Simplenote icon
Simplenote icon

Simplenote

 595 likes

Made by the company behind WordPress, Simplenote enables users to take notes, lists, and ideas. These notes are stored on the cloud and are accessible across multiple devices.

Simplenote screenshot 1

License model

  • FreeOpen Source

Country of Origin

  • US flagUnited States

Platforms

  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Online
  • Android
  • iPhone
  • Android Tablet
  • iPad
3.6 / 5 Avg rating (33)
595likes
36comments

Features

Suggest and vote on features

Properties

  1.  Clean design
  2.  Lightweight
  3.  Minimalistic
  4.  Distraction-free

Features

  1.  Cross-device syncing
  2.  Support for MarkDown
  3.  Search by tags
  4.  Simple text editor
  5.  Protected by Password
  6.  Text Based Format
  7.  Tagging
  8. Android icon  Android Sync
  9.  Dark Mode
  10.  Web Access
  11.  Publish notes online
  12.  Tag based
  13.  Full-Text Search
  14.  Portable
  15.  Works Offline
  16.  No Tracking
  17.  Ad-free
  18.  File Versioning
  19.  Automatic Backup
  20.  Live Preview
  21.  Share notes
  22.  Integrated Search
  23.  Note organization
  24.  Electron based
  25.  Fast motion
  26.  Rewind the changes

Simplenote News & Activities

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Simplenote information

  • Developed by

    US flagAutomattic
  • Licensing

    Open Source (GPL-2.0) and Free product.
  • Written in

  • Rating

    Average rating of 3.6 (33 ratings)
  • Alternatives

    79 alternatives listed
  • Supported Languages

    • English
    • Arabic
    • Dutch
    • French
    • German
    • Greek
    • Hebrew
    • Indonesian
    • Italian
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Persian
    • Portuguese
    • Russian
    • Chinese
    • Spanish
    • Swedish
    • Turkish
    • Welsh

AlternativeTo Categories

Office & ProductivityBackup & Sync

Apple AppStore

  •   Updated Nov 4, 2024
  •   4.76 avg rating
View in AppStore

GitHub repository

  •  5,015 Stars
  •  575 Forks
  •  239 Open Issues
  •   Updated Apr 30, 2025 
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Popular alternatives

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Our users have written 36 comments and reviews about Simplenote, and it has gotten 595 likes

Simplenote was added to AlternativeTo by haystackneedle on May 27, 2009 and this page was last updated May 8, 2025.

Comments and Reviews

   
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Comment summary: Simplenote is praised for its simplicity, speed, and cross-platform compatibility. It supports markdown and provides instant search with two-way sync. However, concerns about limited features like the inability to attach images, lack of full open-source status, and privacy issues are noted. Some users experience data loss and syncing issues, leading to decreased trust. Overall, Simplenote serves adequately for basic note-taking, but its limitations prompt some users to seek alternatives.
Top Positive Comment
JohnDangerbrooks
Feb 25, 2021
4

I see that there is a bit of misunderstanding about Simplenote and its licensing model. The Simplenote client is indeed free and open-source, under the terms of GPL v2. (See simplenote-electron on GitHub) It connects to server components that are also free and open-source. But Simplenote is more a service than an app; in the end, you entrust other people with your data in exchange for achieving mobility. That means you must study the terms of service.

All things considered, I like Simplenote.

Top Negative Comment
John Fastman
Mar 12, 2017
18

Everywhere you turn, Simplenote is celebrated as wonderfully convenient and brilliant for productivity. Oh, and it's free, didn't you know? But in truth, it's not very private - at least in principle. Your information is stored with a 3rd party in a form they can read and which they can give away to others (in fact they have to if the NSA asks). In that respect, your Simplenote data is every bit as vulnerable as it is in Dropbox or Evernote (both of which have been hacked before: see here for Dropbox, here for Evernote).

The alternative is Turtl. All the same and - in many cases - better features and, crucially, it's end-to-end encrypted. That means your data is encrypted using your password (don't forget it!) before it leaves your computer. The server responsible for syncing and the admins responsible for Turtl can't read your notes. If hackers get it they won't be able to read your data. And if the NSA asks for it, it won't matter: it's encrypted.

Not convinced?

Things that Simplenote and Turtl BOTH have:

  • open source (Simplenote not fully, it seems)
  • pay nothing
  • tags
  • markdown support
  • note sharing
  • instant search
  • supports Windows, Mac, Linux & Android
  • sync hosted in US

What Turtl has that Simplenote doesn't:

  • end-to-end encryption (much better privacy: Turtl can't give your data away to others)
  • browser plugins for bookmarking
  • multi-word tags
  • attach images and other files
  • note previews
  • active development (Simplenote hasn't evolved much recently)

What Simplenote has that Turtl doesn't:

  • iOS app (Turtl is working on it now...)

Compare the privacy policies: Here for Turtl, here for Simplenote. Then think about where you want your notes to live.

quadz
Mar 30, 2017

Turtl for Android has only "Semi-offline mode" while SimpleNote has the full-fledged offline. Turtl blog (http://turtlapp.tumblr.com/): Semi-offline mode is here, with one exception: you must be connected to log in to or join Turtl. Other than that, all changes you make to your profile will be queued up and synced to the server the next time you connect. Simplenote help (https://simplenote.com/help/): Can I search notes without a connection to the internet? Yes, using Simplenote for iOS and Android, you can search your notes even when you’re offline. Searching from our web app, however, currently requires a connection to the internet. Also, Turtl always shows you his icon in notification bar (i didn't found way to disable it)

Natterjack565
Jun 28, 2017

Turtl can be self-hosted --- solving the "sync hosted in US" issue.

Turtl icon Turtl

ruskelljd
May 17, 2018

Isn't this supposed to be a review for simplenote not turtl

Natterjack565
May 18, 2018

Whatever!

Sam Lander
Jan 15, 2024

Well said. It seems Turtl is no longer being developed, but you can achieve the same thing with any open-source app by firewalling it and keeping the documents in a veracrypt folder (or other encryption service) inside or cloned to any cloud folder.

This would technically be safer than trusting how some writing app implements their encryption.

Vitaly Zdanevich
Aug 29, 2024
1

I cannot attach images? Sorry but this is impossible for me to use this :(

RemovedUser
Jan 24, 2024
1

Thanks here to open this ways and be in the relation to update the wiriting doc in the small time to got the image Screen Ecran Agent user

Just Some Procrastinator Reviewing Productivity Software
Sep 2, 2023
1

Simplenote is missing simple functions such as selecting multiple notes. The help page shows how to select multiple notes. I have tried it on Firefox, Edge and desktop app but it never worked! Also, Simplenote desktop app is built on Electron, which is resource-heavy and slow. Simplenote is so terrible that Google Keep is more usable than this. Why Simplenote keeps being recommended is a mystery.

tomyan112
Jun 8, 2023
0

If you just need some something to store text quick, simple and smart, then simplenote is the way to get that done. Also, it is cross-platform (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, or in your browser).

Simplenote doesn't offer folders or subfolders, notebooks, sections, stacks, or other organizational tools. It does not have image or video attachment function.

It's all tag based navigation. I can't recommend it enough. I use this every single day.

Sam
Mar 22, 2023
0

I used Simplenote for 3+ years, but recently stopped using it. It meets my needs in almost every way as a simple note taking tool that houses "pending" notes I eventually move into more permanent locations like Google Drive and Workflowy. But I had to stop using it because of 1 recurring bug that has existed since I started using it. Every so often a note gets stuck syncing forever which causes my browser session to stop syncing overall. The note will never save and requires me to clear my session/cache to restore functionality. Ultimately, this led me to trust the service less and less because it was possible I could lose data. It was rare enough that I could work around it (maybe once per month), but I just couldn't put up with it anymore and moved off completely. Unfortunate because otherwise the app has worked great.

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What is Simplenote?

Made by the company behind WordPress icon WordPress, Simplenote enables users to take notes, lists, and ideas. These notes are stored on the cloud and are accessible across multiple devices.

Simplenote's both client and server components are free and open-source. However, the service component of Simplenote requires free registration and accepting the terms of service.

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