Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cryptee VS PrivacyNotes

Compare Cryptee VS PrivacyNotes and see what are their differences

Cryptee logo Cryptee

Cryptee is a safety and privacy focused, encrypted and cross-platform personal data storage service. You can write personal documents, notes, journals, store photos and all sorts of other files.

PrivacyNotes logo PrivacyNotes

Zero-knowledge encrypted notes, tasks, journals, files, and passwords in one app. Your keys never leave your device. One-time price, no subscription. Hosted in Switzerland.
Visit Website
  • Cryptee Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14

Cryptee is a safety and privacy focused, encrypted and cross-platform personal data storage service. You can write personal documents, notes, journals, store photos and all sorts of other files.

It works on all your devices and provides a zero-knowledge place to keep all your sensitive digital belongings. cryptee has all the features you'd expect from a modern document editor, like live sync with unlimited devices, rich document editing, to-dos, markdown, hotkeys, code highlighting, latex math, embeds, attachments, support for tables, ability to attach pdf files, read EPUB ebooks, listen to audio-memos, as well as open and link other various file formats.

Cryptee is based in Europe, in Tallinn, Estonia. A country named "the most advanced digital society in the world" by Wired, and a country where the government runs on blockchain.

  • PrivacyNotes Journal
    Journal //
    2026-06-25
  • PrivacyNotes Settings
    Settings //
    2026-06-25
  • PrivacyNotes Website
    Website //
    2026-06-25

PrivacyNotes is a zero-knowledge encrypted workspace that brings your notes, tasks, journals, files, and passwords into one app, so you stop juggling four separate subscriptions.

Everything is encrypted on your device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before it ever syncs. Your keys are derived from a recovery phrase that never touches our servers, so we cannot read your content, your filenames, or anything else. This is real zero-knowledge, not a marketing label.

Five pillars, one encrypted app:

  • Notes - a live markdown editor with note-to-note links, tags, and fast full-text search
  • Tasks - native checklists and task management next to your notes
  • Journals - daily entries with built-in mood, sleep, and medication tracking
  • Files - an encrypted vault for images, audio, and attachments
  • Vault - lock sensitive notes and logins behind a PIN or biometrics

Built for privacy, not surveillance:

  • No ads, no trackers, no analytics, ever
  • Sign in anonymously with a recovery phrase or with Google. No email or personal details required.
  • Open core: the encryption layer and database schema are published for independent review
  • Burn notes: self-destructing shares the server cannot read

Pricing that respects you:

  • Free covers every pillar with two-device sync and offline use
  • Pro is a one-time free, not a subscription, adding unlimited devices, note history, and more storage
  • Optional storage add-ons when you need them

Works on web, macOS, and soon iOS, Android, Windows and Linux with a responsive mobile layout. Import from Apple Notes, Standard Notes, Google Keep, Obsidian, and markdown in a few clicks.

Cryptee

Website
crypt.ee
$ Details
freemium โ‚ฌ3.0 / Monthly (10GB)
Platforms
Mac OSX iOS Windows Android Linux Browser Web
Release Date
2018 June
Startup details
Country
Estonia

PrivacyNotes

$ Details
freemium $48.0 / One-off (Early adopter price)
Platforms
MacOS Web Firefox Google Chrome Edge Safari
Release Date
2026 June
Startup details
Country
Switzerland
Employees
1 - 9

Cryptee features and specs

  • Clean UI
  • Headquarters
    Tallinn, Estonia
  • Free Trial
  • Easy to Set-up and use

PrivacyNotes features and specs

  • Privacy-focused
    PrivacyNotes is designed with privacy as a core principle, aiming to keep your notes secure and away from third-party access, which appeals to users concerned about data confidentiality.
  • Encryption
    The service typically emphasizes encryption to protect note content, meaning your data is scrambled and less vulnerable to unauthorized reading if intercepted or stored.
  • Ephemeral notes
    Many privacy note services offer self-destructing or temporary notes that automatically delete after being read or after a set time, reducing the digital footprint left behind.
  • Simple and lightweight
    Such tools often provide a clean, minimal interface focused on quick note creation and sharing without unnecessary features, making it easy to use.
  • No account required
    Privacy-oriented note apps frequently allow you to create and share notes without registration, lowering the barrier to entry and reducing personal data collection.

Analysis of Cryptee

Overall verdict

  • Cryptee is a strong choice for users prioritizing security and privacy. While it might lack some features of major competitors, its focus on encryption and privacy makes it a compelling option for users needing secure storage and document handling.

Why this product is good

  • Cryptee (crypt.ee) is considered a good option for those seeking privacy-focused online storage and document editing services. It offers end-to-end encryption for all data, ensuring that only you have access to your files. Additionally, Cryptee does not track user activity or share data with third parties, enhancing user privacy. The platform is open-source, allowing for transparency and community trust. It is designed for easy usability with a clean interface, is available across multiple devices, and offers features like document editing, photo storage, and secure sharing.

Recommended for

    Individuals or organizations that require secure storage and privacy for their documents and photos, particularly those concerned about data tracking, surveillance, or needing a privacy-first cloud service alternative.

Analysis of PrivacyNotes

Overall verdict

  • I don't have verified, specific information about PrivacyNotes (privacynotes.app) to make a reliable assessment of its quality, security practices, or features. I cannot confirm details about its encryption methods, privacy policy, company background, or user reviews.

Why this product is good

  • Unable to verify claims about encryption or zero-knowledge architecture without independent confirmation
  • No access to current user reviews, ratings, or reputation data for this specific service
  • Cannot confirm company legitimacy, ownership, or track record
  • Unable to verify uptime, reliability, or actual security audit results
  • No information available on pricing structure or terms of service specifics

Recommended for

  • Before using, research independently via security audit reports if available
  • Check for third-party security reviews or penetration testing results
  • Verify the company's privacy policy and data handling practices directly on their site
  • Look for user reviews on independent platforms rather than relying on marketing claims
  • Consider established, well-audited alternatives if handling highly sensitive information

Cryptee videos

Google Photos Alternative: Cryptee (Encrypted and Open-Source Cloud Photo Storage)

PrivacyNotes videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cryptee and PrivacyNotes)
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
Personal Notes
0 0%
100% 100
Todos
100 100%
0% 0
Task Management
95 95%
5% 5

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Cryptee and PrivacyNotes.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

PrivacyNotes's answer:

Honestly? We have no idea, and that is the entire point. Signup is anonymous (a recovery phrase or Google, no email or personal details), the app ships zero analytics and zero trackers, and zero-knowledge encryption means we cannot see who you are or what you store. We could not name a single customer if we tried. A privacy product that tracked its users closely enough to brag about them would be missing the plot.

What makes your product unique?

PrivacyNotes's answer:

PrivacyNotes is the only zero-knowledge encrypted workspace that keeps notes, tasks, journals, files, and a password vault behind one set of on-device keys. Most privacy apps do one of those well and rent it to you monthly. We do all five, encrypt everything with XChaCha20-Poly1305 before it leaves your device, and charge once instead of forever. The encryption core is open core, published so the claims can be verified rather than trusted.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

PrivacyNotes's answer:

Three reasons:

  • One app, not four subscriptions. Standard Notes, Day One, and Lunatask each rent you a slice (notes, journaling, tasks). PrivacyNotes covers all of them plus files and a vault, for a fair one-time fee.
  • Real zero-knowledge. Your keys come from a recovery phrase that never touches our servers, so we cannot read your notes, your filenames, or your metadata. Some encrypted apps leave note or task metadata in the clear; we do not.
  • Verifiable, not just trusted. The crypto and schema are open core and published for review, and there is no ad, tracker, or analytics anywhere in the app.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

PrivacyNotes's answer:

Privacy-conscious individuals and independent professionals who handle information they would not want a vendor reading: lawyers, journalists, healthcare and mental-health practitioners, developers, security specialists, researchers, and founders. It also fits anyone who simply wants one private home for their notes, tasks, journaling, and wellness tracking instead of spreading them across surveillance-funded apps.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

PrivacyNotes's answer:

React, TypeScript, Vite and Tailwind CSS.

What's the story behind your product?

PrivacyNotes's answer:

PrivacyNotes started from a simple frustration: staying organized meant scattering your life across half a dozen apps, most of which could read everything you typed and billed you monthly for the privilege. We wanted one place for notes, tasks, journals, files, and passwords, encrypted so thoroughly that the people running the servers could not read a word of it, and paid for once rather than forever. So we built the encryption first, made the keys live only on your device, and published the crypto as open core so the promise could be checked, not just believed. Everything else grew from one rule: your data is yours, and no one else's to mine.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cryptee and PrivacyNotes

Cryptee Reviews

5 great privacy-focused Evernote alternatives to keep your notes safe
Cryptee allows you to create, upload, preview, edit and save your formatted text, PDF files, to-do lists, math equations, photos, and code in 22 different languages. You can import files from other apps, organize all those documents into folders and subfolders, and search for them with Smart Search using keywords. Mentioning one document in another is super intuitive in this...
How I keep Googleโ€™s eyes off of my diary
Cryptee isnโ€™t the only privacy-minded documents app. Turtl is a private platform built with a similar mission. It is currently free to use and, like Cryptee, it does not store user passwords or information and is protected by both your password and your cryptographic key. It is available on Windows, Mac, and Android, but not iOS.

PrivacyNotes Reviews

  1. FossFox
    Feature rich

    The best thing about this: No subscription model, it's a one-time fee for a lifetime license. But you can start for free with the generous freemium model. I only needed to upgrade to pro because I wanted to use the app on my phone, laptop and desktop. Highly recommended! Btw, it's a perfect markdown editor as well, not sure why they don't emphasize this more.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cryptee seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 79 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cryptee mentions (79)

  • Svelte Native: The Svelte Mobile Development Experience
    > The only major hurdle to this is Apple continuing to treat web apps as second class citizens on iOS If you add a site to iOS' homescreen it automatically becomes a PWA. The best example I found of a site fully leveraging this feature is Cryptee[0]. They talk about the PWA thing here: https://crypt.ee/download [0] https://crypt.ee/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Hard for me to trust UpNote
    Well, then - if self hosting is not your thing - something like crypt.ee might be your thing? Clearly a different pricing model, data is fully encrypted, open source, across platforms. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Where do you write? Why?
    Https://crypt.ee now. I used to mostly use local markdown editors like Ulysses and Zettlr. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Need suggestions for Free, Open-source, privacy focused diary/Journaling app?
    Crypt.ee Ticks 1/2/3/5 of your requirements However free tier only has 100MB storage which might be enough for a journal, it also has the best rich text editor of them all, would highly recommend. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Google Drive alternative for editing files on all devices
    I've only used it for editing docs but have found crypt.ee very easy to use. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

PrivacyNotes mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PrivacyNotes yet. Tracking of PrivacyNotes recommendations started around Jun 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cryptee and PrivacyNotes, you can also consider the following products

CherryTree - A hierarchical note taking application, featuring rich text and syntax highlighting, storing data in a single xml or sqlite file.

Standard Notes - A safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life's work

Trilium Notes - Trilium Notes is a hierarchical note taking application.

Apple Notes - Apple Notes functions as a service for making short text notes.

Zim Wiki - Zim is a graphical text editor used to maintain a collection of wiki pages. Each page can contain links to other pages, simple formatting and images.

Simplenote - The simplest way to keep notes. Light, clean, and free. Simplenote is now available for iOS, Android, Mac, and the web.