What is the difference between Craft and Standard Notes?

Craft is best for Apple users who want beautiful native docs, while Standard Notes is best for Privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes. Craft starts at Free and Standard Notes starts at Free.

Is Craft or Standard Notes cheaper?

Craft starts at Free with a free tier. Standard Notes starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Standard Notes?

Both Craft and Standard Notes offer free tiers.

Craft vs Standard Notes

Craft is native document editor for Mac and iOS with beautiful formatting and real-time collaboration, while Standard Notes is end-to-end encrypted note-taking app with extensible editors and self-hosting option. Standard Notes is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Craft is built for apple users who want beautiful native docs, whereas Standard Notes targets privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes.

At a glance

	Craft	Standard Notes
Best for	Apple users who want beautiful native docs	Privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
AI Assist	✓	—
E2E Encryption	—	✓
Editors	—	✓
Markdown	✓	—
Native App	✓	—
Self-Hosted	—	✓
Sharing	✓	—
Tags	—	✓

Craft

Strengths

Includes Native App as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows
Full Markdown support with live preview for clean, structured notes
Free for 1000 blocks — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes ai assist alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Moving notes out to another platform can be difficult — export options vary
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Craft → Full review

Standard Notes

Strengths

Open source and transparent
End-to-end encryption by default — messages are unreadable even to the server operator
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
Free with basic editors — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Self-hosting requires Linux admin skills and ongoing server maintenance
Moving notes out to another platform can be difficult — export options vary
Community support can be slower than the dedicated support teams at commercial alternatives

Try Standard Notes → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Craft's free plan: Free for 1000 blocks. Standard Notes's free plan: Free with basic editors.

Feature gaps: Craft offers AI Assist, Markdown and Native App that Standard Notes lacks. Standard Notes brings E2E Encryption, Editors and Self-Hosted that Craft does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Standard Notes is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Craft is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Craft's biggest strengths are: includes native app as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows. full markdown support with live preview for clean, structured notes. Standard Notes's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. end-to-end encryption by default — messages are unreadable even to the server operator.

Watch out for: With Craft, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Standard Notes, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Craft if...

You need a tool built for apple users who want beautiful native docs
You specifically need AI Assist and Markdown
You care about full markdown support with live preview for clean, structured notes
The free tier works for you: free for 1000 blocks

Choose Standard Notes if...

You need a tool built for privacy-focused users wanting encrypted notes
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need E2E Encryption and Editors
You care about end-to-end encryption by default — messages are unreadable even to the server operator
The free tier works for you: free with basic editors