Free alternatives to Standard Notes

Joplin gives you everything Standard Notes' free plan holds back: notebooks, tags, attachments, rich Markdown, and a web clipper, all free and open source under AGPL-3.0 (as of July 2026). Like Standard Notes it can sync everywhere at no cost, but you point it at Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or S3 rather than a hosted service. The privacy trade is the honest catch: end-to-end encryption is off until you enable it, where Standard Notes encrypts by default. The interface also looks a decade old, and there are no backlinks or graph between notes.

• Free plan, paid from €2.4/month (as of July 2026)
• United Kingdom
• Open source (AGPL-3.0-or-later)

Best for:

Standard Notes users who need attachments and formatting for free and will turn encryption on themselves

The catch:

Encryption is off until you enable it, the interface is dated, and there are no backlinks.

Anytype is the closest match if the reason you used Standard Notes was encryption by default, not just a place to write. It encrypts everything on your device before syncing, the same core promise, but adds rich content, attachments, and typed objects joined by relations (as of July 2026). Local storage is unlimited on every tier. The catches are that free gives only 100 MB of remote sync storage where Standard Notes syncs unlimited for free, the license is source-available rather than OSI open source, and there is no web app.

• Free plan, paid from $4/month (as of July 2026)
• Switzerland

Best for:

Standard Notes users who want encryption by default plus real structure and attachments

The catch:

Only 100 MB of free sync storage, a source-available license, and no web app.

Obsidian is the switch when what you actually wanted from Standard Notes was a knowledge base, not a plain-text notepad. You get backlinks, a graph, a built-in canvas, attachments, and rich Markdown, with every note stored as a plain file you own, all free for personal use (as of July 2026). The privacy trade is real: notes are not end-to-end encrypted by default the way Standard Notes are, so if that was the point, this is a step down. Sync across devices is also a paid add-on at $4 per user per month, where Standard Notes syncs free.

• Free plan, paid from $4/month (as of July 2026)
• Canada

Best for:

Standard Notes users who want a linked knowledge base in plain files they own

The catch:

It is not encrypted by default, it is closed source, and device sync is a paid add-on.

SiYuan is the pick when you want to build something structured, not just write private notes. It is a free-for-life AGPL-3.0 block-based knowledge base with block references, an attribute-view database, PDF annotation, and flashcards, all running fully offline (as of July 2026). It adds the attachments and rich content Standard Notes' free plan lacks. The privacy trade is that it is not end-to-end encrypted where Standard Notes is, sync costs a one-time payment where Standard Notes syncs free, and notes are stored as JSON with rough English docs.

• Free plan, paid from $64 one-time (as of July 2026)
• China
• Open source (AGPL-3.0)

Best for:

Standard Notes users who want an offline knowledge base with block references and flashcards

The catch:

It is not encrypted, sync costs a one-time payment, and notes are stored as JSON.

Logseq keeps Standard Notes' open source, own-your-data spirit but turns it into a knowledge base. It stores notes as local Markdown or Org files, links and queries at the block level, and is free under AGPL-3.0 with no paid tier (as of July 2026). Where Standard Notes free is plain text, Logseq gives you rich Markdown and links between notes for nothing. The trade is that it is not end-to-end encrypted by default, official Sync is a beta perk for backers, and the outliner model suits bullets more than long private prose.

• Completely free (as of July 2026)
• United States
• Open source (AGPL-3.0)

Best for:

Standard Notes users who want open source, local files with backlinks and block queries

The catch:

It is not encrypted by default, and official sync is beta and limited to backers.

AppFlowy fits if you wanted Standard Notes to be a shared workspace rather than a private notepad. You get a block editor, grid, board, and calendar database views, attachments, and real-time collaboration, all local-first and open source under AGPL-3.0 (as of July 2026). Self-hosting removes the caps, echoing Standard Notes' own self-hostable server. The privacy trade is the catch: notes are not end-to-end encrypted where Standard Notes are, the hosted free plan stops at 2 members and 5 GB, and its database relations and rollups are shallow.

• Free plan, paid from $10/month (as of July 2026)
• Singapore
• Open source (AGPL-3.0)

Best for:

Standard Notes users who want docs, databases, and collaboration in an open source workspace

The catch:

It is not encrypted, the hosted free plan caps you at 2 members, and databases are shallow.