Encrypted notes app comparison
A factual side-by-side of how the main private notes apps handle encryption, with links to each vendor’s own documentation. If you are looking for a Standard Notes alternative or a Notesnook alternative, this table shows how the options differ on end-to-end encryption, encrypted metadata, offline use and export. Vendors change their products — if you spot something out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
| App | End-to-end encryption | Encrypted metadata | AI features | Notable strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NotesSecured | Yes, for all notes by default — AES-256-GCM in the browser | Everything you create encrypted, including titles, tags and folder names | Runs on your device. Meaning-based search and related notes from a local model; the index itself is encrypted | Rich text, calculating tables, freehand, to-do lists, encrypted share links, encrypted PDF/Word export |
| Standard Notes | Yes, for all notes by default | Note content and titles encrypted per its published docs | No built-in AI assistant | Rich text and advanced editors on the paid plan; strong long-term privacy focus |
| Notesnook | Yes, for all notes by default | Note content, titles and attachments encrypted per its published docs | No built-in AI assistant | Open source, notebooks and tags, cross-platform apps |
| Obsidian | Local files are plain on disk; end-to-end encryption applies to the paid Sync service | File and folder names are visible on your own disk | Only through community plugins, most of which call a cloud AI service with your text | Local-first markdown, graph view, large plugin ecosystem |
| Apple Notes | Only for individually locked notes, or for all notes with Advanced Data Protection enabled | Titles and attachments of locked notes are not covered by the note lock | Apple Intelligence, on device or on Private Cloud Compute depending on the request | Deep Apple ecosystem integration; limited outside it |
| Evernote | No. Selected text can be encrypted manually; notes are otherwise readable by the service | Titles, tags and notebooks stored in plain form | AI search and editing features process note content on the vendor's servers | Mature web clipper, search and integrations |
| Microsoft OneNote | No. Individual sections can be password protected; the service holds the keys | Notebook, section and page names stored in plain form | Copilot processes note content in the Microsoft cloud | Freehand ink, Office integration, generous free tier |
How to read this table
The row that matters most is encrypted metadata. Plenty of apps encrypt the body of a note and leave the title, the tags and the folder name readable. A list of titles like “Divorce lawyer”, “Test results” and “Severance offer” tells a story on its own, even when the bodies are unreadable.
The second thing to check is what happens on password reset. An app that can restore your notes after a reset is holding a key that can read them. The full checklist is here.
Choosing between genuinely zero-knowledge options — NotesSecured, Standard Notes and Notesnook — comes down to what you write rather than the cryptography. If your notes are mostly prose, all three serve you well. NotesSecured is aimed at people who also need calculating tables, freehand sketches, file attachments and encrypted exports in the same vault.
See the technical detail
Our full statement of what is stored in the cloud, what stays in your browser, and how unlock works.