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VERDICT

Should I use Simplenote?

The simplest way to keep notes. Light, clean, and free. - simplenote.com

Depends. Good free pick for plain-text notes, lists, and ideas synced across devices. Avoid it for sensitive content or long-term archives — development has stalled, encryption is absent, and a breach was reported.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~40 public sources: official pages, app-store ratings, G2/PCMag/Cloudwards reviews, Reddit threads, and security forum posts. Some snippets truncated; quotes reflect available verbatim text.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Sustainer$19.99/month (reportedly)

Best for

  • Plain-text note takers
  • Cross-device lists and ideas
  • Zero-budget users
  • Quick capture and easy sharing

Not for

  • Anyone storing passwords or sensitive notes
  • Users wanting images, formatting, or attachments
  • Teams needing a maintained, future-proof tool
  • Long-term archive keepers facing migration risk

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

No security page; forum answers say don't store passwords or sensitive notes here

high

Stalled development creates real migration risk if the service ever winds down

medium

Third-party sync not officially supported; integrations have broken before

medium

'Sustainer' plan reportedly $19.99/month; long-time users call it 'a little steep'

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free core with syncing, backups, and sharing built in
  • Truly simple plain-text notes across iOS, Android, Mac, and web
  • Users consistently praise the ease of use
  • Easy note sharing repeatedly praised by users
  • Long-time users call it free, rock solid, and dependable

Cons

  • No end-to-end encryption on any tier
  • No longer in active development
  • Security breach reported on official forums in August 2024
  • Third-party app sync officially unsupported; users report breakage
  • Just 3.6/5 on Google Play

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/20/2026 - 10 sources - No end-to-end encryption; a breach was reported on Simplenote's own forums in August 2024.

official x1review x5security x2news x2
  • Forum-reported breach (Aug 2024), A user-reported security incident thread with an official 'Update' acknowledging the issue appeared on Simplenote's forums on Aug 16, 2024.
  • No end-to-end encryption, Notes are not end-to-end encrypted; competitors highlight this as the key security gap.
  • Not for secrets, Forum guidance says passwords and sensitive content should not be kept in Simplenote notes.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Core app free; sync, backups, sharing included
  • Ease of use: 5/5. Users consistently praise the simplicity
  • Feature depth: 2/5. Plain text only; no encryption or rich features
  • Support quality: 2/5. Forums only; third-party sync officially unsupported
  • Security posture: 2/5. No end-to-end encryption; forum-reported breach
  • 3.6/5 Google Play rating 18,267 ratings
  • Free Core price Sync, backups, sharing included
  • Yes Free tier No plan needed for core use
  • $810.2K Projected revenue Crunchbase estimate

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Unlimited notes
  • Sync across devices
  • Backups and sharing

Sustainer

$19.99/month (reportedly)

  • Supports operations
  • Feature scope unclear in sources

Security

No end-to-end encryption; a breach was reported on Simplenote's own forums in August 2024.

  • Forum-reported breach (Aug 2024)A user-reported security incident thread with an official 'Update' acknowledging the issue appeared on Simplenote's forums on Aug 16, 2024.⁷
  • No end-to-end encryptionNotes are not end-to-end encrypted; competitors highlight this as the key security gap.⁸
  • Not for secretsForum guidance says passwords and sensitive content should not be kept in Simplenote notes.

What users say

Users love the free, simple cross-device sync but complain about security gaps, stalled development, and occasional sync failures.

“I have enjoyed the free use of Simplenote for ...”
Reddit, r/Simplenote
“I have been most disappointed with Simplenote's c...”
Reddit, r/Simplenote
“I ditched Google Keep for Simplenote, and I'm never going ...”
Android Authority
Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources: official pages, app-store ratings, G2/PCMag/Cloudwards reviews, Reddit threads, and security forum posts. Some snippets truncated; quotes reflect available verbatim text.

Free, dead-simple synced notes — but stalled development, no encryption, and a reported breach.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources: official pages, app-store ratings, G2/PCMag/Cloudwards reviews, Reddit threads, and security forum posts. Some snippets truncated; quotes reflect available verbatim text.

Sources

  1. Simplenote official sitesimplenote.com
    official
  2. Simplenote — Google Playplay.google.com
    review
  3. Simplenote Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  4. Simplenote Review — PCMagpcmag.com
    review
  5. Simplenote Review — Cloudwardscloudwards.net
    review
  6. Simplenote is no longer in active development — Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.com
    news
  7. Simplenote security breach thread — official forumsforums.simplenote.com
    security
  8. Standard Notes vs Simplenote (encryption gap)standardnotes.com
    security
  9. Sustainer pricing complaint — Redditreddit.com
    review
  10. Simplenote financials — Crunchbasecrunchbase.com
    news

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