Catchlight vs Standard Notes.

Standard Notes is excellent, but its editors and themes sit behind a subscription and sync starts with an account. Catchlight asks for neither, unlocking with a 12-word Privacy Phrase and putting notes, tasks and reminders in one place for a single price.

Two privacy-first notes apps, built on different bets. Standard Notes has earned its reputation, end-to-end encrypted, open source, part of Proton, and on every platform. Catchlight makes a more focused, sharper bet. No account, no server, and one place for a note, a task and a reminder to coexist. Here is the difference, pick the one that fits how you think.

At a glance. The short version.

Standard Notes details verified July 2026, both apps change over time, so check each maker’s current pages before deciding. Catchlight is pre-launch, its feature set is subject to change before launch.

The core difference. Do you need an account?

This is the real fork in the road. Standard Notes is built around an account, you sign up with an email and password, and your encryption key is derived from that password so your notes can sync across all your devices. It is well-designed and the company cannot read your notes. But the account is the thing that holds it together. To be fair, you can run it locally with no account at all, the account arrives when you want sync.

Catchlight has no account at all. No email, no password, no sign-up at all. On first launch the app generates a 12-word Privacy Phrase, and that is your key. It’s created on your phone and never leaves it. There is nothing to log into and just one key to keep safe.

No account isn’t a missing feature. It’s the whole idea.

Where it lives. Where does your data actually live?

Both apps are end-to-end encrypted and with both, the company can’t read your notes. The difference is structural. Standard Notes syncs your encrypted notes through its own servers (now operated by Proton, a serious and well-regarded privacy company). Your data is safe there, but it is there. Both apps are zero-knowledge, and we’ve explained what zero-knowledge actually means in plain words.

Catchlight runs no cloud of its own. Your Takes live on your device. If you want them on more than one device, you point Catchlight at a folder you already own, in iCloud Drive or Dropbox, and it syncs the encrypted files into that folder. We never see them, because there is no Catchlight server for them to pass through. If Considus disappeared tomorrow, your Takes would not even notice.

One thing, not three. Notes, or notes plus tasks plus reminders?

Standard Notes is, at heart, a notes app, and a good one, with a checklist editor among its tools. But a note, a task and a time-based reminder are still separate ideas.

Catchlight has one kind of thing, a Take. Start writing and it’s a note. Add a checkbox and it’s a task. Add a date and it’s a reminder that notifies you. All three at once if it needs to be. You never decide upfront what you’re making, and you never juggle a notes app, a tasks app and a reminders app for one thought.

The money. What does it cost, and what’s gated?

Standard Notes has a free option for simple, plain text notes, which is a plus if you want privacy at zero cost. The things that make it powerful, the rich text editor, file attachments, themes, version history, they sit behind paid plans. (Standard Notes has revised its tiers more than once, so check their current plans for exact numbers).

Catchlight has no free tier and no feature tiers. There is one price, around £14.99 a year, and it includes everything. A real free trial comes first (30 days if you join the waitlist before launch, otherwise 14). And if you ever stop paying, you are never locked out, your Takes stay readable and exportable. We would rather be plain about the trade. No ads, no investors, no selling your data (we don’t even have it), the only thing funding the app is the people who use it.

Being fair. Where Standard Notes is the better choice.

We would rather you chose well than chose us. Standard Notes is the better pick if you need your notes on Android, Windows or Linux as well as Apple devices. Today, Catchlight is iPhone-first at launch, with other platforms planned to follow. It is also the better pick if a permanently free tier is a requirement, or if you want a mature app with years of track record and Proton behind it.

Where Catchlight is the better choice.

Catchlight is the better pick if you want no account and no server in the picture at all. If you would rather your data sync through a folder you own than anyone’s cloud. If you’re on iOS and want a single, easy place where a note, a task and a reminder are the same thing and if you would rather pay one standard price than think about tiers. It is built for people who think clearly and want their tools to stay out of the way.

Quick answers. Common questions.

Is Catchlight or Standard Notes more private?

Both are end-to-end encrypted and neither company can read your notes. The difference is architecture. Standard Notes syncs through an account via its own (Proton-operated) servers. Catchlight has no account and no server at all, your data is encrypted on your device with a Privacy Phrase only you hold, and optional sync uses a folder you own.

Does Standard Notes require an account?

Only for sync, an email and password, with your key derived from that password. Local-only use works without one. Catchlight requires no account for anything, sync included.

Can Standard Notes do tasks and reminders like Catchlight?

Standard Notes is a notes app with a checklist editor, but notes, tasks and time reminders aren’t one unified item with notifications. In Catchlight, one Take can be all three at once.

All comparisons → · See what Catchlight is → · Questions, answered →