested features

5 requests
  • PIN unlock for desktop
  • Alphabetical sorting option
  • Export function (not just Proton-specific backup)
  • Native macOS app
  • Option to hide item icons

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Standard Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Professional Plan7 Days trial$119.991 Year
None

Proton Authenticator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Standard Notes free?
Standard Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Proton Authenticator free?
Proton Authenticator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Standard Notes or Proton Authenticator?
Standard Notes is rated higher. Standard Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Proton Authenticator averages 4.4 from 242 ratings.
Do Standard Notes or Proton Authenticator have ads?
Neither Standard Notes nor Proton Authenticator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Standard Notes or Proton Authenticator?
Standard Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Proton Authenticator weekly. Most recently, Standard Notes was updated on September 22, 2026 and Proton Authenticator on September 22, 2026.

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