StartIsBack
Classic Shell
Fences
Start Menu X
Open Shell
Start Menu Reviver
StartAllBack
Power8
PrivacyNotes
Obsidian.md
Standard Notes
Apple Notes
Simplenote
Google Keep
Notion
Google Keep Notes
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:
Built for privacy, not surveillance:
Pricing that respects you:
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.
StartIsBack PrivacyNotesStartIsBack is particularly recommended for users who find the default Windows Start menu and taskbar interface in versions like Windows 8 or Windows 10 lacking in functionality or aesthetic appeal. It's ideal for those who prefer a more traditional desktop environment or wish to enhance their efficiency with a tailored Start menu and taskbar experience.
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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.
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.
PrivacyNotes's answer:
Three reasons:
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.
PrivacyNotes's answer:
React, TypeScript, Vite and Tailwind CSS.
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.
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.
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.
Based on our record, StartIsBack seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 10 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.
If you use Windows 10, startisback is by the same dev as StartAllBack: http://startisback.com/. Source: over 3 years ago
Just a sec, I made Windows 10 look like Windows 8.1 with Startisback (get it at startisback.com if you don't have it). Source: about 4 years ago
Haha..got you there....its a windows 10 and I added startallback (https://startisback.com) for that sweet windows 7 logo only. I hate that boxy logo design of win 10. It's a msi prestige 15 11th gen i7 with 16gb ram. Video cards are Intel Iris Xe and Nvidia 1650. The intel graphics tends to do better when selected as primary for vegas pro since it runs parallel with nvidia and can decode faster that way. Source: about 4 years ago
Non-free: https://startisback.com/. Source: over 4 years ago
StartAllBack, startisback.com, 30-day trial and $4.99 after that. I wasn't totally satisficed with it. When Start11 added the Windows 10 start menu, I went back to it. Source: almost 5 years ago
Classic Shell - Classic Shell was developed for Windows 8 since that was the first version of the popular operating system to forgo the iconic Start menu.
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.
Fences - Keep your desktop organized with Fences. This is a simple software program that allows you to sort the tabs on your desktop and create files that are easily recognizable to you.
Standard Notes - A safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life's work
Start Menu X - Start Menu X with Start Button. Power users know how inconvenient and time-consuming it is to launch programs from the system menu.
Apple Notes - Apple Notes functions as a service for making short text notes.
