Standard Notes alternative

A Standard Notes alternative with Markdown included, for free

Standard Notes is a strong, long-running encrypted notes app, and its free Standard plan includes end-to-end encryption and sync on unlimited devices. That free plan is plain text only. Markdown, rich text, checklists and the Super editor are on the Productivity plan at $90 a year. Koru is a free, open-source desktop notes app for Windows, macOS and Linux. Your notes live on your own devices, headings, lists, tables and checklists are included, and devices sync directly, end-to-end encrypted, with no account. Standard Notes is ahead today if you need iPhone or Android apps, or encryption of notes on disk and in a zero-knowledge cloud.

Download Koru - free Download for Windows Download for Mac See the roadmap

Why people look for a Standard Notes alternative

The free plan is plain text only

Standard Notes' plans page lists three tiers. The free Standard plan includes end-to-end encryption, unlimited device sync on web, desktop and mobile, offline access, tags, password-protected notes, two-factor authentication and a full data export. Under note types, that free plan is "Plain text notes."

Markdown, rich text, checklists, code snippets and the Super note type are listed under Productivity, at $90 a year. There is no monthly price on the plans page, and Standard Notes says it does not offer a trial of paid features.

In an October 2025 thread on r/StandardNotes, the original poster wrote: "I'm not paying $90 a year just to be able to make lists and checklists when every other app has this feature for free."

Paid editors become read-only if you stop paying

Standard Notes' subscription expiry help says an active subscription is required to use paid note editors and plugins. When a subscription expires, those editors enter read-only mode: you can still view the formatting, but you cannot edit with the paid editors unless you switch the note back to the plain text editor. Files attached to notes or uploaded for storage cannot be viewed or downloaded after expiry, so Standard Notes tells you to download a copy first.

A Standard Notes account, and a cloud you do not run

Standard Notes syncs through an account on their service. That sync is end-to-end encrypted, which is a real strength, but it is still an account and a vendor cloud. Some people want notes that live on their own computers, with no account, and sync that does not depend on a notes company's servers.

Koru and Standard Notes, side by side

Feature	Koru	Standard Notes
Price	Free. No account and no trial. Device-to-device sync is free; optional Koru Cloud is $9.99/month for 100 GB. Koru Cloud sign-in is not available on Linux yet.	Free Standard plan. Productivity is $90/year. Professional is $120/year. Students get a 30% discount. No trial of paid features; 14-day refund on Productivity, 90-day refund on Professional.
Account	None required, including for sync.	A Standard Notes account, including for the free plan.
Writing	Documents with headings, tables, checklists, code, Mermaid diagrams, callouts and #tags, included in the free app. Export to Markdown or TextBundle at any time.	Plain text on the free Standard plan. Markdown, rich text, checklists, code snippets and Super notes are on Productivity ($90/year). Spreadsheets, Daily Notebooks, folders and the Web Clipper are also on Productivity.
Where your notes live	In a local database on your device. Works fully offline, with no account required. Koru does not encrypt that local database itself; use your operating system's disk encryption.	On your devices and in your Standard Notes account. Official help says notes, tags and other data are encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305. The privacy page says data is encrypted anytime it touches a disk, including their servers and your device.
Sync	Directly between your own devices, peer to peer and end-to-end encrypted, built on iroh, with changes combined using Loro CRDTs. No Koru server required. Free. Both devices need to be online at the same time.	Unlimited device sync on web, desktop and mobile, included on the free plan, through Standard Notes' end-to-end encrypted cloud.
Encryption	Device-to-device sync is end-to-end encrypted, including when Koru's relay forwards traffic it cannot read. Optional Koru Cloud keeps a copy on Koru's servers and is not covered by that device-to-device guarantee.	End-to-end encryption is included on the free plan. Standard Notes says only you have the keys, and that it cannot read your notes.
Note protection	Password-protected notes are not available yet.	Password-protect individual notes, and two-factor authentication, on the free plan. Hardware security key support is on Professional.
Platforms	Windows, macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Linux (stable since 0.1.4, x86_64). No phone app yet. Phone apps are listed as coming soon on Koru's pricing page.	iOS, Android, web browsers, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows and Linux.
Open source	Yes, under MPL-2.0, on GitHub. Koru Cloud's server code is not in that repository.	Yes. The app repository is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3. Standard Notes' help says the application and server source are open.
Web clipper	No. A web clipper is on the roadmap.	Yes, on the Productivity plan.
File storage	Optional Koru Cloud: $9.99/month for 100 GB. Not on Linux yet.	Encrypted file storage of 100 GB, with offline file access, is on Professional ($120/year).
Import and export	Imports Evernote (.enex), Notion, OneNote, Google Docs, Markdown and TextBundle. Exports Markdown and TextBundle. No Standard Notes importer.	Full data export in encrypted or plaintext format, listed on the free plan. A decrypted backup is a zip that includes a Standard Notes backup file and a folder of individual plain text files.
AI	Works with the AI you choose, never a forced Koru cloud AI. A built-in MCP server (koru-mcp) lets MCP clients such as Claude read and work with your notes locally. Terminals open as tabs, and on a Mac, coding agents too.	Not compared. This page does not describe Standard Notes AI features.

Standard Notes details as published on Standard Notes's own pages, checked November 9, 2026. Plans change: check their site before you decide.

The differences that matter

Markdown and lists without a paid editor

In Koru, headings, lists, checklists, tables, code, Mermaid diagrams and callouts are part of the free app. You can export to Markdown or TextBundle at any time.

In Standard Notes, those editors are paid. The free plan is a plain text editor. If you later drop Productivity or Professional, paid editors become read-only and you have to switch a note back to plain text to keep editing it.

If you are happy writing plain text, Standard Notes' free plan already covers encryption and sync. The gap is for people who want Markdown or basic formatting without paying $90 a year. A longer look at the plans is in Is Standard Notes free?.

Where encryption is strong, and where it is different

Standard Notes is built as an encrypted vault. Its help page says notes, tags and other data are encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305, with keys derived from your password using Argon2, and that encryption and decryption happen on your device before data is synced. Its privacy page says data is encrypted anytime it touches a disk, on their servers or on your device. It lists four third-party security audits, the most recent a 2022 Cure53 assessment of the server. If you want a zero-knowledge encrypted cloud copy of every note, Standard Notes is built for that, including on the free plan.

Koru takes a different path. Your notes stay in a local database on your computer, and you do not create an account. Sync between your own devices is end-to-end encrypted over iroh. Koru does not encrypt that local database itself; Koru's private notes page tells you to turn on your operating system's disk encryption (BitLocker, FileVault or LUKS) and a screen lock. Optional Koru Cloud, at $9.99 a month for 100 GB, keeps an always-on copy on Koru's servers. That copy is outside the device-to-device encryption guarantee, and Koru Cloud sign-in is not available on Linux yet.

If on-disk encryption of the notes database, or a zero-knowledge vendor cloud, is the main reason you use Standard Notes, stay with Standard Notes.

Sync without an account, with a trade-off

In Koru, you link a second computer with a QR code or a short code. The two sync directly, peer to peer, end-to-end encrypted, and edits made offline are combined when they reconnect. There is no Standard Notes-style account. Both devices need to be online at the same time. When they cannot connect directly, Koru's relay forwards the encrypted traffic and stores nothing.

Standard Notes syncs through its encrypted cloud, on unlimited devices, including phones and the web, and those devices do not have to be online together. That is simpler if you write on a phone and a computer at different times.

Open source, with different licenses

Both apps are open source. Koru's app is MPL-2.0. The Standard Notes app repository is AGPL-3.0. Standard Notes also says the server source is open, which matters if you want to inspect the sync service itself. Koru's device-to-device sync is in the open-source app; Koru Cloud's server code is not.

Where Standard Notes is ahead

Standard Notes has iOS and Android apps, a web app, and official builds for Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux. Koru is a desktop app for Windows, macOS 12+ on Apple silicon, and Linux, with no phone app yet and no web app.

Standard Notes encrypts notes on disk and in its cloud, offers password-protected notes and two-factor authentication on the free plan, and has published third-party audit reports. It can also be a 2FA authenticator for other services, host spreadsheets and Daily Notebooks, clip web pages, and store 100 GB of encrypted files, all on paid plans. Koru has none of those.

If you write on your phone, need a web app, or want Standard Notes' encryption and audit story, Standard Notes is the better fit today.

Koru on Windows, Mac and Linux

Koru runs on Windows, on macOS 12 or later with Apple silicon, and on Linux as a stable release since 0.1.4 (x86_64). Link a PC and a Mac with a QR code or a short code and they sync directly, end-to-end encrypted, with no account. A Linux PC links the same way.

On Linux, Koru Voice and Koru Cloud sign-in are not available yet, and the download is a tar.gz, not an AppImage, .deb, .rpm or Flatpak.

Download Koru for Windows or download Koru for Mac. On Linux, see Koru for Linux.

Which one fits you

Koru is a good fit if

You want Markdown-style writing (headings, lists, checklists, tables, code) without a $90/year editor plan.
You write on a Windows PC, a Mac or a Linux PC and can do without a phone app for now.
You want notes stored on your own computers, with no account, and free end-to-end encrypted sync between those computers.
You want a native desktop app, and you like having terminal tabs or a local MCP server next to your notes.

Standard Notes may suit you better, for now, if

You write on iPhone, iPad or Android, or you need a web app.
You want notes encrypted on disk and in a zero-knowledge cloud, with published security audits.
You are happy writing plain text, or you already pay for Productivity or Professional and use Super notes, files, the Web Clipper or revision history.
You want password-protected notes, a hardware security key or a built-in authenticator.

Missing something you rely on? Tell us at hello@koru.do. What people ask for shapes the roadmap.

Moving from Standard Notes to Koru

Koru has no Standard Notes importer. Do not treat the steps below as a tested migration. They are the official Standard Notes export, followed by Koru's existing Markdown import, which we have not run against a Standard Notes backup.

In the Standard Notes desktop or web app, open Preferences, then Backups, then Data Backups. Choose the decrypted (plaintext) format and download the backup. Standard Notes' backup help says the decrypted download is a zip containing a Standard Notes backup file and a folder of individual plain text files, one per note. Keep that zip.
Koru's Markdown import reads .md and .markdown files, not a Standard Notes backup file. If you try this path, you would be renaming or converting those exported plain text files, then using Import, then Markdown, or dragging the files into the Koru window. This has not been tested. Formatting from Super notes, attachments, tags, folders, spreadsheets and password-protected notes may not carry over cleanly, or at all.
Leave your Standard Notes export, and your Standard Notes account, in place until you have checked a representative set of notes.

What comes across

Standard Notes lets you export your data in encrypted or plaintext form, including on the free plan, according to its plans page.
Koru imports Markdown and TextBundle, and also Evernote .enex, Notion, OneNote and Google Docs. It does not list Standard Notes as a source.

What to know first

There is no one-click Standard Notes import.
Encrypted Standard Notes backups need your Standard Notes account password to decrypt, and Koru cannot read them.
If you have files in a Professional plan, download them before an export or before a subscription ends. After expiry, Standard Notes says you cannot view or download those files.
This Markdown-import path has not been tested against a Standard Notes backup, so keep your export.

See all import options

Questions

Is Standard Notes free?

Yes, there is a free Standard plan. It includes end-to-end encryption, unlimited device sync, offline access and plain text notes. Markdown, rich text, checklists and the Super editor are not on the free plan. They are on Productivity, at $90 a year, as listed on standardnotes.com/plans on November 9, 2026. A longer look at the plans is in Is Standard Notes free?.

Does Standard Notes include Markdown on the free plan?

No. The free plan is listed as plain text notes. Markdown and rich text are listed under the $90/year Productivity plan.

Is Koru free?

Yes. Koru is free and open source under MPL-2.0, with no account. Sync between your own devices is included. Optional Koru Cloud is $9.99/month for 100 GB. Koru Cloud sign-in is not available on Linux yet.

Is Koru end-to-end encrypted like Standard Notes?

The two products encrypt different things. Standard Notes encrypts notes on the device and in its cloud, and says it cannot read them. Koru encrypts sync between your own devices, end to end. Koru does not encrypt its local database itself, and optional Koru Cloud is a copy on Koru's servers, not covered by that device-to-device guarantee. Read how Koru's private notes work.

Does Koru have a phone app like Standard Notes?

Not yet. Koru is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux. Standard Notes has iOS and Android apps and a web app. Phone apps are listed as coming soon on Koru's pricing page.

Can I import Standard Notes into Koru?

Not with a dedicated importer. You can export a decrypted backup from Standard Notes and, in principle, bring plain text or Markdown files in through Koru's Markdown import. That path has not been tested, so keep your Standard Notes export.

Does Koru run on Linux?

Yes. Koru runs on Linux (x86_64) as a stable release since 0.1.4, as well as on Windows and macOS 12+ on Apple silicon. See Koru for Linux. Standard Notes also has a Linux app.

What is a good Standard Notes alternative if I need a phone app today?

Stay with Standard Notes, or look at an app that already ships iOS and Android clients, such as Joplin. Koru is not a phone replacement yet.