 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

Today, we’re announcing a complete redesign of the search experience across Skiff on the web, desktop, and mobile. With search filters, instant results, and an improved user experience, finding your emails, pages, and files has never been easier.

Searching through email content in an end-to-end encrypted email provider is no easy feat. Because Skiff does not have access to any user emails, all search queries have to be performed client-side. To make this possible, we’ve developed innovative search indexing algorithms that work in the browser, in Skiff’s Windows and macOS apps, and in our iOS and Android native apps.

Search on the web now features an inline search bar on top of your inbox that supports adding filters for email subject, content, date received, label, folder, and to/from. Adding filters enables you to see instant and precise search results across tens of thousands of emails.

Searching through email subjects and content inside the Skiff Mail mobile apps has been rebuilt from the ground up. Now, like Skiff Mail clients on the web, your device will create an index of emails locally - ensuring instant search results across to/from fields, email content, and email subjects, even while offline.

If you’ve been using the Skiff Mail mobile apps for a while, you may see an indexing progress indicator appear when you next open the app.

Skiff Pages and Drive also have new and improved search experiences. Now, in addition to searching title and content, see file paths displayed for all search results.

If you’re looking to learn more about how search works in Skiff, check out our technical blog post, “

” In it, we walk through why searching through end-to-end encrypted data is difficult and provide examples of products and search algorithms that index or search through encrypted data.

Even more features on Skiff’s paid plans

Looking to upgrade for personal, professional, or corporate use? Check out 

, which allow for additional custom domains, more workspace users, and extra storage space.

 communities - or write to us at support@skiff.org. We also keep feature requests on our 

 and recommend voting on your top choices.

Search reimagined in Skiff

The Mailbox app was released a decade ago as a capable 

. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 2016, soon after the release of the 

, leaving users in need of a replacement.

If you’ve tried a few options but still haven’t found a suitable Mailbox app alternative, this guide will help by explaining 

what you should look for in an email client

With its end-to-end encryption and a user-friendly interface, Skiff provides a first-rate service for both security and convenience

Discover a secure and intuitive email solution

Mailbox drew a lot of attention when it launched in 2013. A well-known startup called Orchestra created it, and over a million users wanted to try the app before it officially launched.

The email client quickly became so popular that it piqued the interest of Dropbox, which reportedly 

bought Mailbox for an astounding $100 million

Dropbox had the idea to “fundamentally fix email” using Mailbox, so it kept supporting the app’s growth. 

After the iPhone version, Mailbox was developed for Android and macOS

, though the latter never made it past the beta version.

After unsuccessful experiments with new features, Dropbox announced shutting down Mailbox. By February 2016, 

What to look for in alternatives to Mailbox

Mailbox had some useful features, but it wasn’t perfect. It only supported 

 accounts, which would be quite limiting for today’s average user. Your email client should support other major providers (

you should consider four factors when choosing an email client

—Even if you’re looking for an iPhone email client specifically, you never know which device you might use to access your emails, so your chosen platform should support all major operating systems or have a web version accessible from different devices

—Your email client’s design should accommodate productivity and avoid unnecessary clutter. While the esthetic appeal is largely subjective, minimalistic web clients are currently the most popular due to being easy on the eyes

—Filters, labels, folders, and advanced email search are among the key features of every solid email client. They’re particularly important if your work heavily relies on email

—You shouldn’t pay for an email client unless you genuinely need advanced options. Even then, you should do some diligent research to avoid overpaying

—An email client should store as little information as possible and protect stored data and correspondence with 

. This ensures emails are encrypted using the keys created and stored on your device, so nobody but the recipient can see your messages

Each email client has a unique selling point, so your chosen platform mainly depends on your preferences and workflow. To give you some diverse options, we’ll cover five email clients:

If you specifically need an email client for the Apple ecosystem—and aren’t looking for any over-the-top features—Apple Mail can be a solid option. Many users won’t need to move away from the native app solution, as it has decent features.

The interface is clean and mostly intuitive, though 

Apple Mail comes with some unnecessary complications

, you first have to tap the left-facing arrow on the right side above the keyboard and then choose the attachment type you want to add.

This should satisfy the needs of casual or personal users, but if you need a business email client, 

Apple Mail’s organization features are a bit lackluster

. A particularly notable drawback is that 

—you can only label emails with predetermined colors.

Apple Mail doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption by default

. There’s optional S/MIME integration you can find with most 

 and clients, but it can be time-consuming to set up as 

you first have to buy a certificate and then configure it manually

, which removes tracking pixels from incoming mail to prevent the tracking of your 

Even though Apple Mail is exclusive to Apple devices, 

it can be accessed through the web version if needed

Edison Mail is a multi-platform client available on iOS, macOS, and Android. It’s primarily focused on convenience and email organization, so it suits casual and more advanced users.

dedicated Focus tab similar to Outlook’s

, highlighting the most important emails. It’s not always 100% accurate, as it sometimes misplaces important emails, but most email clients make such mistakes occasionally. The feature 

 and is useful if you receive many emails daily.

The Assistant feature is by far the most notable one

 because it sets Edison Mail apart from most alternatives. It’s an 

AI-based organizer that pulls various data from your emails

the Assistant creates widgets with the key information

, which you can access from a dedicated tab. The widgets are organized by relevance so that you have the necessary details readily available.

The only downside of the Assistant is that 

, so users from other countries can’t enable it.

you can subscribe to Mail+ for $14.99 per month

. This is the only additional feature you get, so it may not be worth the investment.

Spike is an innovative productivity platform that can combine emails from various providers into a chat-like interface. It brings together traditional emailing and real-time communication to create a more streamlined workflow.

various features business users might appreciate

Unified search encompassing conversations, attachments, notes, etc.

available as a web app and also has designated Android and iOS apps

. There’s no desktop support for Windows or 

, which might be inconvenient for some users.

 to add more users to your workspace. You can choose from two tiers:

, so it may not be the best choice unless you’re specifically looking for a collaboration platform. While it’s possible to use the app independently, some of its main features won’t be useful.

Spike uses the AES-256 algorithm for encryption

 and claims to only collect the necessary user data. While this is the industry standard and generally considered secure, you may not get as much privacy as you would with an 

 platform created by a well-known VPN provider. It’s an end-to-end encrypted solution aimed primarily at security-conscious users and has become a popular alternative to Big Tech providers.

, and you can get access to four additional platforms when you sign up:

The interface is clean and modern, so the 

overall emailing experience is pleasant enough

 for an average user. You get some basic organization features like folders and labels without any advanced functions.

it uses the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption

, which several providers have moved away from due to 

. While you get more privacy than with a typical Big Tech platform, 

Proton Mail’s privacy policies also underwent scrutiny in 2021 after a 

. This was an isolated incident, but it still made users somewhat uncomfortable and skeptical.

limited storage is another notable disadvantage

. You only get 1 GB with the free plan, and 

even the highest-paid tier is limited to 500 GB

, which may not be enough for advanced users.

Skiff Mail is an end-to-end encrypted email provider that keeps your data and emails confidential using two separate encryption keys—public and 

The public key is used to encrypt the email and is shared with the recipient, while the private decryption key remains safely stored on the recipient’s device. Key creation and storage happen on the user’s device only, so 

nobody can see unencrypted copies of emails

To allow users to keep their personal identifiers private, 

 implements three additional security measures

—Used to encrypt all critical account data, such as login credentials and encryption keys, for 

—Secures your account beyond login credentials using a one-time passcode generated by the Authenticator app

A guide to choosing a Mailbox App alternative

While Outlook is free and has features sufficient for an average user, it suffers from a few notable shortcomings. It’s not particularly user-friendly due to its somewhat complex layout compared to other leading providers.

Spam detection occasionally lets phishing emails into the primary inbox

, exposing you to considerable risks of account breaches. You also 

 beyond using the S/MIME protocol, the drawbacks of which will be explained in this guide.

Most importantly, you’ll learn what to look for in an 

 Outlook alternative and discover some popular options worth considering.

With its beautifully designed feature-rich interface, Skiff gives you secure email and collaboration tools for enhanced productivity

Discover a comprehensive emailing solution

How to choose the best Outlook alternative for Android

Whether you only want to change your email client or switch to a 

 altogether, you should consider four factors when comparing different options:

Your email service’s ultimate goal should be to provide convenient and safe correspondence. You’ll likely send 

 that fails to keep your information away from prying eyes.

Still, none of the above protective measures will matter much if your emails aren’t properly encrypted. Encryption turns your messages into ciphertext 

While there are various types of encryption, 

. It encrypts emails on your device before you send them, and plaintext copies are only visible to the recipient holding the decryption key.

not available with Outlook and most Big Tech providers

 using the keys they created and stored. This allows your email provider to access your correspondence, effectively 

. With E2EE, you retain full control of your data.

Note that E2EE protocols can vary greatly. 

S/MIME encryption is common among Big Tech

manual configuration of a certificate you must buy separately

This exposes you to unnecessary costs and might be too complicated if you’re not tech-savvy. A far better option is to 

email provider offering end-to-end encryption by default

The features you’ll look for in an email provider depend on your needs, though there are some universal functionalities every service should offer, such as:

Email organization features (labels, folders, etc.)

Thorough email search, preferably allowing you to search email contents

Mobile email platforms should particularly focus on 

. Viewing emails on your smartphone means you’re likely working on the go, so the app should enable flexibility.

scheduled sending, auto-replying, and reminders

 in case you forget to add the attachment or want to make a change to the email.

A well-designed user interface is important on any device, but it’s absolutely essential on smartphones due to the smaller footprint. Intuitively structuring all the necessary features is quite a challenge when you don’t have much space, and not every email provider gets it right.

If you’re unsure what makes an excellent mobile user interface, 

Clearly visible key functions while composing an email

Ideally, your app's user interface should be equally well-designed on other platforms to ensure cohesiveness. You likely won’t spend as much time emailing on your phone as you will on your laptop or PC, so

 look for solutions with solid cross-platform support

If you’re switching from Outlook’s free version, you likely aren’t looking to invest in an email solution unless you need some advanced features. The good news is that there are 

 that should meet the needs of regular users, though you might encounter some trade-offs.

free email providers often don’t offer sufficient security

. The only exceptions are privacy-first options, one of which you’ll learn about in the review section of this guide. Carefully choosing between 

 is also imperative as some of them sacrifice user experience for privacy, offering 

 or omitting features like advanced search

The good news is that you don’t have to make compromises as 

finding an app that checks all the necessary boxes is possible

Skiff Mail's user-friendly design and encrypted communication make it a perfect choice if you value security and feature variety

Simplify your email management with Skiff Mail

Four Outlook Android alternatives reviewed

To give you some variety and cover apps with unique selling points, we’ve picked the following four 

The main reason Gmail is on this list is the fact that Google owns Android, making Gmail the platform’s native email provider and client. The app is well-optimized, which is no surprise. You shouldn’t encounter many bugs or usability issues, so your email experience will be smooth enough.

Gmail’s user interface is clean and modern

, so there aren’t any particular objections in this area. The main screen shows your inbox with the search bar at the top and the hamburger menu that opens the familiar