Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

KeepNote VS PrivacyNotes

Compare KeepNote VS PrivacyNotes and see what are their differences

KeepNote logo KeepNote

KeepNote: note-taking and organization.

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
  • KeepNote Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-05
  • 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.

KeepNote

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

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

KeepNote features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    KeepNote is a cross-platform application, which means it runs on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
  • Rich-Text Format
    It allows the creation of notes in a rich-text format, enabling users to use different fonts, colors, and styles for better organization and readability.
  • Tree Hierarchy
    The software provides a tree structure for organizing notes, making it easy for users to categorize and navigate through their notes.
  • Search Functionality
    KeepNote includes a search feature that helps users quickly find notes or specific content within notes.
  • Backup and Restore
    The application allows users to back up their notes and restore them when necessary, providing data protection and recovery options.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, KeepNote allows developers to modify and improve the software to better suit their needs.

Possible disadvantages of KeepNote

  • Outdated User Interface
    The user interface feels outdated compared to modern note-taking applications, lacking a sleek and intuitive design.
  • Limited Features
    KeepNote does not have as many features as some other note-taking apps, such as integration with other software or advanced collaboration tools.
  • Lack of Cloud Sync
    KeepNote does not offer built-in cloud synchronization, which means notes cannot be automatically synced across multiple devices without third-party solutions.
  • No Mobile App
    There is no dedicated mobile application for KeepNote, limiting its usability on handheld devices like smartphones and tablets.
  • Slow Updates
    The development and updates to KeepNote are infrequent, which means new features or bug fixes may take a long time to be released.

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 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

KeepNote videos

keepnote | What is KeepNote | Keepnote for Kali linux | Keepnote for windows

More videos:

  • Tutorial - 03 03 Write Down Your Findings Using KeepNote

PrivacyNotes videos

No PrivacyNotes videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to KeepNote and PrivacyNotes)
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
Journal
0 0%
100% 100
Todos
100 100%
0% 0
Private Journal
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing KeepNote 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 KeepNote and PrivacyNotes

KeepNote Reviews

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PrivacyNotes Reviews

  1. Everything I Needed in One App

    This app checks every box for me. Clean interface, no learning curve, local-first encryption, and secure sync across all of my devices.

    The biggest surprise is how many apps it replaced. Instead of juggling separate apps for notes, habits, mood, activities, and important dates, everything lives in one place now. It's made staying organized a lot simpler.

    Paying once and knowing I won't lose access to my workflow because I canceled yet another subscription is incredibly refreshing. That peace of mind is worth a lot to me.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Capacities, Evernote, Notion, Obsidian.md
  2. 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, KeepNote seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 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.

KeepNote mentions (4)

  • How do you guys learn all linux commands/ programs?
    - for organized topics, for example, if I am learning something, I use keepnote (http://keepnote.org). Source: over 3 years ago
  • What makes people hate electron ?
    There's exactly one non-webapp Electron-based application that I like and use semi-regularly -- Notable, because it has a skilled developer behind it, enough feature improvement to lure me away from KeepNote, and uses standard markdown files, so there's no lock-in to worry about. Every other Electron-based desktop app I've tried has been a fast uninstall. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • How do you take notes during online training?
    I use KeepNote. Very simple to use, Great for complex note taking. Even better when combined with GreenShot (Powerful screenshoting tool). Source: over 4 years ago
  • Is there a software where i can write a wiki and upload files? read post for detail
    Lots of applications allow you to link to files. Click on the file and it opens. Wikidpad is a local open source free app http://wikidpad.sourceforge.net Zimwiki , Connectedtext, (no longer in development, but runs on windows 10) Keepnote (fee can run as a portable app) Http://keepnote.org/ There are also a number of notebook /information managers that do this: Ultrarecall, Myinfo, Whizfolders... Source: about 5 years ago

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 KeepNote 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.

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

TreePad - A free and lightweight outliner, only 465KB in size.

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

OneNote - Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are. Or try OneNote with Office for free.

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