Simple Memo vs Standard Notes
Which Should You Choose?

Standard Notes is a privacy-first note-taking app with end-to-end encryption (XChaCha20-Poly1305) at its core. It runs on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux, syncing notes to the cloud in encrypted form. As an open-source project, it supports extended editors (markdown, spreadsheets, code), tags, file attachments, and version history. The free plan covers basics; advanced features require a paid subscription. It appeals to users who want a full-featured note app without sacrificing privacy, particularly those who've moved away from services that monetize user data.

Standard Notes and Simple Memo - for Obsidian both prioritize privacy, but their encryption approaches are fundamentally different. Standard Notes uses XChaCha20-Poly1305 end-to-end encryption. Notes are encrypted on-device and stored on Standard Notes' cloud servers in encrypted form. Since the server cannot read note contents, the security level is very high. The tradeoff is that your notes are readable only in the Standard Notes apps. Simple Memo - for Obsidian takes a different approach. The on-device Outbox and send history are encrypted with AES-GCM-256, but the email send itself goes through standard SMTP, so it is not end-to-end encrypted (so that you, the recipient, can read it in your normal mail client). The privacy posture is instead about data minimization: memo bodies are not persistently stored on our servers (transit only). Sent memos are kept by your mail service as emails in your inbox. It's "encrypt-then-store-in-cloud (E2EE)" vs "don't keep the body on the server (data minimization)." That said, Standard Notes excels in other areas as a full-featured note app — tag management, extended editors (markdown, code, spreadsheets), version history, and file attachments. Simple Memo - for Obsidian is capture-only — no manual organizing or editing (with Obsidian set up and AI Auto-Tagging on, on-device AI adds a title, tags and a type). The security model choice depends on your threat model. If "encrypted server storage, readable only in the Standard Notes app" is your requirement, Standard Notes. If "I want memos to land in my normal email inbox, but I don't want the sending infrastructure to keep them" is your model, Simple Memo - for Obsidian.

• 1 E2E Encryption Approach
  Standard Notes uses XChaCha20-Poly1305 end-to-end encryption to store data on the cloud. Simple Memo applies AES-GCM encryption to the offline Outbox and does not persistently store memo content on its servers. "Encrypt and store in the cloud" vs "pass through at send time and keep no copy on its servers" — a fundamental design difference.
• 2 Server Storage vs Email Delivery
  Standard Notes memos live in encrypted cloud storage, accessible only through the app. Simple Memo memos arrive in your email inbox, readable from Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, or any email client. App-locked vs email-universal accessibility.
• 3 Extended Editors vs Single Input
  Standard Notes offers Markdown, spreadsheet, and code editors on paid plans. Simple Memo has only a plain-text input field — deliberately minimal to achieve 0.4s launch (warm, iPhone 16e) and one-tap send.
• 4 Pricing Model Comparison
  Standard Notes' free plan covers basics only; extended editors need Productivity ($90/year) or higher, and file attachments need Professional ($120/year). Simple Memo's free plan allows 3 sends a day (saving to Obsidian only is Premium). Premium is $2.99/month or $29.99/year (¥500/month or ¥5,000/year in Japan) — significantly more affordable.