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Work · alternatives · 2026

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24 alternatives to Really Simple Notes

I made Really Simple Notes after getting frustrated with other note-taking apps. I found that I was spending more time formatting my notes than writing them. I like the sidebar navigation that Coda provides, but I hate how slow Coda is. I like how fast Google Docs is, but I don't like knowing that all my data goes to their servers; who knows what they are doing with my data? That's when I decided to create Really Simple Notes. It's an offline-only, no-formatting notes app with a sidebar to navigate notes. I've found that as I use it for personal notes, my productivity has increased…

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Really Simple Notes launched in 2022; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    Simple, plain-text notes with offline saving

    2022 · its alternatives →

  2. 2
    Jot▲235

    The no-fuss way to take notes

    2018 · gogetjot.com · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    SideNotes▲311

    A beautiful note taking app with superpowers. It shows and hides on the side of your monitor to manage your notes distraction-free. Keep your notes organised, personalised and always at your fingertips. Markdown, tasks, pictures, colors, folders included.

    2025 · apptorium.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    Simple notes app that ties notes together with #hashtags

    2016 · betternotesapp.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5
    Notes▲103

    Streamlined notes: quick & organized

    2024 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6
    Dumbnote▲141

    Offline-first Markdown note app. No lock-in. Just write.

    2025 · dumbnote.app · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    Minimalist note taking app

    2025 · stupidnotes.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8

    Simplest Note app from your web browser.

    2020 · drghostling.github.io · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Thank you for your comments, just some context: - The app is available for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and the Web. - The Web version is implemented as a Progressive Web Application that is very responsive, local first, offline first, can be installed, and is entirely free to use. - Native (hybrid) versions do not require subscription fees and have small one-time payment. - You can store your notes in Git using any Git provider such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. However, it has the best built-in integration with GitHub. Self-hosted scenarios like Gitea are also…

    2024 · about.noteshub.app · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    A simple and private notes app.

    2017 · standardnotes.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    This project began when I realized that despite trying many fantastic note-taking apps, I often defaulted to dumping notes into chat apps like Slack or iMessage. I wanted to bring that effortless “text yourself” note-taking experience to a dedicated note-taking app. Originally developed as a macOS app, Strflow is now also available for iOS. Strflow is designed to make note-taking as quick and intuitive as possible, centered around a chronological timeline UI. Here are some of its features: * Tag system * Rich editor with text formatting, images, and note linking * Global shortcuts for quick…

    2024 · strflow.app · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    Simple no hassle notes app in a beautiful material design

    2017 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    📝 Minimalist, 🙈 anonymous and 🆓 free note taking app

    2018 · quicknote.io · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Simple UI to grab content and take note easily

    2023 · its alternatives →

  15. 15
    And Notes▲105

    Note taking on a whole new level

    2022 · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    So, I built this little thing over the past month or so now, I got tired of places for tickets, notes, and such being shoved front and center in apps. Thus I created Mininote to get away from the noise I wanted something simple to move out of the way completely when I don't need it but be there when I do need it It contains a slew of features built right in, but the coolest is the sites own API is also the sites own public API no split seam

    Aug 2026 · mininote.ink · its alternatives →

  17. 17
    Notilus▲128

    A super simple note app inspired by Apple Notes

    Oct 2025 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    Fully cross-platform, markdown based note-taking app

    2021 · about.noteshub.app · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Hey hacker news, I've worked on a note/wiki app nights and weekends for almost two years. While still missing some essentials and polish, I'm happy with the progress and some of my use cases: personal CRM, work notes, and a place to write/record funny things my kid says. I bought into the hype a few years ago with linking apps but quickly grew tired of spinners and steep learning curves, so I started over with a text box and my HTML skills from twenty years ago. Then Chatgpt came out, giving me the tools to add a bit of magic and dig into my stance on simplicity even more. I'd love…

    2024 · grugnotes.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Notes app that puts privacy first

    2018 · yournote.app · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    A minimalist note-taking app

    Jun 2026 · simple-notes.site · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Easy, private, secure note taking.

    2018 · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    So I've been working on this app for a very long time now. Started off by wanting an app that separates long form notes from short form notes visually and keeps everything organized on a canvas. The app features: -Sticky notes for quick, small notes and A4 notes for long form documents -A quick mode that uses local storage to quickly open the app and jot down a thought on the canvas -A PDF export option that exports your notes into 3 custom designed PDF styles -Visual hierarchy to replicate file structure instead of a linear fashion, where your files are notes, stacks are folders and labels…

    Jul 2026 · passinote.app · its alternatives →

  24. 24FD

    Hey Everyone, been working on a note-taking app called janta (Just Another Note Taking App) the past few months. You can try it out at app.janta.dev (you will be redirected to app.janta.dev/canvas/temporary, which is the locally-stored whiteboard you can access) I felt limited with OneNote, Excalidraw, and other infinite-canvas style apps, so I built an alternative. You have access to code-editors, Desmos graphs, and rich text editors (SlateJS). This is because the canvas is designed in a way that allows web components to exist on the same layer as pen-strokes, so you can annotate…

    2025 · app.janta.dev · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →