Comparison
nTilia or Notesnook: which private notes app for field work?
The short answer
Notesnook is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted notes app, with a second-password vault, app lock and publishing of a note to the web. nTilia is an offline notes app built for field work: Missions, audio transcribed on the device, Travel Mode for checkpoints and a citable journal. For everyday private notes, choose Notesnook; to report in the field and then publish, choose nTilia.
nTilia and Notesnook, side by side
| Criterion | nTilia | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| PriceNotesnook’s edge | Free; Pro at $14/mo | Free (50 MB upload a month); Essential from €1.76/mo, Pro from €6.18/mo billed yearly |
| PlatformsNotesnook’s edge | Web and installable app (PWA); no native app | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS |
| OfflineTie | Everything works offline, audio and photos included | Notes available offline; attachments always offline with full offline mode (paid plan) |
| SyncNotesnook’s edge | Included (25 articles a month on Free); not end-to-end, so the published journal stays readable; “device” notes never synced | End-to-end encrypted, from the free plan |
| Security on the phoneTie | Encrypted vault (AES-256-GCM), “device” notes never synced, Travel Mode (Pro) | App lock (fingerprint, PIN, password) and a second-password vault |
| Audio and transcriptionnTilia’s edge | Record or import into the note; on-device Whisper transcription (Pro) | File attachments; no transcription |
| Field worknTilia’s edge | Missions (one folder per trip), photo, place and GPS, private map | Notebooks, tags and reminders; no organization by trip |
| Capture and importNotesnook’s edge | Markdown import; no web clipper | Web clipper; import from Evernote, Google Keep and Obsidian |
| PublishingnTilia’s edge | Bilingual FR/EN public journal, indexed from Pro, Cite block, Zenodo DOI (Pro) | Monograph: a single note published to the web, optionally behind a password |
| Source codeNotesnook’s edge | Closed | Open-source apps and server (GPLv3) |
Choose nTilia if…
- you record and transcribe interviews without sending them to the cloud;
- you cross checkpoints and want a phone free of sensitive notes;
- you organize your work by trip, with place and map;
- you publish a series of bilingual, citable articles, not a single note.
Choose Notesnook if…
- you want nobody else to be able to read your synced notes;
- open-source software, client and server, matters to you;
- you want native apps everywhere, Linux included;
- you are leaving Evernote or Google Keep and clip lots of web pages.
What Notesnook does better
Notesnook combines end-to-end encryption, fully open code and low prices. The Freedom of the Press Foundation lists it among the notes apps it recommends to journalists. For synced notes nobody else must be able to read, it does better than nTilia. nTilia does not end-to-end encrypt its sync, by design: an article published in the journal has to be readable; end-to-end encrypted, nobody could read it. Publishing is a choice: what must not leave stays on the device, in a “device” note that is never synced, encrypted at rest by the vault (AES-256-GCM, on the free plan).
Its second-password vault and app lock protect a phone you lend or leave on a table.
What nTilia adds for field work
nTilia is cut for reporting: one Mission per trip, photo, audio, place and GPS inside the note, and on-device transcription of an interview, with no network.
A locked vault stays on the phone: if you are forced to open it, the notes are there. Before a checkpoint, nTilia’s Travel Mode hands an encrypted copy to a safe recipient, then removes sensitive notes from the device. And if you are forced to reopen the app, the notebook only comes back after 24 hours, unless the safe recipient approves.
Publishing
Monograph publishes one note at a time, as a web page. nTilia publishes a journal: one URL per language, a Cite block, archived versions, an RSS feed and, from Pro, a Zenodo DOI.
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook more secure than nTilia?
For synced notes, yes: Notesnook end-to-end encrypts them, while nTilia does not, so the published journal stays readable (what you don’t publish can stay on the phone, encrypted by the vault). Against a search of the phone, nTilia adds the encrypted vault, Travel Mode, notes that never leave the device and local transcription.
Does Notesnook work offline?
Yes for notes. To keep attachments on the device too, you turn on full offline mode, reserved for paid plans. In nTilia, everything works offline, transcription included.
Does Notesnook transcribe audio?
No, you can attach files but not transcribe them. nTilia transcribes interviews with Whisper on the device, from Pro.
Can I switch from Notesnook to nTilia?
Yes: export your notes from Notesnook as Markdown, then import the .md files into nTilia.
Sources, checked on
Free · No credit card · Works offline