Proton
Standard Notes
| Feature | Proton | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $3.99/mo | Free / from $7.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | privacy-advocates, journalists, activists, security-conscious-users | privacy-focused-users, journalists, professionals, researchers |
| Founded | 2014 | 2016 |
| Encrypted Email | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vpn | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cloud Storage | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Password Manager | ✓ | ✗ |
| Aliases | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Destructing Messages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Themes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Editors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tags | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Attachments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Two Factor Auth | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Proton Pros
- End-to-end encryption for all services
- Swiss-based with strong privacy laws
- Open-source and independently audited
- Comprehensive privacy suite (mail, VPN, drive, calendar)
- Free tier available for all services
✗ Proton Cons
- Free storage is limited (1GB for mail)
- Less feature-rich than mainstream alternatives
- Search functionality limited due to encryption
✓ 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
Proton is built for privacy advocates and journalists, with a focus on encrypted-email and vpn. Standard Notes targets privacy focused users and journalists and leads with encryption and themes.
Pricing is close: Proton starts at $3.99/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, Proton 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.
Both tools are a solid fit for journalists — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.