Comparison
nTilia or Standard Notes: which app for confidential notes?
The short answer
Standard Notes is an end-to-end encrypted, open-source notes app on every device, owned by Proton since 2024. 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 a notes vault nobody else can read, choose Standard Notes; to report in the field and then publish, choose nTilia.
nTilia and Standard Notes, side by side
| Criterion | nTilia | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PriceTie | Free; Pro at $14/mo | Free (plain text); Productivity at $90/yr, Professional at $120/yr |
| PlatformsStandard Notes’s edge | Web and installable app (PWA); no native app | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android |
| OfflineTie | Everything works offline | Offline copy of notes, and of files on Professional |
| SyncStandard Notes’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, unlimited devices, from the free plan |
| MarkdownnTilia’s edge | Full Markdown editor, from the free plan | Markdown and rich text from Productivity; plain text on Free |
| Audio and transcriptionnTilia’s edge | Record or import into the note; on-device Whisper transcription (Pro) | No recording or transcription; file attachments on Professional |
| Field worknTilia’s edge | Missions (one folder per trip), photo, place and GPS, private map | Tags and folders; no organization by trip |
| CheckpointnTilia’s edge | Travel Mode (Pro): a copy with a safe recipient, then the phone is emptied of sensitive notes, with no way back on the spot | Password-protected notes; no dedicated mode |
| PublishingnTilia’s edge | Bilingual FR/EN public journal, indexed from Pro, Cite block, Zenodo DOI (Pro) | Listed blog, which closes on December 31, 2026 |
| Source code and auditsStandard Notes’s edge | Closed | Open source, audited by independent security researchers |
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 your notes as bilingual or citable articles, especially once Listed closes.
Choose Standard Notes if…
- you want nobody else to be able to read your synced notes;
- open-source, audited software matters to you;
- you want native apps everywhere, Linux included;
- you already use Proton for email or files.
What Standard Notes does better
Standard Notes has earned its reputation: end-to-end encryption from the free plan, open code, independent audits, two-factor authentication. The Freedom of the Press Foundation recommends it 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).
What nTilia adds for field work
Standard Notes is a text vault; nTilia is a reporting notebook. One Mission per trip, photo, audio, place and GPS inside the note, and on-device transcription of an interview, with no network. nTilia’s “device” notes are never synced: they do not leave the phone.
Encryption protects data on servers, not against someone who demands your phone’s passcode. 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 after Listed
Listed, the free blogging platform tied to Standard Notes, closes on December 31, 2026; published posts will remain in the Standard Notes account. nTilia publishes a bilingual journal, with one URL per language, a Cite block, a custom domain and, from Pro, a Zenodo DOI.
Frequently asked questions
Is Standard Notes more secure than nTilia?
For synced notes, yes: Standard Notes 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). On the phone, against a search, nTilia adds the encrypted vault, Travel Mode, notes that never leave the device and local transcription.
Is Standard Notes free?
The free plan offers encrypted sync across unlimited devices, in plain text. Markdown and rich text need Productivity ($90 a year); files and photos need Professional ($120 a year).
Listed is closing: where can I publish my notes?
Listed closes on December 31, 2026. nTilia can take over: import your notes as Markdown, then publish them in the journal, in French and English, with a Cite block.
Can I switch from Standard Notes to nTilia?
Yes: export your notes from Standard Notes, then import the text or Markdown files into nTilia.
Sources, checked on
Free · No credit card · Works offline