, it would take over 200,000 emails to fill up Gmail’s 15 GB of free storage. Unfortunately, Gmail storage is not dedicated to emails but shared between Google Drive and Google Photos.

If you use Google Workspace for work or back up your data and photos, 

the free storage can fill up rather quickly

explaining how to declutter Gmail and free up the available space

. You will also learn how to get more storage if you’re willing to commit to Gmail in the long run. To ensure you make an informed decision, we will explain whether such a commitment would be wise, taking into account 

Skiff Mail's intuitive design and robust search functionality help you efficiently organize your emails and free up space

Streamline your inbox with Skiff Mail

, there are three things you can do if you’re running low:

There’s a high chance that much of your used Gmail storage does not come from the 

 but from Google Drive. In this case, the most effective way to free up space is to delete large files you no longer need.

You will see your files sorted by storage in descending order, so right-click the heaviest files and choose 

You will notice your storage hasn’t changed. That is because the 

file wasn’t deleted entirely but only moved to the Trash 

, where it will remain for the following 30 days. To delete the file immediately and free up your storage, follow these steps:

Click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner of the file you want to delete

Depending on the number and size of your files, this step alone might free up enough storage for you to keep using Gmail uninterruptedly. If not, you should move on to 

another platform tied to Gmail’s storage—Google Photos

If photos from your phone or computer are automatically backed up to Google Photos, your storage might fill up without you realizing it. You will need to 

delete the photos you no longer need manually

, which you can do by following these steps:

Select the photos you want to delete by clicking the check mark in their upper-left corner

Click on the bin icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and confirm the deletion

Your photos will be moved to trash, similarly to files in Google Drive, but there’s an important distinction here—

your storage will be freed up immediately

. Files in Google Photos’ Trash folder don’t take up your Google storage, so permanently deleting them won’t be necessary.

Deleted photos will be removed automatically after 60 days. If you want them deleted permanently right away, you can follow the same steps you would when deleting files from Google Drive’s Trash. The layout looks virtually the same, so you can find the corresponding options by referring to the steps in the previous section.

 can often make emails significantly larger than the average size. If you still don’t have enough space after deleting files and photos, you can remove heavy emails and conversations you will no longer refer to.

Gmail’s advanced search can help you identify such emails

 and delete them in bulk. For example, if you wanted to find and 

 with attachments larger than 15 MB, you’d follow these steps:

Select the emails you want to delete or click the checkbox above the inbox to select all emails from the given page

You can use a similar approach to find old emails by entering 

 at the bottom of the left-hand menu to expand the folder list

If you want to keep all your files and emails but still need more storage, you will need to 

three standardized options and a custom plan

While the plans are relatively affordable, you should think carefully before committing to Gmail and other Google products. You might get the storage you need, but 

you’d still be exposed to a significant vulnerability—weak 

Why your data might not be safe with Gmail

 over the years, many of which have given 

. Worse yet, the company itself has undergone scrutiny due to 

Many of these issues stem from the same problem—weak encryption. Gmail uses the 

 for data at rest. While it may seem like the attack surface is minimal, 

, allowing your provider to decrypt and read your emails

Paying for an email provider that doesn’t ensure adequate safety isn’t necessary—especially when there are privacy-first email services that do a far better job at protecting your emails for free.

, the gold standard of email security. The encryption keys are 

, and your messages are turned into ciphertext before they reach the provider’s server. Only the recipient holds the decryption key, so 

nobody can read plaintext copies of your emails

If you need a provider that offers such advanced security, 

. Your correspondence is kept safe using two separate keys—a public encryption key shared with the recipient and a private decryption key stored on the recipient’s device.

, assuming your device hasn’t been compromised. Only the recipient can decrypt messages using their private key.

The platform’s security doesn’t end there—

 without leaving any personal information

, and your account credentials and other critical data will be encrypted using the Secure Remote Password algorithm. You can also use 

 to further secure your account against cyberattacks like phishing.

Free storage is typically scarce among popular 

, which is far above the industry standard. If you need more, 

Other notable features you get with the free account include the following:

 to learn more about the security measures employed.

Skiff offers secure, private storage options, allowing you to manage your files effortlessly

Leverage Skiff’s secure email and storage 

Additional E2EE platforms at no extra cost

Skiff Mail is one of four end-to-end encrypted products that create a secure workspace, the other three being:

 to Google Docs that lets you create and 

—Storage that keeps your files end-to-end encrypted and offers optional InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) integration

—Scheduling app that syncs with Skiff Mail and has a built-in video conferencing tool

All Skiff platforms are available with the free account and 

Gmail storage cleaning—the only guide you need

 has made the next generation of products for writing, sharing, and collaborating popular among consumers. Big tech and startups alike have offered new productivity solutions, from 

. Similarly, new note-taking formats and features, such as markdown formatting, mobile sync, and project management functionality, have made consumer expectations for new note-taking apps significantly higher.

However, with new AI features and constant data breaches, consumers must be incredibly careful when choosing to trust a note-taking app. 

In this blog, we’ll walk through many of the newest and most popular apps for note-taking, personal productivity, and corporate communications (wikis, document sharing, and more). In particular, we’ll cover key areas to consider for more privacy and security minded users, including these apps’ privacy policies, encryption protocols,

 is an app that ensures that the notes you store in it are only accessible by you and nobody else. This is done by encrypting the notes with a key that only you know, meaning that even if somebody managed to get access to the app's servers, they would not be able to read your notes. As we store more personal information in our notes than in our homes, this degree of privacy is essential

End-to-end encryption for files is a way of encrypting data so that only you or an intended recipient can access it. This is in contrast to traditional methods of encrypting data, which typically involve the use of a central server. End-to-end encryption ensures that no one but the intended recipient can read the data, even if it is intercepted by a third party. This makes it an essential tool for protecting sensitive data, such as medical records or financial information.

: End-to-end encryption is a communication method where only the people communicating can read the messages. This type of encryption requires the use of two unique keys, one of which is public and one of which is private. The public key can be shared with anyone, but the private key must be kept secret. In order for two people to communicate using end-to-end encryption, they must first exchange public keys. Once they have done so, each person can use their own private key to encrypt messages before sending them. The recipient can then use the sender's public key to decrypt the message.

In the notes context, end-to-end encryption means only the person writing notes can see them, or any intended recipients if sharing. Given how prevalent end-to-end encryption is in all messaging apps (

), we expect privacy-first and encrypted notes app to support it.

: For a privacy or security minded user, 

 may yield important security protections from unauthorized access to your account. Even if someone knows your password, they won't be able to access your account unless they also have your second factor, which could be a code from your phone or a fingerprint.

: AES-256 bit encryption typically means a provider using a basic good practice to encrypt data at rest instead of storing it in plain text. Generally, this provides quite a week layer of protection as it fails to mitigate any privacy risks from the provider, law enforcement or others accessing data, or if the note-taking provider suffers a data breach where employee credentials or login credentials are exposed (which is unfortunately 

). As a result, this standard does not live up to most consumer needs for a secure note-taking app.

Google Keep, Evernote, Apple Notes, Microsoft OneNote?

Unfortunately, the most popular consumer productivity apps were not built with strong consumer privacy protections in mind. Most products have great usability and compatibility features, including web apps (accessible from all web browsers, including Chrome, Safari, and Firefox), mobile apps, and cloud synchronization, that we use to evaluate privacy-focused alternatives. All note-taking products below have either free versions or student plans for accessibility.

 is incredibly popular, compatible across many devices, and easy-to-use. The company introduced many of the modern rich text processing features all note-taking apps use today, such as embeddings, pinned or favorite notes, and simple tagging and organization tools for individual notes. It provides simple synchronization across devices and mobile apps.

However, Evernote provides relatively weak privacy protections - the service does not offer end-to-end encryption and has suffered from significant 

 in the past. Given this, we recommend choosing a service with end-to-end encryption, 2FA, and more sophisticated privacy protections.

: Apple notes is native to every Apple device, including iPhones, iPads, Mac, and more. Notes also synchronize to users’ iCloud accounts, enabling simple backup for quick notes and writing. As a result, it is a popular default choice for consumers. By default, notes are not end-to-end encrypted, but consumers can create “secure notes” that are end-to-end encrypted with a user-chosen 

. This does add a level of privacy protections and optionality for users but not the same level of privacy-by-default that the cloud services mentioned below can provide.

 is a familiar product to existing Dropbox users. It provides a very simple, minimalist text editor with a basic set of features for planning, distributing tasks, and working together - suggesting a more team-based usage context. Notes, as with all files on Dropbox, are not end-to-end encrypted. For Dropbox users, we recommend reading our blog on encrypted cloud storage 

: Google Keep is generally quite similar to Apple Notes in privacy and 

. Notes are “encrypted in transit” and “at rest,” but not end-to-end encrypted, yielding many of the same privacy concerns that plagued the note-taking products mentioned above.

: Notion is also not end-to-end encrypted and not considered a security-minded note-taking app. However, the product’s extensive templates for shopping lists, education, and project management have made it quite popular among consumers and students.

: OneNote is Microsoft’s note-taking addition to their office suite. The product is simple, easy-to-use, and provides a text editor familiar to many current office users. However, notes 

 end-to-end encrypted, which means you may want to take your private notes and thoughts to one of our top picks listed below.

Generally, we highly rank providers that are 

 and easy-to-use, and offer great value for users. Once you commit to a note-taking app, you may want to import years of content from other providers and local files. As a result, it’s important to know that a company’s prices, product features, and policies will not change significantly from when you sign up.

 is a privacy-first, end-to-end encrypted workspace that offers note-taking and collaboration, email (Skiff Mail), and file upload, storage, and sharing (Skiff Drive). Every email, file, and note on Skiff is end-to-end encrypted, keeping your personal information private to you. The company also offers a sophisticated technical 

 covering encryption and most client code, and a technical 

Skiff offers iOS, Android, Mac/macOS, and more native applications for their note-taking, collaboration, and mail products, which can easily be 

. Generally, Skiff is well suited for most applications, particularly for users who are looking for a broader collaboration suite (beyond just notes) or may be collaborating in groups or professional organizations.

 is a well-featured note-taking app that provides cross platform apps as well as end-to-end encrypted storage. Standard Notes offers marketing materials emphasizing how encryption, security, and privacy yield critical benefits for collaboration and creativity. Standard Notes’ source code is 

 and links to information about cryptographic audits and security.

For features, Standard Notes emphasizes covering critical note-taking functionality but not overwhelming users. This includes nested folder structures, pinned notes, and daily backups to ensure you can always revert to a previous version of a note, spreadsheet, or todo list. One note for potential users is that the paid plans go up significantly in price, to $59 and $99 per year, and offer additional note-taking features (such as spreadsheets) and more sophisticated backup and retention policies. On some other products on this list (including Skiff), these usability features, like tables, are included in the free plan.

: Joplin is a note taking app that allows users to create and organize notes in a variety of ways. Notes can be created in a variety of formats, including text, images, and audio, and can be organized into notebooks for easy access. Joplin also includes a variety of features for note taking, such as the ability to add tags and search for notes.

, maintains Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows apps, and also offers built in cloud-sync functionality called “Joplin cloud.” Finally, Joplin scores highly on their use of end-to-end encrypted to keep all user notes private. For more convenience features Joplin offers a web clipper directly integrated into the notes app to allow for cataloging, storing, and sharing webpage content. Joplin can also be 

 is a largely different class of note-taking and productivity, where notes become graphs and your mind considered a web of knowledge. Obsidian also offers cross-platform apps for Windows, Linux (multiple distributions), macOS, and other platforms, and is particularly marketed towards more technical users. Note that Obsidian uses a more barebones markdown editor, relying on MD syntax for all text formatting.

For a consumer coming from Evernote, Notion, OneNote, or a similar product, we would advise trying Obsidian along another product on this list as it has the largest learning curve. However, if you are an expert with markdown, experts, linking, and graph views, Obsidian could be an excellent choice. Like many other configuration options, Obsidian leaves end-to-end encryption as an option for the user; you can create either end-to-end encrypted vaults, or “

” vaults where Obsidian maintains a copy of the encryption keys. For this reason as well, unless you are prepared to manage your own keys and passwords, an app like Skiff or Standard Notes may yield a more intuitive experience when privacy is a required first-class feature.

: End-to-end encryption is a type of data security where only the sender and the intended recipient can access data, or a user can encrypt data without giving access to a cloud provider or other party (including law enforcement). The data is encrypted at the source before it is sent over the network, and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient. This type of encryption is often used for file storage, so that only the sender and the recipient can access the stored files.

: The best note-taking apps offer robust import, export, and conversion features that allow consumers to easily transfer data in and out. In some cases, this process can be automated to just one or two clicks, such as Skiff’s one-click Google Drive and Docs import. Otherwise, many providers accept imports for TXT files, Doc/Docx files, and markdown (MD) files as well. When you’re transitioning to a new note taking app, having a migration plan is critical to ensure compatibility and accessibility for your information.

: Most people do not read privacy policies when they sign up for websites or apps. This is a mistake. Privacy policies are important because they tell you what information the company collects about you, how they use it, and whether they share it with others. If you do not read the privacy policy, you may be giving the company permission to do things with your personal information that you do not want them to do. To avoid this, take the time to read the privacy policy before you use any website or app. If you do not understand something in the policy, look for an explanation elsewhere on the website or contact the company to ask for clarification.

: Terms of service are also often inscrutable - lengthy and filled with legal jargon that can be difficult to understand. However, it is important to take the time to read and understand the agreement before agreeing to it. Here are a few tips to help you read and understand a terms of service agreement:

1. Read the agreement in its entirety. Don't just skim through it. In particular, you’ll care about what limits providers may put on your account, or when you may be denied access to your account (when you exceed storage space?).

2. Be aware of what you are agreeing to. For example, if you are agreeing to allow a company to collect your personal data, make sure you understand how that data will be used and what rights you have to it.

3. Make sure you are comfortable with the terms of the agreement before agreeing to it. You should never agree to something you don't fully understand or are not comfortable with.

There are numerous reasons to choose a privacy-first, encrypted notes app that protects your sensitive information above all else. Beyond simply protecting your information from being accessed by unauthorized individuals, encrypting your notes can also help to prevent data loss in the event that your devices are lost, stolen, or accessed by a malicious individual.

Finally, in a world where privacy is generally fleeting and rare, encrypted notes apps keep our personal information private and owned by us - restoring many of the critical expectations we have for our personal writing and communications. We highly recommend trying one of the privacy-first, encrypted note-taking products mentioned above in “our top picks.”

Have any questions? Reach out to us on our 

The best encrypted note taking apps in 2023

The Office suite is Microsoft’s bread and butter despite the company’s numerous other solutions. The same goes for Outlook, one of the longest-standing email providers that has been around since 1997.

As Microsoft took its solutions to the cloud, 

it went through several rebrands before being bundled into Microsoft 365

 due to the somewhat confusing and frequent name changes.

This guide clears the air by offering a thorough 

Microsoft 365 (Office 365) vs. Outlook comparison

. Besides explaining the terminology, it will 

help you decide which product you should choose

 depending on your needs and other notable factors.

You don’t have to compromise security for feature variety—Skiff offers an inclusive productivity solution

Opt for a secure and comprehensive service

Microsoft 365, Office, and Outlook explained

Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based cloud service that provides access to the company’s entire productivity suite. It includes the Office package (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) alongside Outlook as the native email provider and client.

—its new name is Microsoft 365. That’s why the rest of this guide will refer to it as such and compare Microsoft 365 to Outlook, as it’s possible to 

use the email client independently of the Microsoft 365 suite

Before diving deeper into the subject, it’s worth mentioning that 

you can also get the Office package separately

. Office 2021 is the latest version as of this writing, and it gives you access to desktop versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Opting for Microsoft 365 will give you the cloud and mobile versions of these tools, with the 

desktop version included in higher-priced tiers

Outlook vs. Microsoft 365—which option is better?

To decide whether you should commit to Microsoft 365 or use Outlook as a standalone option, you should consider two factors:

If you need a comprehensive cloud workspace, choosing the whole Microsoft 365 suite makes sense—especially if you’ve already used the Office package and know how it works.

Besides document editing tools and Outlook, you would get access to several platforms, most notably:

You’ll need to subscribe to one of Microsoft 365 

. If you are not willing to spend money on an office suite, you can use a free 

Since Outlook is available as a standalone platform, 

. You can use Outlook for free on browsers or mobile devices, but the desktop version isn’t available without a select Microsoft 365 Business subscription.

This shouldn’t be a major problem, especially if you’re an occasional email user and don’t need any advanced features. 

The webmail version known as Outlook on the Web (OWA) should be rich enough for everyday emailing

, and you get access to three additional tools:

Outlook has a free and paid version, but the latter isn’t available as a standalone product. If you want access to premium features, you need to subscribe to Microsoft 365.

If you only need Outlook for personal use, you can choose the 

Microsoft 365 Personal plan for $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year

. You’ll get access to the tools from the suite alongside the more advanced Outlook features.

 can choose from three different plans, all of which provide access to the premium version of Outlook:

The first notable difference between the free and paid Outlook version is that the latter doesn’t have ads. 

The free webmail version contains ads in the inbox and the right sidebar

, which is quite obstructive and may frustrate users.

You’ll no longer see ads when you upgrade, and you’ll notice a slightly different inbox layout. It’s still 

quite cluttered and outdated compared to other email clients

, so it’s far from the most esthetically-pleasing option.

more advanced security features than the free version

 and restrict what the recipient can do with them. For example, you can prevent them from copying and pasting the content of emails. If the recipient uses 

they’ll need to sign in using the link you provide

 and enter your chosen credentials to open the email.

Should you use Outlook as your email provider?

Before you decide whether to use Outlook independently or as a part of the Microsoft 365 suite, consider whether you should make it your email provider. Much like 

, Outlook is among the first options that come to mind, which doesn’t necessarily mean 

To determine if Outlook should be your chosen email provider, 

If you’re a beginner, Outlook’s cluttered user interface (UI) might take some getting used to. The platform prioritizes expanded functionality over design, so navigating the inbox and managing your mail is fairly complex compared to many 

For example, you can use labels to organize your emails, but folders serve the same purpose.

 Labeling an email doesn’t place it into a folder

—it only gives it the chosen attribute (work, family, etc.). You still need to move the email into a folder and 

 if you want to store the email in several folders.

This isn’t a particularly simple way to organize your inbox, though it does mean you have more flexibility. If you’re an advanced user whose workflow primarily consists of emailing, 

sacrificing simplicity might still be worth the additional functionalities

Your email provider should integrate with third-party productivity tools, as there’s a high chance you can’t do everything within its closed ecosystem. While Outlook integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools, it lacks integration with some of the most popular ones, such as:

While this might not bother occasional or light users, the limited integration 

may become problematic as your workflow expands

Like most Big Tech email providers, Outlook comes with 

 out of the box. If you use the free version, the main protection layer you get is phishing and spam protection, which isn’t ideal.

While Outlook does a decent job at filtering spam, 

it doesn’t always recognize it properly

. Legitimate mail might end up in the spam folder while 

phishing emails sometimes show up in the main inbox

. This means you constantly need to check the spam folder for correspondence you don’t want to miss.

number of vulnerabilities connected with Outlook

 to steal users’ login credentials by only 

Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption

TLS is among the oldest and weakest encryption protocols

 that only safeguards your emails while they’re traveling through 

 but not while they’re resting on them.

This is why security-conscious users often

 don’t choose Outlook or another Big Tech email provider as their preferred email service

With its built-in E2EE, Skiff takes a privacy-focused approach from the very start

Regain control over your data

Why you should use a privacy-first email provider

Every user deserves peace of mind knowing their correspondence can’t be eavesdropped on. To achieve this, you need an email provider that doesn’t store plaintext copies of your emails, which is only possible with end-to-end encryption.

emails are encrypted before leaving your device

 using a key the provider can’t access. 

Only the recipient has the decryption key

, and they’re the only ones who can read your email.

 as an Outlook user. There’s optional S/MIME support, which isn’t particularly appealing. While S/MIME is a form of E2EE, it’s quite complex to configure. 

Peter Lu