Standard Notes
End-to-end encrypted notes app — a European alternative to Evernote and Notion.
Overview
Standard Notes is a Paris, France-based European company building open source, privacy, and productivity software since 2017. As an EU-headquartered provider, Standard Notes operates under GDPR and is outside the reach of the US CLOUD Act, making it a privacy-friendly alternative to well-known US incumbents for European teams.
Why European teams pick Standard Notes
Teams in Europe pick Standard Notes when they want a open source provider that bills in EUR, supports their local data-protection officer requirements, and keeps customer data under France law, operating since 2017. Compared with well-known US incumbents, Standard Notes avoids cross-border data transfers under Schrems II and the US CLOUD Act, which is often the deciding factor for European procurement and legal teams.
See more EU open source tools or browse other startups from France.
About
Standard Notes is an open-source end-to-end encrypted notes app with all client apps (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Web) published under the AGPL licence. Notes are encrypted client-side before syncing — the server never sees plaintext content. Standard Notes offers a self-hosted server option (deployable on any EU VPS) for users who require complete data sovereignty. The managed cloud service stores data in the US by default, but the self-hosted path gives EU users full control. Standard Notes is popular among privacy advocates and security-conscious note-takers as an alternative to Notion, Evernote, or Apple Notes for sensitive personal and professional notes.
Details
- Founded
- 2017
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
Categories
Other EU startups like Standard Notes
- FormVaultNorway — GDPR-compliant form builder with end-to-end encryption (AES-256-GCM), EU data residency, and a submission dashboard. No cookie banners needed.
- PocketbaseBulgaria — Open-source backend in a single file — a European alternative to Firebase.
- NocoDBGermany — Open-source Airtable alternative that turns databases into smart spreadsheets.
- BaserowNetherlands — Open-source no-code database and Airtable alternative — built in the Netherlands.
- PortainerNew Zealand — Container management UI for Docker and Kubernetes — a New Zealand/European alternative to Rancher.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Standard Notes?
Standard Notes is an open-source end-to-end encrypted notes app with all client apps (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Web) published under the AGPL licence. Notes are encrypted client-side before syncing — the server never sees plaintext content. Standard Notes offers a self-hosted server option (deployable on any EU VPS) for users who require complete data sovereignty. The managed cloud service stores data in the US by default, but the self-hosted path gives EU users full control. Standard Notes is popular among privacy advocates and security-conscious note-takers as an alternative to Notion, Evernote, or Apple Notes for sensitive personal and professional notes.
What does Standard Notes do?
Standard Notes is end-to-end encrypted notes app — a european alternative to evernote and notion. It is listed under open source, privacy, and productivity on EU Alts because its core functionality serves teams looking for a European open source tool with EU data residency, typically as a switch away from well-known US incumbents.
Is Standard Notes a good European open source alternative?
Standard Notes is a fit for European businesses evaluating open source options where data residency and GDPR alignment matter — typical buyers include EU-based SaaS teams, public-sector projects, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), and any organisation that needs to demonstrate that customer data does not leave the EU. It also overlaps with privacy and productivity use cases.
Is Standard Notes GDPR compliant?
Standard Notes is headquartered in Paris, France and falls under EU jurisdiction, so it processes user data under the GDPR by default. Customer data processing is supervised by France's data protection authority, the Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL). Because the company is not US-incorporated, it is not subject to the US CLOUD Act — meaning US authorities cannot compel Standard Notes to disclose customer data the way they can with well-known US incumbents. For European buyers, that often simplifies DPIA paperwork and standard contractual clauses.
How do teams switch from well-known US incumbents to Standard Notes?
Most teams move to Standard Notes from well-known US incumbents because they want EU data residency without giving up the core open source workflow. Standard Notes's France base means a single jurisdiction for both the company and (typically) its hosting infrastructure, so you can drop Schrems II transfer impact assessments for this part of your stack. Plan the migration in stages: export your data from the US incumbent, pilot Standard Notes with a small team, then move the rest once the integration coverage you need is confirmed.
Where is Standard Notes based?
Standard Notes is headquartered in Paris, France. The company was founded in 2017. Its main website is https://standardnotes.com.