The BEST Private Notetaking Apps Explained

Summary

This video script explores five privacy-respecting digital note-taking apps that prioritize data ownership and security, offering alternatives to mainstream options. It emphasizes the importance of end-to-end encryption and user control over data. Apps featured include Craft, Notally, Apple Notes, Joplin, and Standard Notes, with honorable mentions to Signal's Note to Self, Crypti, and Nextcloud. The top pick is Obsidian, lauded for its customization and data ownership as a personal knowledge base.

Takeaways

• 🔐 Digital note-taking apps vary greatly in their approach to privacy and security, with many popular apps lacking adequate protections.
• 📜 Note-taking can reveal intimate details about a person's beliefs and preferences, making privacy a critical concern.
• 🔒 End-to-end encryption is essential for keeping digital notes secure, similar to locking physical journals in a safe.
• 📂 Data ownership is a key issue; if your data is on a server you don't own, the server owner can potentially claim ownership.
• 📱 Craft is a mainstream app with a strong stance on data ownership and a user-friendly interface.
• 📝 Notally and Apple Notes are recommended for basic, offline mobile note-taking, with Notally available on both Android and iOS.
• 🧪 Joplin is a privacy-respecting, open-source app that supports Markdown and offers end-to-end encryption for cloud syncing.
• 🔗 Standard Notes is a fully open-source, freemium app with end-to-end encryption and extensive features for paying users.
• 🧠 Obsidian is a highly customizable, cross-platform note-taking app that supports local storage and end-to-end encryption for cloud syncing.
• 🌐 Honorable mentions include Signal's Note to Self feature for basic encrypted notes and Crypti and Nextcloud for private cloud storage with note-taking capabilities.

Q & A

What is the primary concern regarding note-taking apps in terms of privacy?

The primary concern is that many popular note-taking apps do not adequately protect user privacy and security, potentially exposing intimate details about a person's beliefs, preferences, and struggles.

Why is data ownership and safety important when discussing digital note-taking?

Data ownership and safety are important because they ensure that the user has control over their data and that it is protected, similar to how a physical journal or document is secured with a lock.

What does end-to-end encryption mean in the context of digital note-taking apps?

End-to-end encryption means that the data is encrypted in such a way that only the user has the key to decrypt it, ensuring that the data remains private and secure even when stored on a cloud server.

What is Craft, and why is it included in the list of privacy-respecting apps?

Craft is a mainstream note-taking app that is included because of its strong public stance on data ownership and accessibility, offering a clear explanation of these concepts and a commitment to ensuring the end user owns their data.

Why are Notally and Apple Notes recommended for offline mobile notes?

Notally and Apple Notes are recommended for offline mobile notes because they provide a simple and clean user interface, support for essential features like labels and archiving, and do not require syncing with a cloud service, thus maintaining privacy.

What is Joplin, and how does it differ from other note-taking apps?

Joplin is an open-source note-taking app that serves as a privacy-respecting alternative to mainstream apps like Evernote. It supports markdown, rich text, and web clipping, and offers end-to-end encryption for syncing notes to cloud services.

What is unique about Standard Notes, and what does its extended upgrade offer?

Standard Notes is a fully open-source, freemium note-taking service that emphasizes longevity and offers end-to-end encryption, web and offline access, and syncing between devices. The extended upgrade offers additional features like themes, multiple editors, encrypted backups, and 2FA support.

What are the honorable mentions mentioned in the script, and what do they offer?

The honorable mentions are Signal's 'Note to Self' feature and the combination of Crypti and XCloud. Signal's 'Note to Self' offers basic note functionality with end-to-end encryption. Crypti and XCloud are private cloud storage services that also include note-taking options, with features like end-to-end encryption and support for various document types.

What is Obsidian, and why is it considered the top choice among the apps discussed?

Obsidian is a cross-platform app that serves as a personal knowledge base or 'second brain.' It is considered the top choice due to its focus on privacy, data ownership, customization options, and strong community support, including access to community themes and plugins on GitHub.

How does Obsidian handle data storage and privacy?

Obsidian stores all files locally on the user's device in the universal markdown format, making them private and portable. It also offers cloud syncing services with end-to-end encryption to ensure data privacy.

What are the key features of the apps mentioned in the script, and how do they contribute to privacy and data ownership?

The key features include end-to-end encryption, offline functionality, data ownership policies, and customization options. These features contribute to privacy and data ownership by ensuring that user data is secure, under the user's control, and can be easily managed and protected.

Outlines

00:00

🔒 Privacy in Digital Note-Taking Apps

This paragraph introduces the importance of privacy in digital note-taking, highlighting the intimate nature of notes and the need to protect them from prying eyes. It emphasizes the lack of privacy and security in many popular note-taking apps and introduces the concept of end-to-end encryption and data ownership as key to safeguarding personal data. The paragraph sets the stage for a discussion on five privacy-respecting note-taking apps that prioritize user data security and ownership.

05:01

📝 Exploring Privacy-Respecting Note-Taking Apps

The second paragraph delves into the features and benefits of five specific digital note-taking apps that prioritize privacy. It starts with Craft, which is praised for its clear stance on data ownership and accessibility. The paragraph then mentions Notally and Apple Notes as excellent options for offline mobile notes, with Notally being minimalistic and Apple Notes offering rich text and multimedia support. Joplin is introduced as a veteran open-source app supporting markdown and rich text, with end-to-end encryption for syncing. Standard Notes is highlighted as a fully open-source service with end-to-end encryption, offline access, and no device or note limits. The paragraph concludes with honorable mentions of Signal's 'Note to Self' feature for basic functionality and Crypti and Nextcloud for those seeking more comprehensive cloud storage and note-taking solutions.

Keywords

💡Digital Note-Taking

Digital note-taking refers to the act of recording information using electronic devices instead of traditional pen and paper. It is central to the video's theme, which discusses the privacy and security concerns associated with storing personal notes digitally. The script mentions that while many popular apps fail to protect user privacy, the video will introduce apps that prioritize privacy in digital note-taking.

💡Privacy

Privacy is a fundamental theme in the video, emphasizing the importance of keeping personal notes secure from unauthorized access. The script discusses how traditional physical journals have a clear owner, whereas digital data ownership can be more complex. The video aims to highlight apps that offer better privacy protections for note-taking.

💡Encryption

Encryption is a security method that the video script explains as the digital equivalent of locking a physical journal. It ensures that only those with the correct key can access the data. The script points out that many apps lack this form of security, leaving user data potentially vulnerable, and recommends apps that use end-to-end encryption to protect notes.

💡Data Ownership

Data ownership is a key concept discussed in the script, referring to the control and rights over one's own data. The video stresses the importance of data ownership, especially when notes are stored on servers not owned by the user. It advocates for apps with clear policies on data ownership and end-to-end encryption to ensure users maintain control over their data.

💡Craft

Craft is one of the apps mentioned in the script as having a strong stance on data ownership and accessibility. It is described as a mainstream app with a user-friendly interface and features, which also values user data privacy. The script praises Craft for its commitment to ensuring end-user data ownership, even to the extent of allowing data to be moved away from their platform.

💡Notably

Notably is an app highlighted in the script for its offline mobile note capabilities. It is appreciated for its clean, minimalist user interface and support for labels and archiving. The script positions Notably as a basic yet effective option for users who do not require complex features for their note-taking needs.

💡Apple Notes

Apple Notes is another app discussed in the script, noted for its improvements over the years and its native support on iPhones. The script mentions that with iCloud syncing turned off, Apple Notes can serve as a reliable solution for offline mobile note-taking on iOS devices, supporting rich text, note sharing, sketching, and more.

💡Joplin

Joplin is described in the script as a veteran in the private note-taking space. It is an open-source app that offers a privacy-respecting alternative to other digital notebook apps. Joplin supports markdown, rich text, and web clipping, and it can be customized with themes and plugins. The script highlights Joplin's use of end-to-end encryption for cloud syncing, ensuring data privacy.

💡Standard Notes

Standard Notes is presented in the script as a fully open-source, freemium note-taking service with end-to-end encryption and cross-device syncing. The app emphasizes longevity and offers additional features with its extended upgrade. The script appreciates Standard Notes for its comprehensive free plan and the additional customization and functionality provided by the paid upgrade.

💡Obsidian

Obsidian is the top app recommended in the script, praised for its cross-platform capabilities and customization options. It serves as a personal knowledge base, often referred to as a 'second brain.' The script notes that Obsidian stores files locally in a universal markdown format, ensuring privacy and portability. It also supports community-driven themes and plugins, making it highly customizable to suit individual needs.

💡End-to-End Encryption

End-to-end encryption is a security feature that encrypts data so that only the sender and receiver can decrypt and access it. The script mentions this feature as a crucial aspect of privacy-respecting apps, ensuring that notes are protected even when synced to cloud services. Joplin and Obsidian are highlighted as apps that offer this feature, enhancing the security of users' data.

Highlights

The importance of privacy in digital note-taking and the risks of mainstream apps not protecting user data.

Encryption and data ownership are key to keeping notes secure, with end-to-end encryption being the digital equivalent of a locked safe.

Craft is highlighted for its commitment to data ownership and accessibility, despite being a mainstream app.

Apple Notes and Notally are recommended for offline mobile notes, with Notally offering a minimalist UI and Apple Notes improving with rich text support.

Joplin is praised as a privacy-respecting alternative to Evernote, supporting markdown and rich text with end-to-end encryption for cloud syncing.

Standard Notes is an open-source, freemium service with end-to-end encryption and no limits on devices or notes.

The extended upgrade for Standard Notes offers additional features like themes, multiple editors, and encrypted backups.

Signal's 'Note to Self' feature is an end-to-end encrypted, minimalist note-taking option for those who prefer fewer apps.

Crypti and Nextcloud are both private cloud storage services with integrated note-taking capabilities and end-to-end encryption.

Obsidian is introduced as the top pick, a cross-platform app for building a personal knowledge base with extensive customization.

Obsidian's files are stored locally in markdown format, ensuring privacy and portability.

Obsidian Sync offers end-to-end encryption for cloud syncing, providing an alternative to iCloud.

The community support for Obsidian is highlighted, with themes and plugins available on GitHub for maximum functionality.

Craft is commended for its user-friendly interface and strong stance on data ownership.

Notally and Apple Notes are recommended for basic, offline mobile note-taking needs.

Joplin is recognized as a veteran in private note-taking with support for markdown and rich text.

Standard Notes is noted for its longevity focus and the additional features offered by its extended upgrade.

Obsidian's flexibility is emphasized, allowing it to be as simple or as feature-rich as the user desires.

Transcripts

digital note-taking unless you're a

productivity nerd this topic probably

sounds just as sexy as an unsolicited

background from a stranger true story

note-taking is an intimate activity that

can reveal endless details about a

person's beliefs preferences and

struggles so keeping this information

safe from curious eyes is critical to

protecting your privacy yet so many

popular note-taking apps do nothing to

protect your privacy and security

[Music]

this video will cover five privacy

respecting digital note-taking apps that

offer better privacy than mainstream

applications with a few creative

honorable mentions the order is

subjective so just make sure to try each

app yourself to see what suits you best

first though it's important to cover

encryption and data ownership in yield

in times people kept physical journals

and paper documents these items are the

property of that person and it's their

job to keep them safe which may have

involved an actual safe with a lock fast

forward to 2021 where most of these

notes have migrated to the digital space

here data ownership and safety of said

data is more convoluted than zuck's

senate hearing answers in short ends and

encryption is the equivalent of locking

your journal or documents inside a safe

that you own the only key to only this

key can decrypt your data and losing the

key means your data becomes inaccessible

most apps don't utilize this form of

encryption so the safety of your data is

up in the air at best there's also the

issue of data ownership if your data

lives on a server you don't own the

owner of said server can claim ownership

of your data no system is foolproof but

as a general rule of thumb you want to

make sure any data you're uploading to

the cloud is protected with end-to-end

encryption and the company has clear

policies on data ownership something we

are prioritizing for this video with

that said let's jump into the apps app

number five is craft which is the most

mainstream app on this list so why is it

here in the first place if it's

mainstream it's because of craft's

strong public stance on data ownership

and accessibility this page is just

awesome it explains these concepts in

everyday language and why it's a

priority to them to help deliver on this

principle they recently released a web

version of craft in addition to their

apple apps and intend to create one for

android in the future you better while

the app itself may not be open source we

still applaud kraft for working hard to

ensure the end user owns their data even

if that means moving it away from craft

entirely if you want a mainstream app

with a beautiful ui and lots of features

this is our top pick at number four hold

your comments is a two for one special

you're welcome notably in apple notes

yes stay with us these apps are both

excellent for offline mobile notes we

generally do not recommend icloud if you

couldn't tell so if all you need is a

basic notes app for simple tasks like a

grocery list these are both great for

that use case notally can be found on f

droid and the google play store and

apple notes ships with all iphones

notably has a clean minimalist ui with

support for labels archiving and a few

settings to customize note viewing it's

basic and if that's what you need this

app is good over on ios apple notes has

improved a lot over the years now

supporting rich text note sharing

sketching photos documents etc since it

natively ships with iphones and as long

as you turn icloud syncing off this is

not a bad out-of-the-box solution for

offline mobile notes on ios app number

three is joplin a veteran in the private

note-taking space joplin is a foss

kraft's platform note-taking app that

serves as a privacy respecting

alternative to digital notebook apps

like evernote it supports markdown and

rich text web clipping via their browser

extension and can be customized with

various themes and plugins to suit your

needs it can be used offline without an

account or you can sync your notes to

cloud services like dropbox normally

this would be a privacy concern but

joplin offers end-to-end encryption to

mitigate this for a fee you can use

joplin cloud which allows for quicker

syncing collaboration and publishing

notes to the web if you can live without

those features joplin is 100 free and is

an excellent fast digital note-taking

alternative to mainstream offerings app

number two is standard notes standard

notes is a fully open source freemium

note-taking service with apps for every

major platform the free version includes

end-to-end encryption web and offline

access and syncing between devices with

no device or note limit standard notes

emphasizes longevity so the extended

upgrade is available for 2.48 per month

if you commit to a five year plan it

does have a 30 day money back guarantee

though for that price you get a lot

additional themes multiple editors for

everything from markdown to code editing

a token vault extension note history

encrypted backups 2fa support and more

though we are not fans of 2fa being

paywall it's like it took a page from

microsoft's book here but otherwise you

get everything you need in the free plan

with the extended upgrade offering to

cake icing

who made that mistake offering the icing

on the cake to support development

before revealing our number one service

let's go over those honorable mentions

the first honorable mention is signals

note to self feature my favorite if you

want as few apps on your phone as

possible and you don't need any of the

features supported by other apps we've

mentioned this might be what you're

looking for just like when you start any

other signal message note to self

supports end-to-end encryption by

default and it's what it sounds like

it's a message slash note you send to

yourself these pile up just like any

other message thread and can provide

basic functionality across your devices

with signal if that's all you need the

second honorable mention is another two

for one special crypti and xcloud are

both private cloud storage first

services that also include note-taking

options crypti is the new kit on the

fastblock with lots of charm and a

universal progressive web app that runs

on any device supports documents photos

and more with neat features like ghost

albums everything is ends and encrypted

and you get 100 megabytes of storage for

free with three paid upgrade options if

you need more gigabytes next cloud is

the go to foss recommendation for cloud

storage but it also has an entire suite

of apps that you can install including

next code notes mind map quick notes and

more the next cloud notes app

specifically supports markdown offers

organization through categories and has

mobile apps for both android and ios the

main draw here is the amount of trust or

lack thereof that's needed since next

cloud is generally self-hosted both of

these services are phenomenal options if

you need or want more functionality than

an app that focuses just strictly on

note-taking and finally we present to

you app number one obsidian a

cross-platform powerhouse limitless

possibilities obsidian's primary purpose

is to serve as a personal knowledge base

a concept that's been recently

popularized as a second brain the app

has improved rapidly in 2021 now with

apps for all major platforms and a

strong helpful community backing

obsidian has quickly become a gold

standard for privacy and data ownership

in the note-taking space all files are

stored locally on your device in the

universal markdown format making them

both private and portable obsidian is

completely free to use locally or with

cloud syncing services like icloud if

you want to avoid icloud as we strongly

do you can subscribe to obsidian sync

which supports end-to-end encryption of

your files obsidian natively supports

several plugins like bi-directional

linking a knowledge graph tags and more

the real power though is the community

support within the settings you'll find

community themes and plugins for maximum

customization and functionality and the

best part all community contributions

are available on github obsidian might

seem like overkill to some of you but

the beauty is it can be as overkill or

as minimal as you want so definitely

check it out to see if it works for you

and that's our list to summarize craft

has a mainstream ui with lots of

functionality as well as a strong stance

on data ownership and portability

notally and apple notes are great

offline mobile note apps joplin is the

tried and true og fast digital note

taking app standard notes is a simple

yet powerful app with a focus on

longevity and obsidian is the king of

customization and data ownership let us

know what your favorite note-taking or

writing app is in the comments below we

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