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Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Web App

Simplenote

Completely free, fast notes that sync everywhere, from the makers of WordPress.com.

Visit Simplenote4.4

  • Rating

    4.4 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Beginner

  • Works on

    Web, iOS, Android

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

Free: 1,100+ ways people make money onlineFree: 399+ ways to make money online

What is Simplenote?

Simplenote is a lightweight notes app from Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. Apps, backups, syncing and sharing are all completely free. Notes sync automatically in real time across iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web, and you can organise them with tags, search instantly and write in Markdown.

Pros: what Simplenote does well

  • Everything is free, including sync and backups
  • Fast, distraction-free and available everywhere
  • Tags, instant search and Markdown

Cons: where it falls short

  • Plain text only, no rich attachments or web clipper
  • No notebooks or nested folders

Who Simplenote is for

People who want quick, simple notes on every device for free.

Who can skip it

Anyone who stores PDFs, images and web clips like in Evernote.

Compare Simplenote

See how Simplenote stacks up, side by side, plus the lists it made.

Simplenote alternatives

Not sold on Simplenote? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Note-Taking resources

Joplin

Focus: open source and encryption. Shares notes and markdown with Simplenote. A desktop app, not a web app. Rated 4.5 (Simplenote: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit

Notesnook

Focus: encryption, privacy and open source. Shares notes and evernote alternative with Simplenote. Freemium (Simplenote: Free). Same 4.4 rating.

Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.4Visit

Bear

Focus: apple and tags. Shares markdown and minimal with Simplenote. An iOS app, not a web app. Freemium (Simplenote: Free). Rated 4.6 (Simplenote: 4.4).

iOS AppFree planiOS, macOS
4.6Visit

UpNote

Focus: notebooks and journal. Shares notes and markdown with Simplenote. A mobile app, not a web app. Freemium (Simplenote: Free). Rated 4.6 (Simplenote: 4.4).

Mobile AppFree planiOS, Android
4.6Visit

Zoho Notebook

Focus: checklists, web clipper and note cards. Shares notes with Simplenote. Freemium (Simplenote: Free). Adds Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Rated 4.5 (Simplenote: 4.4).

Web AppFree planWeb, iOS
4.5Visit

Free alternatives to Simplenote

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

Dataview

Focus: obsidian, plugin and queries. Shares markdown with Simplenote. Rated 4.5 (Simplenote: 4.4).

OtherFreeCross-Platform
4.5Visit

Rentry

Focus: pastebin and sharing. Shares markdown and notes with Simplenote. Same 4.4 rating.

Web AppFreeWeb
4.4Visit

Glance

Focus: dashboard, start page and rss. Also in Digital Minimalism and Organization, like Simplenote. Rated 4.7 (Simplenote: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.7Visit

Navidrome

Focus: music, streaming and self-hosted. Also in Organization and Digital Minimalism, like Simplenote. Rated 4.7 (Simplenote: 4.4).

Web AppFreeWeb, macOS
4.7Visit

Reor

Focus: AI, PKM and Semantic Search. Shares Notes and Markdown with Simplenote. A desktop app, not a web app. Rated 4.5 (Simplenote: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
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