Secure Note Taking Apps Compared: Which Encrypted Notepad Keeps Your Data Safe?

You jot down passwords, medical info, journal entries, and private thoughts in your notes app every day. But have you ever stopped to consider who else might be reading them?

Most default notes apps store your data in plain text on company servers. If the service gets breached, or if an employee with access decides to look, your private notes are exposed. In 2025 alone, multiple cloud services reported data incidents that affected millions of users' stored documents.

The good news: there are note-taking apps built from the ground up with encryption. Let's compare the top options.

Quick Comparison Table

App	E2E Encryption	Open Source	Free Tier	Cross Platform	Zero Knowledge
Standard Notes	Yes (default)	Yes	Generous	All platforms	Yes
Joplin	Yes (with setup)	Yes	Full features	All platforms	With self-host
Notesnook	Yes (default)	Yes	Generous	All platforms	Yes
Apple Notes (Locked)	Per-note only	No	Free	Apple only	No
Samsung Notes (Locked)	Per-note only	No	Free	Samsung only	No

App by App Breakdown

Standard Notes

Standard Notes has been a pioneer in encrypted note-taking. Every note you create is encrypted by default before it leaves your device. The company cannot read your notes even if they wanted to.

Strengths: Encryption is on by default with no extra configuration. The app is fully open source, so anyone can audit the code. It supports rich text, markdown, and code editing through extensions.

Limitations: The free plan covers basic text notes. Advanced editors and themes require a paid subscription (around $90/year). The interface is intentionally minimal, which some users find limiting.

Joplin

Joplin is an open source note-taking app that excels at organization. It supports notebooks, tags, and even web clipping. End-to-end encryption is available but needs to be manually enabled in the settings.

Strengths: Completely free and open source. Markdown support is excellent. You can sync via Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, or your own server. Strong import/export capabilities.

Limitations: E2E encryption is not turned on by default. The encryption setup can be confusing for less technical users. The mobile experience is functional but not as polished as some competitors.

Notesnook

Notesnook is a newer player that combines the privacy principles of Standard Notes with a more modern interface. All notes are encrypted by default, and the company operates on a zero-knowledge model.

Strengths: Beautiful, modern UI. Encryption is on by default. Generous free plan that includes most features. Open source. Available on all major platforms.

Limitations: Smaller community compared to the others. Some advanced features like notebook linking are still being developed. The project is younger, so long-term stability is still being proven.

Apple Notes (Locked Notes)

Apple Notes lets you lock individual notes with a password or biometrics. Locked notes are encrypted on your device. However, regular (unlocked) notes are stored on iCloud with Apple holding the encryption keys.

Strengths: Built into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. No extra app needed. Biometric unlock is convenient. Free.

Limitations: Only works within the Apple ecosystem. Locking is per-note, not system-wide. Apple can access your unlocked notes. No open source code to verify claims.

Samsung Notes (Locked Notes)

Similar to Apple Notes, Samsung Notes allows you to lock individual notes behind biometrics or a password. The locked notes are protected on the device, but the overall service is not end-to-end encrypted.

Strengths: Preinstalled on Samsung devices. Supports S Pen features and handwriting recognition. Free.

Limitations: Samsung ecosystem only. Per-note lock, not default encryption. No open source verification. Synced notes may not be fully encrypted in transit.

What to Look for in a Secure Notes App

End-to-End Encryption (E2E)

This is the gold standard. With E2E encryption, your notes are encrypted on your device before they reach any server. Even the service provider cannot read them. Standard Notes, Notesnook, and Joplin (when configured) all offer this.

Zero-Knowledge Architecture

Zero-knowledge means the company has no way to access your data. They don't store your encryption keys, and they can't reset your password to peek inside. If you lose your password, your data is gone. That's the trade-off for real privacy.

Open Source Code

When a company says "we encrypt everything," how can you verify that? Open source apps let security researchers and the public audit the code. Standard Notes, Joplin, and Notesnook are all open source.

Cross-Platform Availability

Encryption is useless if you can only access your notes on one device. The best encrypted note apps work on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. Apple Notes and Samsung Notes fall short here since they are locked to their respective ecosystems.

Personal Notes vs. Shared Notes: Different Problems

All of the apps above solve one problem: keeping your personal notes private. They're great for journals, to-do lists, private thoughts, and long-term storage.

But what about when you need to share a sensitive note with someone else?

This is where things get tricky. Most encrypted note apps aren't designed for sharing. You'd have to export your note, send it through an unencrypted channel like iMessage or email, and hope nobody intercepts it.

Think about common scenarios:

• Sending a Wi-Fi password to a guest
• Sharing login credentials with a coworker
• Passing medical information to a family member
• Delivering a confidential memo that should only be read once

For these situations, you need a tool built specifically for secure, one-time sharing.

For Sharing: LOCK.PUB Secret Memo

LOCK.PUB takes a different approach. Instead of storing notes permanently, it lets you create a password-protected secret memo designed to be shared once and then forgotten.

Here's how it works:

1. Write your note on LOCK.PUB
2. Set a password to protect it
3. Share the generated link through one channel (like Messenger or iMessage)
4. Share the password through a different channel (like a text message)
5. The recipient enters the password and reads the note

The key difference: this isn't about storing notes for yourself. It's about getting sensitive information from point A to point B without leaving a trace in chat histories or email threads.

With LOCK.PUB's Pro plan, you can set access limits (view once, then it's gone) and expiration times so the note self-destructs after a set period.

Which Solution Do You Need?

Your Need	Best Option
Private journal or diary	Standard Notes, Notesnook
Technical notes with markdown	Joplin
Quick locked note on iPhone	Apple Notes
Quick locked note on Samsung	Samsung Notes
Share a password or secret with someone	LOCK.PUB Secret Memo
Send a one-time confidential message	LOCK.PUB Secret Memo

The Bottom Line

For personal, long-term note storage, pick an app with default E2E encryption and open source code. Standard Notes and Notesnook are the strongest choices in 2026. Joplin is excellent if you prefer self-hosting and full control.

For sharing sensitive information with others, use a purpose-built tool like LOCK.PUB that handles encryption, access control, and automatic expiration so you don't have to.

Your notes deserve the same level of protection as your passwords. Choose tools that treat your privacy as the default, not an afterthought.

Create a Secret Memo on LOCK.PUB ->