Best Secure Notes Apps in 2026
Updated
In short: Notesnook is ranked #1 of 30 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Cryptee and PrivacyNotes. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Cryptee. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Notesnook at $1.99/mo.
Secure notes apps help you keep personal writing and reference material while considering how notes are protected, accessed, and moved. Compare encryption models with offline access, file attachments, and export formats to assess practical fit. Open-source status, supported platforms, and free-plan availability provide other comparison points, while paid-from pricing indicates where costs begin. Notesnook, Cryptee, and PrivacyNotes are among the options, alongside Standard Notes and Dash. Weigh the safeguards and portability features you want against the platforms and note-taking capabilities you rely on.
30 secure notes apps ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
9 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NotesnookWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $1.99/mo | 6.8 | |
| 2 | CrypteeWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | €3/mo | 6.7 | |
| 3 | PrivacyNotesWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 4 | Standard NotesWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $7.50/mo | 6.7 | |
| 5 | DashWeb · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | NotyraWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 7 | TurtlWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · Self-hosted · Extension | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 8 | BinderusWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | SilentNotesWindows · Android | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | JoplinWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · Extension | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | €2.99/mo | 5.8 |
| 11 | AnytypeWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Extension | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 12 | QOwnNotesWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 13 | NolioWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 14 | OpenVLTWeb · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | PasteWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 16 | SnugAndroid · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 17 | VaultNoteWindows · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 18 | Cipher NotesAndroid | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | LockpadWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | NULVEXAndroid | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | Safe NotesWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | SecNotesWeb · Android | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 23 | SnoqWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | ZeroNoteWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | Crypto NotepadWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which secure notes app is ranked first on Freedom251?
Notesnook is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 6.8. Cryptee is second and PrivacyNotes third.
How many of these have a free plan?
9 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Notesnook has the lowest first paid tier we found: $1.99/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.