Apple Notes
Standard Notes
| Feature | Apple Notes | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $7.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | apple-users, casual-note-takers, students, families | privacy-focused-users, journalists, professionals, researchers |
| Founded | 2012 | 2016 |
| Rich Text | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scanning | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Folders | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tags | ✓ | ✓ |
| Quick Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Icloud Sync | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Themes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Editors | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Attachments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Two Factor Auth | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Apple Notes Pros
- Free with Apple devices
- Fast and reliable
- Good scanning
- Shared folders
✗ Apple Notes Cons
- Apple ecosystem only
- Limited organization
- No markdown
✓ Standard Notes Pros
- End-to-end encrypted
- 100-year company promise
- Cross-platform
- Open-source
✗ Standard Notes Cons
- Basic free version
- Fewer features than Notion
- Limited formatting
The Verdict
Apple Notes is built for apple users and casual note takers, with a focus on rich-text and scanning. Standard Notes targets privacy focused users and journalists and leads with encryption and themes.
Apple Notes uses custom enterprise pricing, while Standard Notes starts at $7.5/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.