Craft
Standard Notes
| Feature | Craft | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $5/mo | Free / from $7.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | apple-users, writers, consultants, students, creative-professionals | privacy-focused-users, journalists, professionals, researchers |
| Founded | 2019 | 2016 |
| Nested Docs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Assistant | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export | ✓ | ✗ |
| Deep Links | ✓ | ✗ |
| Offline Access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Themes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Editors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tags | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Attachments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Two Factor Auth | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Craft Pros
- Stunning native macOS/iOS design
- Offline-first with seamless sync
- Nested documents for organized hierarchies
- Export to Markdown, PDF, Word, and more
✗ Craft Cons
- Best experience limited to Apple ecosystem
- Web app less capable than native apps
- Fewer integrations than Notion
✓ 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
Craft is built for apple users and writers, with a focus on nested-docs and collaboration. Standard Notes targets privacy focused users and journalists and leads with encryption and themes.
Pricing is close: Craft starts at $5/mo versus $7.5/mo for Standard Notes — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Craft offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Standard Notes takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
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.