Notes App Comparison
Five widely used notes apps compared, who reads your notes, who stores them where, and where Nextcloud Notes fits as a self hosted alternative.
Last updated: September 1, 2026
How much control over your notes you keep
The longer the bar, the more control you keep yourself. A short bar means the provider has access to your stored notes.
| Standard Notes | Apple Notes | Google Keep | Notion | Microsoft OneNote | Samsung Notes | Nextcloud Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where notes are stored | On their own servers or self hosted | On Apple servers via iCloud | On Google servers | On Notion servers, usually in the US | On Microsoft servers via OneDrive | Locally on the device, optionally synced via Samsung Cloud | On your own server |
| End to end encryption | Yes, active by default | Yes, optional for locked notes | No | No | No | No | Yes, if the server is set up accordingly |
| Open source | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Cost | Free with basic features, optional subscription for extended features | Free, extra iCloud storage is paid | Free | Free with limitations, otherwise a subscription | Free, mostly bundled with Microsoft 365 | Free, Samsung devices only | Only the cost of running your own server |
| Sync | Yes, via own or self hosted servers | Yes, via iCloud | Yes, via Google account | Yes, via Notion servers | Yes, via Microsoft account and OneDrive | Optionally via Samsung Cloud, otherwise local only | Yes, via your own Nextcloud server |
| Suited for | Privacy conscious users who still want convenience | Apple users within their own ecosystem | Quick, simple notes without high demands | Teams, project planning and wikis | Windows and Office users with extensive, structured notes | Samsung device users for simple local notes | Technically interested people with their own server |
No ads, no paid recommendation. Standard Notes is the only app here that encrypts notes end to end by default, meaning even the provider can't read the content. I personally only use Nextcloud Notes myself, so I don't give a recommendation for Standard Notes.
Nextcloud Notes is a simple app within Nextcloud that stores notes as text files on your own server. Anyone already running Nextcloud gets a privacy friendly notes solution with no extra effort.
What end to end encryption means for notes
With most notes apps, the content is readable by the provider, accessible after a server breach, in a data leak, or by court order. End to end encryption prevents exactly that.
Only your devices hold the key. Standard Notes works this way. Google Keep, Notion and Apple Notes without locked mode do not.