diff --git a/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_end_to_end_encrypted_notes_apps.py b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_end_to_end_encrypted_notes_apps.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95707a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_end_to_end_encrypted_notes_apps.py
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+"""Figures for S2: 5 Best End to End Encrypted Notes Apps in 2026."""
+from atomic_viz import figure, banner, box, phone
+
+APPS = ["Atomic Notes", "Notesnook", "Standard Notes", "Cryptee", "Joplin"]
+
+
+def build():
+ out = {}
+
+ rows = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{i + 1:02d}'
+ f'{a}
' for i, a in enumerate(APPS))
+ art = box(740, 110, 400, 400, f'
CHECKED OCTOBER 9, 2026
{rows}', cls="sigshadow", style="padding:18px 22px")
+ out["01-banner"] = banner("SECURITY · 2026", '5 BEST END TO END ENCRYPTED NOTES APPS',
+ "Judged on one thing first: who holds the key.", art, title_size=88, text_width=640)
+
+ y, n, o = 'ON', 'NONE', 'OPTIONAL'
+ data = [("ATOMIC NOTES", o, "AES-256-GCM", "Argon2id, 6 words", "Your phrase", n, "Source-available"),
+ ("NOTESNOOK", y, "XChaCha20-Poly1305", "Argon2", "Recovery key", n, "GPL-3.0"),
+ ("STANDARD NOTES", y, "XChaCha20-Poly1305", "Argon2id", "None", '4 PUBLISHED', "AGPL-3.0"),
+ ("CRYPTEE", y, "AES-256", "Your encryption key", "None", n, "MIT (web client)"),
+ ("JOPLIN", o, "AES-256-GCM", "PBKDF2", "None", n, "AGPL-3.0")]
+ trs = "".join(f"
{a}
{b}
{c}
{d}
{e}
{f}
{g}
" for a, b, c, d, e, f, g in data)
+ body = (f'
APP
DEFAULT
CIPHER
'
+ f'
KEY FROM
RECOVERY
AUDITS
CODE
{trs}
')
+ out["02-comparison"] = figure("FIG 2 · AT A GLANCE", 'FIVE APPS, SIDE BY SIDE', body,
+ "From each app's security documentation, checked October 9, 2026.", h=760)
+
+ # Five meanings of encrypted.
+ rungs = [("HTTPS ONLY", "Locked on the network", "The company, on arrival"),
+ ("ENCRYPTED SERVER DISKS", "Locked on the company's drives", "The company, any time"),
+ ("ENCRYPTED PHONE STORAGE", "Locked on your device", "The company, if it syncs plain text"),
+ ("CLIENT-SIDE, COMPANY KEY", "Locked before upload", "The company, with its copy of the key"),
+ ("END-TO-END", "Locked before upload, your key only", "Only your devices")]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (t, d, who) in enumerate(rungs):
+ top = 196 + (4 - i) * 104
+ w = 620 + i * 60
+ cls = "signal" if i == 4 else ("" if i == 3 else "surface flat")
+ body += box(56, top, w, 88, f'
'
+ f'
{t}
{d}
'
+ f'
WHO CAN READ
'
+ f'
{who}
', cls=cls, style="padding:10px 20px")
+ out["03-key-ladder"] = figure("FIG 1 · THE LADDER", 'FIVE THINGS "ENCRYPTED" CAN MEAN', body,
+ "Only the top rung keeps the company out of your notes.", h=800)
+
+ # Recovery.
+ ok, part, lost = 'YES', 'PARTLY', 'LOST'
+ data = [("ATOMIC NOTES", part, ok, lost, "Six-word phrase"),
+ ("NOTESNOOK", ok, ok, lost, "Recovery key"),
+ ("STANDARD NOTES", lost, ok, lost, "Password only"),
+ ("CRYPTEE", lost, ok, lost, "Encryption key only"),
+ ("JOPLIN", part, ok, lost, "Master password only")]
+ trs = "".join(f"
{a}
{b}
{c}
{d}
{e}
" for a, b, c, d, e in data)
+ body = (f'
APP
FORGOT THE SECRET
LOST THE PHONE
'
+ f'
LOST BOTH
WHAT SAVES YOU
{trs}
')
+ out["04-recovery"] = figure("FIG 4 · RECOVERY", 'YOU LOST IT. NOW WHAT?', body,
+ "Partly: a device that is already unlocked can still read or export your notes.", h=640)
+
+ # Metadata.
+ cols = [("EVERY APP HERE", ["Your account email", "When you sync", "How many items you store", "Rough size of each item"]),
+ ("ATOMIC NOTES ALSO", ["Note type: text or checklist", "Pinned and deleted flags", "Created and updated times", "The Drive file ID"]),
+ ("HIDDEN EVERYWHERE", ["Note titles", "Note text", "Checklist items", "Attachments, where supported"])]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (t, items) in enumerate(cols):
+ li = "".join(f'
{x}
' for x in items)
+ body += box(56 + i * 370, 196, 340, 420, f'
{"STILL VISIBLE" if i < 2 else "ENCRYPTED"}
{t}
{li}',
+ cls="signal" if i == 2 else "")
+ out["05-metadata"] = figure("FIG 5 · METADATA", 'CONTENT HIDDEN. PATTERN VISIBLE.', body,
+ "Every sync service needs some metadata. The honest ones name it.", h=700)
+
+ body = phone(17, 64, 190, 260, crop=470, shadow="ink")
+ facts = [("THE KEY", "Six random words, 60 bits, shown once"), ("KEY DERIVATION", "Argon2id, 64 MiB, 3 passes, on the phone"),
+ ("CIPHER", "AES-256-GCM for every note"), ("SERVER KEEPS", "A verifier, never the key"),
+ ("DEFAULT", "Off. You switch the vault on"), ("HONEST LIMITS", "No independent audit yet")]
+ rws = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{a}{b}
' for a, b in facts)
+ body += box(400, 190, 744, 500, f'
ATOMIC NOTES VAULT
{rws}
', cls="sigshadow")
+ out["06-atomic-notes-card"] = figure("FIG 3 · OUR PICK, DISCLOSED", 'HOW THE VAULT WORKS', body,
+ "It's my app, so it goes first. The vault code is public in lib/security/.", h=760)
+ return out
diff --git a/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_local_first_note_taking_apps.py b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_local_first_note_taking_apps.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f431829
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_local_first_note_taking_apps.py
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+"""Figures for L2: 6 Best Local First Note Taking Apps in 2026."""
+from atomic_viz import figure, banner, box, phone, arrow
+
+APPS = ["Atomic Notes", "Obsidian", "Logseq", "SiYuan", "SilverBullet", "Trilium Notes"]
+
+
+def build():
+ out = {}
+
+ rows = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{i + 1:02d}'
+ f'{a}
' for i, a in enumerate(APPS))
+ art = box(740, 100, 400, 440, f'
CHECKED OCTOBER 9, 2026
{rows}', cls="sigshadow", style="padding:18px 22px")
+ out["01-banner"] = banner("LOCAL FIRST · 2026", '6 BEST LOCAL FIRST NOTE TAKING APPS',
+ "Your device holds the real copy. The cloud is a helper you can switch off.", art, title_size=90, text_width=640)
+
+ y, n, p = 'YES', 'NO', 'OPTIONAL'
+ data = [("ATOMIC NOTES", "Android phone", "JSON files in your Drive", "Your Google Drive", p, "Source-available"),
+ ("OBSIDIAN", "Folder on device", "Markdown files", "Paid or any folder sync", "Obsidian Sync: yes", "Closed"),
+ ("LOGSEQ", "Device", "Files (OG) or database", "Folder sync or own E2E", "Logseq sync: yes", "AGPL-3.0"),
+ ("SIYUAN", "Local workspace", ".sy JSON documents", "Paid cloud, S3, WebDAV", y, "AGPL-3.0"),
+ ("SILVERBULLET", "Folder you host", "Markdown files", "Server you run", n, "MIT"),
+ ("TRILIUM NOTES", "Desktop database", "SQLite", "Server you run", "Per note", "AGPL-3.0")]
+ trs = "".join(f"
{a}
{b}
{c}
{d}
{e}
{f}
" for a, b, c, d, e, f in data)
+ body = (f'
APP
PRIMARY COPY
FORMAT
'
+ f'
SYNC
ENCRYPTED SYNC
LICENSE
{trs}
')
+ out["02-comparison"] = figure("FIG 2 · AT A GLANCE", 'SIX APPS, SIDE BY SIDE', body,
+ "Checked against each app's repository, docs, or changelog on October 9, 2026.", h=870)
+
+ # Which copy is the real one?
+ def side(x, label, title, top_t, top_d, top_cls, bot_t, bot_d, bot_cls, sig_top):
+ b = f'
{label}
'
+ b += f'
{title}
'
+ b += box(x, 288, 470, 150, f'
{top_t}
{top_d}
', cls=top_cls)
+ b += box(x, 530, 470, 150, f'
{bot_t}
{bot_d}
', cls=bot_cls)
+ return b
+ body = side(56, "CLOUD FIRST", "THE SERVER OWNS IT", "SERVER · THE REAL NOTE", "Every save goes here first. No server, no save.", "ink",
+ "YOUR PHONE · A CACHE", "Goes stale offline. New notes wait in a queue.", "surface flat", True)
+ body += side(674, "LOCAL FIRST", "YOUR DEVICE OWNS IT", "CLOUD · A COPY", "Moves notes between devices. You can turn it off.", "surface flat",
+ "YOUR PHONE · THE REAL NOTE", "Every save lands here first, with or without a network.", "signal", False)
+ lines = arrow(291, 446, 291, 522, color="ink") + arrow(909, 522, 909, 446, color="sig")
+ lines += ''
+ out["03-primary-copy"] = figure("FIG 1 · THE ONE QUESTION", 'WHICH COPY IS THE REAL ONE?', body,
+ "Arrows show which way a new note travels first.", lines=lines, h=760)
+
+ # Sync spectrum.
+ cols = [("NO SERVER TO MANAGE", "Storage you already have", ["ATOMIC NOTES", "OBSIDIAN"], "Your Google Drive, or Obsidian Sync and folder tools"),
+ ("A SERVICE OR YOUR STORAGE", "Pick either", ["LOGSEQ", "SIYUAN"], "Their encrypted cloud, or your own folders, S3, or WebDAV"),
+ ("A SERVER YOU RUN", "Full control, more work", ["SILVERBULLET", "TRILIUM NOTES"], "Docker or a small VPS at home or rented")]
+ body = ''
+ body += ''
+ for i, (t, s, apps, d) in enumerate(cols):
+ x = 56 + i * 370
+ chips = "".join(f'
{a}
' for a in apps)
+ body += box(x, 262, 340, 380, f'
{s}
{t}
'
+ f'
{chips}
{d}
',
+ cls="sigshadow" if i == 0 else "")
+ out["04-sync-spectrum"] = figure("FIG 5 · WHO RUNS SYNC", 'FROM STORAGE YOU OWN TO A SERVER YOU RUN', body,
+ "Every app here also works with sync switched off.", h=720)
+
+ # Shutdown test.
+ y2, part = 'YES', 'EXPORT FIRST'
+ data = [("ATOMIC NOTES", "Every note, on the phone", "JSON files in your Drive", y2, "READ THE JSON"),
+ ("OBSIDIAN", "Markdown vault", "Your folder sync keeps going", y2, 'NOTHING TO DO'),
+ ("LOGSEQ", "Files or database graph", "Your folder sync keeps going", y2, "DB GRAPHS: EXPORT"),
+ ("SIYUAN", ".sy JSON workspace", "Encrypted copy in your S3", y2, part),
+ ("SILVERBULLET", "Markdown folder", "Your server keeps going", y2, 'NOTHING TO DO'),
+ ("TRILIUM NOTES", "SQLite database", "Your server keeps going", y2, part)]
+ trs = "".join(f"
{a}
{b}
{c}
{d}
{e}
" for a, b, c, d, e in data)
+ body = (f'
APP
ON YOUR DEVICE
THE SYNC COPY
'
+ f'
KEEP WRITING?
TO MOVE APPS
{trs}
')
+ out["05-shutdown-test"] = figure("FIG 4 · THE SHUTDOWN TEST", 'THE COMPANY IS GONE. WHAT IS LEFT?', body,
+ "From each app's docs. Official cloud services stop. Anything you host or own stays.", h=790)
+
+ body = phone(3, 64, 190, 260, crop=470, shadow="ink")
+ facts = [("PRIMARY COPY", "Your phone. Saved as you type, no network needed"), ("SYNC", "Optional, to a folder in your own Google Drive"),
+ ("SERVER", "Metadata only, never note titles or text"), ("CONFLICTS", "Kept as a separate conflict copy"),
+ ("NO", "Ads, trackers, or AI"), ("HONEST LIMITS", "Android only. Google sign-in. No export button yet")]
+ rws = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{a}{b}
' for a, b in facts)
+ body += box(400, 190, 744, 500, f'
ATOMIC NOTES
{rws}
', cls="sigshadow")
+ out["06-atomic-notes-card"] = figure("FIG 3 · OUR PICK, DISCLOSED", 'WHY ATOMIC NOTES IS FIRST', body,
+ "It's my app, so it goes first. Every fact on this card is checkable in its public code.", h=760)
+ return out
diff --git a/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_note_taking_apps_without_ai.py b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_note_taking_apps_without_ai.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..010fff6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_note_taking_apps_without_ai.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+"""Figures for P4: 7 Best Note Taking Apps Without AI in 2026."""
+from atomic_viz import figure, banner, box, phone, arrow
+
+APPS = ["Atomic Notes", "Markor", "TiddlyWiki", "Zim", "Saber", "Dynalist", "CherryTree"]
+
+
+def build():
+ out = {}
+
+ rows = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{i + 1:02d}'
+ f'{a}
' for i, a in enumerate(APPS))
+ art = box(740, 92, 400, 460, f'
CHECKED OCTOBER 9, 2026
{rows}', cls="sigshadow", style="padding:18px 22px")
+ out["01-banner"] = banner("PRIVACY · NO AI · 2026", '7 BEST NOTE TAKING APPS WITHOUT AI',
+ "No assistant reading along. You write, it saves, and that's all.", art, title_size=90, text_width=640)
+
+ none = 'NONE'
+ data = [("ATOMIC NOTES", "Android", "Phone + your Drive", "Optional vault", none, "Source-available"),
+ ("MARKOR", "Android", "Files you choose", "AES-256 text", none, "Apache-2.0"),
+ ("TIDDLYWIKI", "Browser, Node.js", "One HTML file", "AES-256 option", none, "BSD 3-Clause"),
+ ("ZIM", "Desktop", "Plain text files", 'NONE', none, "GPL-2.0"),
+ ("SABER", "Phone, tablet, PC", "Device + Nextcloud", "Before upload", none, "GPL-3.0"),
+ ("DYNALIST", "Web, all platforms", "Their servers", 'NO E2E', none, "Closed"),
+ ("CHERRYTREE", "Desktop", "One local file", "Password", none, "GPL-3.0")]
+ trs = "".join(f"
{a}
{b}
{c}
{d}
{e}
{f}
" for a, b, c, d, e, f in data)
+ body = (f'
APP
PLATFORMS
NOTES LIVE
'
+ f'
ENCRYPTION
BUILT-IN AI
LICENSE
{trs}
')
+ out["02-comparison"] = figure("FIG 2 · AT A GLANCE", 'SEVEN APPS, ZERO ASSISTANTS', body,
+ "Checked against each app's repository, website, or changelog on October 9, 2026.", h=900)
+
+ # Where a note travels.
+ def stop(x, yy, t, d, cls=""):
+ return box(x, yy, 230, 120, f'
{d}
{t}
', cls=cls, style="padding:14px 16px")
+ body = '
WITHOUT AI
'
+ body += stop(56, 226, "YOUR PHONE", "WRITE", "signal") + stop(346, 226, "YOUR STORAGE", "SYNC, IF YOU CHOOSE", "")
+ body += '
WITH A CLOUD AI FEATURE
'
+ body += (stop(56, 450, "YOUR PHONE", "TAP SUMMARIZE", "signal") + stop(346, 450, "APP SERVER", "FORWARDS TEXT", "")
+ + stop(636, 450, "AI PROVIDER", "RUNS THE MODEL", "warn") + stop(926, 450, "LOGS?", "KEPT HOW LONG?", "warn"))
+ lines = (arrow(292, 286, 338, 286, color="sig") + arrow(292, 510, 338, 510, color="ink")
+ + arrow(582, 510, 628, 510, color="err") + arrow(872, 510, 918, 510, color="err", dash=True))
+ out["03-ai-path"] = figure("FIG 1 · FOLLOW THE NOTE", 'AI ADDS STOPS TO YOUR NOTE\'S TRIP', body,
+ "A general model. Some AI features run on the device. Each app's policy has the details.", lines=lines, h=680)
+
+ steps = [("01", "READ THE NOTES", "Open the release notes before you tap update."),
+ ("02", "SEARCH FOR AI WORDS", "Assistant, summarize, generate, Gemini, Copilot."),
+ ("03", "OPEN THE SETTINGS", "Find any AI toggle after the update lands."),
+ ("04", "WHAT GOES WHERE", "Which text is sent, and to which company."),
+ ("05", "HOW LONG IT STAYS", "Retention, human review, and training terms.")]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (num, t, d) in enumerate(steps):
+ body += box(56 + i * 220, 220, 200, 330, f'
{num}
{t}
{d}
',
+ cls="sigshadow" if i == 0 else "", style="padding:16px 16px")
+ out["04-check-steps"] = figure("FIG 5 · BEFORE YOU UPDATE", 'A TWO-MINUTE AI CHECK', body,
+ "Apps change. A no-AI app today can ship an assistant next year.", h=640)
+
+ cards = [("LINKED WIKI PAGES", "TIDDLYWIKI", "One file you own. Tags, links, and views from plain text."),
+ ("DEEP PAGE TREES", "CHERRYTREE", "Hundreds of nested pages in one local file."),
+ ("NESTED OUTLINES", "DYNALIST", "Bullets inside bullets. Online, in maintenance mode.")]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (habit, app, d) in enumerate(cards):
+ body += box(56 + i * 370, 210, 340, 310, f'
IF YOU USE NOTION FOR
{habit}
'
+ f'
{app}
{d}
',
+ cls="sigshadow" if i == 0 else "")
+ out["05-notion-alternatives"] = figure("FIG 4 · NOTION, WITHOUT THE AI", 'NOTION ALTERNATIVES WITHOUT AI', body,
+ "Zim also works for a simple desktop wiki. None of these has Notion's database views.", h=610)
+
+ body = phone(4, 64, 190, 260, crop=470, shadow="ink")
+ facts = [("AI", "None. No model library in the app"), ("ALSO NONE", "Analytics, ads, or crash reporting"),
+ ("NOTES LIVE", "Your phone, then your own Google Drive"), ("ENCRYPTION", "Optional end-to-end vault"),
+ ("CHECK IT", "The dependency list is public in pubspec.yaml"), ("HONEST LIMITS", "Android only. Google sign-in. 30 free notes")]
+ rws = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{a}{b}
' for a, b in facts)
+ body += box(400, 190, 744, 500, f'
ATOMIC NOTES
{rws}
', cls="sigshadow")
+ out["06-atomic-notes-card"] = figure("FIG 3 · OUR PICK, DISCLOSED", 'WHY ATOMIC NOTES IS FIRST', body,
+ "It's my app, so it goes first. Every fact here is checkable in its public code.", h=760)
+ return out
diff --git a/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_offline_notes_apps_android.py b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_offline_notes_apps_android.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5808260
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/best_offline_notes_apps_android.py
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+"""Figures for L4: 8 Best Offline Notes Apps for Android in 2026."""
+from atomic_viz import figure, banner, box, phone, arrow
+
+APPS = ["Atomic Notes", "Material Notes", "Open Notes", "sNotz", "Easy Notes", "Orgzly Revived", "Notes", "Butterfly"]
+
+
+def build():
+ out = {}
+
+ rows = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{i + 1:02d}'
+ f'{a}
' for i, a in enumerate(APPS))
+ art = box(740, 88, 400, 472, f'
CHECKED OCTOBER 9, 2026
{rows}', cls="sigshadow", style="padding:16px 22px")
+ out["01-banner"] = banner("OFFLINE · ANDROID · 2026", '8 BEST OFFLINE NOTES APPS FOR ANDROID',
+ "Create, edit, and search with no connection. Four can't go online at all.", art, title_size=88, text_width=640)
+
+ y, n = 'NO', 'YES'
+ data = [("ATOMIC NOTES", n + " (sync)", "Google", "Your Google Drive", "Vault, lock", "Source-available"),
+ ("MATERIAL NOTES", y, "None", "Export only", "Locks, encrypted export", "AGPL-3.0"),
+ ("OPEN NOTES", y, "None", "ZIP backup", "Lock, no screenshots", "GPL-3.0"),
+ ("SNOTZ", y, "None", "Backup file", "Biometric or PIN", "GPL-3.0"),
+ ("EASY NOTES", y, "None", "None built in", "Encrypted vault", "GPL-3.0"),
+ ("ORGZLY REVIVED", n + " (sync)", "None", "Folder, WebDAV, Dropbox", "Lock", "GPL-3.0"),
+ ("NOTES", n + " (extras)", "None", "Text files, ZIP", "None", "GPL-3.0"),
+ ("BUTTERFLY", n + " (sync)", "None", "WebDAV, Nextcloud", "None", "AGPL-3.0")]
+ trs = "".join(f"
{a}
{b}
{c}
{d}
{e}
{f}
" for a, b, c, d, e, f in data)
+ body = (f'
APP
INTERNET
ACCOUNT
'
+ f'
SYNC OR BACKUP
PROTECTION
LICENSE
{trs}
')
+ out["02-comparison"] = figure("FIG 2 · AT A GLANCE", 'EIGHT APPS, SIDE BY SIDE', body,
+ "From each app's F-Droid listing, manifest, or repository on October 9, 2026.", h=920)
+
+ def group(x, lbl, title, apps, note, cls):
+ st = "background:transparent;color:#F4F5F1;border-color:#F4F5F1;" if cls == "ink" else ""
+ chips = "".join(f'
{a}
' for a in apps)
+ return box(x, 196, 520, 330, f'
{lbl}
{title}
'
+ f'
{chips}
{note}
', cls=cls)
+ body = group(56, "NO INTERNET PERMISSION", "CAN'T GO ONLINE", ["MATERIAL NOTES", "OPEN NOTES", "SNOTZ", "EASY NOTES"],
+ "Nothing in the app can send a note anywhere. Back up by hand.", "ink")
+ body += group(624, "OFFLINE FIRST, ONLINE LATER", "SYNCS WHEN IT CAN", ["ATOMIC NOTES", "ORGZLY REVIVED", "NOTES", "BUTTERFLY"],
+ "Every daily action works offline. The network is used for sync or extras.", "sigshadow")
+ out["03-internet-split"] = figure("FIG 1 · TWO KINDS OF OFFLINE", 'CAN THE APP EVEN GO ONLINE?', body,
+ "Checked against each app's permissions. Network state alone doesn't count as internet.", h=610)
+
+ q = lambda x, yy, t: box(x, yy, 300, 110, f'
QUESTION
{t}
', cls="surface flat", style="padding:12px 18px")
+ a = lambda x, yy, t, d: box(x, yy, 300, 120, f'
{t}
{d}
', style="padding:12px 18px")
+ body = q(56, 330, "NEED SYNC?")
+ body += q(450, 170, "WHERE TO?") + q(450, 490, "NEED ENCRYPTION?")
+ body += a(844, 110, "ATOMIC NOTES", "Your own Google Drive") + a(844, 260, "ORGZLY · BUTTERFLY", "WebDAV, folders, Nextcloud")
+ body += a(844, 440, "EASY NOTES", "Encrypted vault, no internet") + a(844, 590, "MATERIAL NOTES", "Fewest permissions")
+ body += ('
YES
'
+ '
NO
'
+ '
DRIVE
'
+ '
OWN SETUP
'
+ '
YES
'
+ '
NO
')
+ lines = (arrow(362, 370, 444, 230, color="sig") + arrow(362, 410, 444, 540, color="ink")
+ + arrow(756, 210, 838, 170, color="sig") + arrow(756, 240, 838, 310, color="ink")
+ + arrow(756, 530, 838, 500, color="sig") + arrow(756, 565, 838, 640, color="ink"))
+ out["04-pick-by-need"] = figure("FIG 5 · QUICK PICK", 'WHICH ONE FITS YOU?', body,
+ "Open Notes and sNotz suit lists with reminders. Notes suits plain text files.", lines=lines, h=800)
+
+ steps = [("01", "EXPORT ON A SCHEDULE", "Use the app's backup or export once a week, or set it to run by itself where it can."),
+ ("02", "COPY IT OFF THE PHONE", "Move the file to a computer, a USB drive, or storage you trust. One copy is not a backup."),
+ ("03", "TEST A RESTORE ONCE", "Import it on a spare phone or after a reinstall. A backup you never opened is a guess.")]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (num, t, d) in enumerate(steps):
+ body += box(56 + i * 370, 210, 340, 380, f'
{num}
{t}
{d}
',
+ cls="sigshadow" if i == 2 else "")
+ lines = arrow(400, 400, 422, 400, color="ink") + arrow(770, 400, 792, 400, color="ink")
+ out["05-backup-plan"] = figure("FIG 4 · BACKUPS", 'THE PHONE MAY HOLD THE ONLY COPY', body,
+ "Ten minutes a month. Apps with sync cover a lost phone, not a deleted note.", lines=lines, h=680)
+
+ body = phone(7, 64, 190, 260, crop=470, shadow="ink")
+ facts = [("OFFLINE", "Write, edit, search, delete. No connection needed"), ("SAVES", "To the phone as you type"),
+ ("SYNC LATER", "To your own Google Drive, on its own"), ("RETRIES", "After 5, 15, and 45 seconds, then waits"),
+ ("CONFLICTS", "Both versions kept, one marked conflict copy"), ("HONEST LIMITS", "Sign-in needs internet once. 30 free notes")]
+ rws = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{a}{b}
' for a, b in facts)
+ body += box(400, 190, 744, 500, f'
ATOMIC NOTES
{rws}
', cls="sigshadow")
+ out["06-atomic-notes-card"] = figure("FIG 3 · OUR PICK, DISCLOSED", 'WHY ATOMIC NOTES IS FIRST', body,
+ "It's my app, so it goes first. The offline behavior is checkable in its public code.", h=760)
+ return out
diff --git a/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/notes_app_privacy_mistakes.py b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/notes_app_privacy_mistakes.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0471b8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Atomic-Blog-Generation-Pipeline/visuals/posts/notes_app_privacy_mistakes.py
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+"""Figures for P3: Notes App Security, 10 Privacy Mistakes to Fix in 2026."""
+from atomic_viz import figure, banner, box, phone, arrow
+
+MISTAKES = ["Guessable screen lock", "No app lock", "Passwords in notes", "Recovery phrase in a synced note", "Forgotten share links",
+ "Leaky previews", "Weak cloud account", "Loose exports", "Unchecked APKs", "Trusting \"encrypted\""]
+
+
+def build():
+ out = {}
+
+ rows = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{i + 1:02d}'
+ f'{m}
' for i, m in enumerate(MISTAKES))
+ art = box(740, 84, 400, 480, f'
FIX EACH IN MINUTES
{rows}', cls="sigshadow", style="padding:16px 22px")
+ out["01-banner"] = banner("PRIVACY · SECURITY · 2026", 'NOTES APP SECURITY: 10 MISTAKES TO FIX',
+ "Most leaks come from habits, not hacks. Here's the fix for each.", art, title_size=86, text_width=640)
+
+ groups = [("LOCKS", "Who can open it", [(1, "Guessable screen lock"), (2, "No app lock"), (6, "Leaky previews")]),
+ ("SECRETS", "What you keep in it", [(3, "Passwords in notes"), (4, "Recovery phrase in a synced note"), (5, "Forgotten share links")]),
+ ("ACCOUNTS AND COPIES", "Where else it lives", [(7, "Weak cloud account"), (8, "Loose exports")]),
+ ("INSTALLS AND CLAIMS", "What you trust", [(9, "Unchecked APKs"), (10, "Trusting \"encrypted\"")])]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (t, s, items) in enumerate(groups):
+ x, yy = 56 + (i % 2) * 555, 196 + (i // 2) * 260
+ li = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{n:02d}{m}
' for n, m in items)
+ body += box(x, yy, 533, 236, f'
{s}
{t}
{li}',
+ cls="sigshadow" if i == 0 else "", style="padding:16px 20px")
+ out["02-mistakes-map"] = figure("FIG 1 · THE MAP", 'TEN MISTAKES, FOUR GROUPS', body,
+ "Most of them take under five minutes to fix.", h=760)
+
+ homes = [("PASSWORDS", "A password manager", "Generates, fills, and warns about breaches.", "signal"),
+ ("RECOVERY PHRASES", "Paper, stored offline", "Never in anything that syncs or backs up.", ""),
+ ("ID AND BANK NUMBERS", "An encrypted vault", "Only if you need them on the phone at all.", ""),
+ ("EVERYDAY NOTES", "Your notes app", "Lists, ideas, drafts. The job it's built for.", "surface flat")]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (what, home, d, cls) in enumerate(homes):
+ x, yy = 56 + (i % 2) * 555, 196 + (i // 2) * 236
+ body += box(x, yy, 533, 210, f'
{what}
{home}
{d}
', cls=cls)
+ out["03-where-secrets-belong"] = figure("FIG 3 · WHERE SECRETS BELONG", 'EVERY SECRET HAS A BETTER HOME', body,
+ "An ordinary note is the worst place for the first three.", h=740)
+
+ layers = [("SCREEN LOCK", "Stops a stranger with your phone", "The phone"),
+ ("APP LOCK", "Stops a friend holding your unlocked phone", "The notes app"),
+ ("END-TO-END VAULT", "Stops the company and a breached server", "The synced copy"),
+ ("CLOUD ACCOUNT 2-STEP", "Stops someone with your leaked password", "The account")]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (t, d, guards) in enumerate(layers):
+ top = 196 + i * 116
+ body += box(56 + i * 40, top, 900 - i * 40, 96, f'
'
+ f'
{i + 1:02d} · {t}
{d}
'
+ f'
GUARDS
{guards}
',
+ cls="signal" if i == 2 else ("" if i else "surface flat"), style="padding:10px 22px")
+ out["04-lock-layers"] = figure("FIG 2 · LAYERS", 'FOUR LOCKS, FOUR THREATS', body,
+ "Atomic Notes covers layers 2 and 3 in the app. Layers 1 and 4 are your phone and your Google account.", h=770)
+
+ steps = [("01", "OFFICIAL SOURCE ONLY", "The developer's release page or an app store. Never a mirror or a chat link."),
+ ("02", "COMPARE SHA-256", "The file's fingerprint must match the one in the release notes."),
+ ("03", "CHECK THE CERTIFICATE", "apksigner verify --print-certs shows who signed it.")]
+ body = ""
+ for i, (num, t, d) in enumerate(steps):
+ body += box(56 + i * 370, 210, 340, 340, f'
{num}
{t}
{d}
',
+ cls="sigshadow" if i == 1 else "")
+ lines = arrow(400, 380, 422, 380, color="ink") + arrow(770, 380, 792, 380, color="ink")
+ out["05-apk-check"] = figure("FIG 4 · BEFORE YOU INSTALL", 'THREE CHECKS FOR ANY APK', body,
+ "Atomic Notes 2.03.5 lists its checksums and certificate in its GitHub release notes.", lines=lines, h=640)
+
+ routine = [("LOCKS", "Screen lock, app lock, and no-screenshots still on"), ("SHARES", "Revoke links you no longer need"),
+ ("EXPORTS", "Delete or encrypt stray copies"), ("ACCOUNT", "Unique password and two-step verification"),
+ ("UPDATES", "Read release notes for new sharing or AI features")]
+ body = phone(9, 64, 190, 260, crop=470, shadow="ink")
+ rws = "".join(f'
'
+ f'{i + 1:02d}{a}{b}
'
+ for i, (a, b) in enumerate(routine))
+ body += box(400, 190, 744, 500, f'
EVERY THREE MONTHS
{rws}
', cls="sigshadow")
+ out["06-routine"] = figure("FIG 5 · THE ROUTINE", 'TEN MINUTES, FOUR TIMES A YEAR', body,
+ "Shown: the Atomic Notes security screen, with biometric unlock armed.", h=760)
+ return out
diff --git a/content/blog/atomic-notes-architecture.md b/content/blog/atomic-notes-architecture.md
index efbe092..6a5b44e 100644
--- a/content/blog/atomic-notes-architecture.md
+++ b/content/blog/atomic-notes-architecture.md
@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ My view after building it: this local first architecture costs more engineering
- [What is a local first notes app, and why does it matter?](/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app)
- [Encrypted notes explained: T2T vs end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained)
- [Notes app metadata: 8 things it knows without reading notes](/blog/notes-app-data-collection)
+- [How 6 local first note taking apps compare](/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps)
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
diff --git a/content/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps.md b/content/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..abdbf79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/content/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps.md
@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+---
+title: "5 Best End to End Encrypted Notes Apps in 2026"
+slug: "best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps"
+description: "The best encrypted notes app depends on who holds the key. Five end to end encrypted notes apps compared on keys, recovery, defaults, audits, and metadata."
+excerpt: "Encryption on by default or by choice, audited or not, recoverable or not. Five end-to-end encrypted notes apps, checked on October 9, 2026."
+author: "ashutosh-sharma"
+publishedAt: "2026-10-09"
+updatedAt: "2026-10-09"
+category: "security"
+tags: ["encryption", "security", "end-to-end", "notes-apps", "comparison"]
+featured: false
+draft: false
+coverImage: "/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps/01-banner.png"
+coverAlt: "Cover reading 5 Best End to End Encrypted Notes Apps, beside a numbered list of five apps checked in October 2026"
+canonical: "https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps"
+keywords: "best encrypted notes app, end to end encrypted notes app, most secure notes app, encrypted notes app, best secure notes app, E2EE notes app, Standard Notes, Notesnook, audited encryption, key ownership, recovery options, metadata, default encryption"
+readingTime: "11 min read"
+---
+
+
+
Quick answer
+
The best encrypted notes app is the one where only you hold the key. Notesnook, Standard Notes, and Cryptee encrypt everything by default. Joplin and Atomic Notes make end-to-end encryption a setting you switch on. Standard Notes is the only one here with published independent audits. Lose your password and recovery key, and none of them can help you.
+
+
+"Encrypted" is on almost every notes app's feature page. It can mean the trip over HTTPS, the company's hard drives, or your own phone. Only the last one keeps the company out.
+
+So I judged every **end to end encrypted notes app** here on one thing first: where the key lives. That single fact decides the best encrypted notes app for you more than any cipher does. Then on what happens when you lose it, what's on by default, who has checked the code, and what the server still sees.
+
+I read each app's own security documentation on October 9, 2026. I make Atomic Notes, which is why it's listed first. It's also weaker than the others in two places, and I'll show you exactly where.
+
+## What makes the best encrypted notes app?
+
+**Key ownership. If the company can decrypt your notes, the notes aren't end-to-end encrypted, whatever the marketing says.** Strong ciphers are table stakes. AES-256 and XChaCha20 are both excellent. The difference is who can use them on your data.
+
+
+
+Here are the five questions I asked to find the best encrypted notes app for each kind of reader:
+
+1. **Where is the key made?** On your device, from a password or phrase only you know.
+2. **Is encryption on by default?** Default encryption protects the notes you write before you find the setting.
+3. **What happens if you forget?** Every honest answer involves a recovery key or a loss.
+4. **Has anyone outside checked it?** Public code helps. A published, independent audit helps more.
+5. **What does the server still see?** Timestamps, sizes, and your email address, at the very least.
+
+If you want the basics first, my guide to [encrypted notes, T2T, and end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained) explains each layer with a live demo.
+
+## How do the 5 apps compare?
+
+**Three encrypt everything from the first note, two make it a choice, and only one has published audits.** If you're choosing the best encrypted notes app on evidence, that last point matters more than any cipher name.
+
+
+
+## The 5 best end to end encrypted notes apps
+
+Every entry answers the same questions: is it on by default, which cipher and key derivation it uses, how recovery works, who has audited it, and where it's weakest.
+
+### 1. Atomic Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** encrypted notes on Android that sync into your own Google Drive.
+
+- **Default:** off. The end-to-end vault is a setting you turn on.
+- **Cipher and key:** AES-256-GCM. A six-word recovery phrase (60 bits) becomes the key through Argon2id with 64 MiB of memory.
+- **Recovery:** your six words. Lose them, and vault notes stay locked for good.
+- **Audits:** none. The code is public to read, but nobody independent has reviewed it.
+- **Server sees:** note IDs, type, pinned and deleted flags, timestamps, and rough size. Never text once the vault is on.
+- **Source:** source-available on GitHub (read and verify, no reuse)
+- **Trade-off:** with the vault off, note text passes through the sync server over HTTPS on its way to your Drive
+
+
+
+When you turn the vault on, the app re-seals every existing note on your phone and uploads the sealed versions. One honest gap I found while writing this: Google Drive keeps older versions of a file for up to 30 days, so a note that was plain text before you switched the vault on can linger in that file's version history until Drive drops it. If that matters, turn the vault on before you write anything sensitive.
+
+So Atomic Notes is the best encrypted notes app here only if you want sync into storage you own and you're willing to flip one switch. If the best encrypted notes app for you is one where encryption can't be forgotten, the next three are stronger.
+
+### 2. Notesnook
+
+**Pick it for:** a polished E2EE notes app on every platform, with encryption you never have to think about.
+
+- **Default:** on, for every note and notebook
+- **Cipher and key:** XChaCha20-Poly1305, with the key derived from your password through Argon2
+- **Recovery:** a recovery key you save at sign-up. Lose both the password and the key, and the notes can't be decrypted.
+- **Audits:** none so far, and Notesnook says so itself
+- **Platforms:** Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web
+- **Source:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** version 3.4.9, October 6, 2026
+
+Notesnook feels like a mainstream notes app, which is its real strength. On its own comparison page it calls the missing audit "the fairest criticism anyone makes of us". I respect that line more than any badge.
+
+### 3. Standard Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** writing you plan to keep for decades, with the most outside scrutiny on this list.
+
+- **Default:** on, whenever you have an account
+- **Cipher and key:** XChaCha20-Poly1305, with Argon2id (64 MiB, 5 iterations) and a random key for every note
+- **Recovery:** none for a forgotten password. Keep it somewhere safe and offline.
+- **Audits:** four published, by Cure53 (2019 and 2022), Trail of Bits (2020), and Shackle Labs (2017)
+- **Platforms:** web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS
+- **Source:** open source under AGPL-3.0
+- **Trade-off:** many editors and extras sit behind a paid plan
+
+If you want the most secure notes app by the evidence you can actually read, Standard Notes is the strongest case. Audited encryption is rare in this category, and these reports are public. Proton acquired it in 2024, and the code stayed open.
+
+### 4. Cryptee
+
+**Pick it for:** encrypted documents, notes, and photos in one private place.
+
+- **Default:** on. Everything is encrypted in your browser before upload.
+- **Cipher and key:** AES-256, with a separate encryption key that only you know
+- **Recovery:** none for a lost encryption key
+- **Audits:** none published
+- **Platforms:** a web app you can install on any phone or computer
+- **Source:** the web client is public under MIT
+- **Latest:** support for the Open Document Format (ODT) in Docs, August 3, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** no native apps, and more storage costs money
+
+Cryptee is a small team in Estonia, and it shows in the focus. In March 2026 it added end-to-end encrypted photo album sharing, so it suits people whose private notes include scans and pictures, not just text.
+
+### 5. Joplin
+
+**Pick it for:** free, open source notes with encrypted sync to almost any storage you like.
+
+- **Default:** off. You enable it with a master password, one device at a time.
+- **Cipher and key:** AES-256-GCM, with the key derived through PBKDF2
+- **Recovery:** none. Joplin says the master password can't be recovered.
+- **Audits:** none published
+- **AI:** optional AI chat on desktop, off by default
+- **Sync targets:** Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, S3, and more
+- **Source:** open source under AGPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** version 3.7.21, September 25, 2026
+
+Joplin's docs give one piece of advice that every optional-encryption app should copy: switch encryption on for one device, let it sync fully, then move to the next. Turning it on in two places at once can create two competing keys.
+
+## What happens if you lose your password?
+
+**With true end-to-end encryption, the company can't reset your way back in.** That's the whole point, and it's the trade every end to end encrypted notes app asks you to accept.
+
+
+
+Pick an app and what you lost to see where you'd stand:
+
+:::widget recovery-check
+
+The practical rule is the same for every app, including the best encrypted notes app on this list. Write the password or phrase on paper, store it away from your phone, and test it once before you need it. A recovery key in the same notes app it protects isn't a backup.
+
+## How strong is your password, really?
+
+**Strength comes from randomness, then from how slow the key derivation is.** A memory-hard function like Argon2id makes every guess expensive. A weak password still falls if it's short enough.
+
+:::widget guess-time
+
+This is where the best secure notes app designs differ quietly, and where the best encrypted notes app earns its name. Standard Notes and Atomic Notes both use Argon2id with 64 MiB of memory, which turns a cheap guess into real hardware cost. Joplin uses PBKDF2, which is older but still standard. None of it saves a password like "notes2026".
+
+## What do encrypted notes apps still see?
+
+**Metadata. Every sync service needs some, and the honest ones name it.** End-to-end encryption hides what you wrote, not when you wrote it.
+
+
+
+All five servers know your account, when you sync, and roughly how much you store. Atomic Notes also tracks each note's type and its pinned and deleted flags, so it can sync without conflicts. My guide to [notes app metadata](/blog/notes-app-data-collection) shows what that kind of data can reveal.
+
+| If you want | Pick |
+|---|---|
+| Encryption you never switch on, on every platform | Notesnook |
+| Published audits and decades-long writing | Standard Notes |
+| Encrypted notes, documents, and photos together | Cryptee |
+| Free encrypted sync to storage you choose | Joplin |
+| Android notes in your own Google Drive, vault optional | Atomic Notes |
+
+My take: there's no single most secure notes app. There's the one whose key you hold, whose recovery story you understand, and whose claims someone outside has checked.
+
+## FAQ
+
+
+
+What is the best encrypted notes app in 2026?
+
For encryption on by default with outside audits, Standard Notes. For a polished app on every platform, Notesnook. For Android notes synced into your own Google Drive, Atomic Notes with its vault switched on. All three keep the key on your devices only.
+
+
+What is the most secure notes app?
+
No app earns that title outright. Standard Notes has the most published evidence, with four independent audits. Your own habits matter just as much: a long random password, a saved recovery key, and a locked phone protect any end-to-end encrypted notes app.
+
+
+Can the company read an end to end encrypted notes app?
+
Not the notes themselves. Your device encrypts each note before upload, and only your devices hold the key. The company still sees metadata such as your email address, when you sync, and how much you store.
+
+
+Is Joplin end-to-end encrypted?
+
Yes, once you enable it. Joplin encrypts notes, notebooks, tags, and attachments with AES-256-GCM using a master password. It's off by default, and the master password can't be recovered, so set it up carefully on one device first.
+
+
+Does default encryption matter?
+
Yes. With optional encryption, notes written before you switch it on may already sit unencrypted in the cloud or its version history. Apps with default encryption never upload a readable note, so there's nothing to clean up later.
+
+
+Is Atomic Notes the best encrypted notes app?
+
Not by strength. I build it, so it's listed first, but its vault is optional, it has no audit yet, and plain notes pass through the server until you turn the vault on. Its strength is sync into your own Drive, with public code you can check.
+
+
+
+## Keep reading
+
+- [Encrypted notes explained: T2T vs end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained)
+- [7 best private notes apps for Android](/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android)
+- [Notes app metadata: 8 things it knows without reading notes](/blog/notes-app-data-collection)
+
+
+
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
+
Switch on the vault and every note is sealed on your phone with AES-256-GCM, behind six words only you know. The sync server and your Google Drive only ever hold ciphertext. Read the vault code.
+
+
+## Sources
+
+- [Atomic Notes source code and releases. GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2)
+- [How is my data encrypted? Notesnook Help](https://notesnook.com/help/how-is-my-data-encrypted)
+- [Notesnook vs Standard Notes. Notesnook](https://notesnook.com/compare/standard-notes)
+- [Encryption whitepaper. Standard Notes Help](https://standardnotes.com/help/security/encryption)
+- [Has Standard Notes completed a third-party security audit? Standard Notes Help](https://standardnotes.com/help/2/has-standard-notes-completed-a-third-party-security-audit)
+- [Cryptee blog updates. Cryptee](https://blog.crypt.ee/tag/updates/)
+- [Cryptee web client. GitHub](https://github.com/cryptee/web-client)
+- [End-to-end encryption. Joplin Help](https://joplinapp.org/help/apps/sync/e2ee/)
+- [Joplin AI chat documentation. GitHub](https://github.com/laurent22/joplin/blob/dev/readme/apps/ai_chat.md)
+- [Check activity and file versions. Google Drive Help](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2409045?hl=en)
diff --git a/content/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps.md b/content/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..292e750
--- /dev/null
+++ b/content/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps.md
@@ -0,0 +1,258 @@
+---
+title: "6 Best Local First Note Taking Apps in 2026"
+slug: "best-local-first-note-taking-apps"
+description: "The 6 best local first note taking apps in 2026, compared on where the primary copy lives, file format, sync, and encryption. Apps like Obsidian, checked today."
+excerpt: "Your device holds the real copy and the cloud is a helper. Six local first note taking apps, checked on October 9, 2026, with the trade-offs named."
+author: "ashutosh-sharma"
+publishedAt: "2026-10-09"
+updatedAt: "2026-10-09"
+category: "local-first"
+tags: ["local-first", "notes-apps", "comparison", "obsidian", "sync"]
+featured: false
+draft: false
+coverImage: "/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps/01-banner.png"
+coverAlt: "Cover reading 6 Best Local First Note Taking Apps, beside a numbered list of six apps checked in October 2026"
+canonical: "https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps"
+keywords: "local first note taking apps, local first note taking, apps like obsidian, Logseq, Anytype, Joplin, Markdown files, plain text, sync options, encryption, offline access, data ownership, vault"
+readingTime: "11 min read"
+---
+
+
+
Quick answer
+
The best local first note taking apps keep the real copy of your notes on your own device and treat sync as optional. Atomic Notes does it on Android with your own Google Drive. Obsidian, Logseq, SiYuan, SilverBullet, and Trilium Notes do it on the desktop, and each one handles sync its own way.
+
+
+Almost every notes app says it works offline. Open one in a basement café and you'll see what that means. Some open instantly. Others show a spinner, then a stale list, then an error.
+
+The difference is which copy is the real one. **Local first note taking apps** keep the primary copy on your device, and the cloud only moves notes between devices. Cloud apps do the opposite: the server holds the truth, and your phone keeps a cache.
+
+I sorted this list by that one question, then checked every app's repository, docs, or changelog on October 9, 2026. Full disclosure: I build Atomic Notes. It sits at number one, with its weak spots spelled out in the same detail as the rest.
+
+## What makes local first note taking different?
+
+**Local first note taking means the device you're holding is the source of truth.** Sync, backup, and sharing are layers on top. If the company's server goes dark, your notes don't.
+
+
+
+Here are the four tests I used. An app had to pass all of them:
+
+1. **It opens and saves with no network.** Not "read only" offline. Full create, edit, and search.
+2. **Changes land on the device first.** The save finishes before any sync starts.
+3. **Sync is optional, and you pick where it goes.** Some apps let you skip sync entirely.
+4. **Your notes outlive the company.** You can still open them if the service shuts down.
+
+An offline cache passes the first test on a good day. The six local first note taking apps below pass all four. If you want the longer theory behind this, my guide to [what a local first notes app is](/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app) walks through the seven ideals from Ink & Switch.
+
+## How do the 6 apps compare?
+
+**They split into two camps: apps that store plain files you can open anywhere, and apps that store a local database.** Both are local first. Files are easier to move. Databases make richer features easier to build.
+
+
+
+Not sure where to start? Answer three questions and the matcher ranks the list for you:
+
+:::widget local-first-matcher
+
+## The 6 best local first note taking apps
+
+For each of these local first note taking apps you'll see where the primary copy lives, the storage format, sync choices, encryption, any AI features, and its biggest catch.
+
+### 1. Atomic Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** local first notes on an Android phone, with sync into a Google Drive you already own.
+
+- **Primary copy:** the phone. Every note saves to on-device storage as you type.
+- **Format:** one `.atomic` JSON file per note in a `My-Atomic-Notes` folder in your Drive
+- **Sync:** optional, to your own Google Drive, with a small server that keeps only metadata
+- **Encryption:** an optional end-to-end vault (Argon2id key, AES-256-GCM). It starts switched off.
+- **AI:** none. No ads, analytics, or trackers either.
+- **Code:** source-available on GitHub, so you can read every line but not reuse it
+- **Current version:** 2.03.5, out since September 28, 2026
+- **Watch for:** it runs on Android only, needs a Google account, has no export button yet, and the free plan holds 30 notes
+
+
+
+I built the sync around one rule: the phone never waits for the server. A note is saved before any upload starts, and an edit that collides with another device becomes a "(conflict copy)" instead of a silent overwrite. Here's what one note looks like in your Drive, so you can see there's no secret format:
+
+
One note file in My-Atomic-Notes · example values
+
+```json
+{
+ "version": 1,
+ "id": "0b6c1f7e-4a1d-4c8e-9d3a-2f5e8b7c6a10",
+ "kind": "todo",
+ "title": "Trip checklist",
+ "body": "",
+ "items": [{ "text": "Passport", "done": true }, { "text": "Charger", "done": false }],
+ "pinned": false,
+ "encV": 0,
+ "payload": null,
+ "createdAt": "2026-10-09T06:12:44.000Z",
+ "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T06:15:02.000Z"
+}
+```
+
+With the vault on, `encV` becomes 1, the title, body, and items are emptied, and `payload` carries the ciphertext. The [four-layer architecture guide](/blog/atomic-notes-architecture) shows the full path.
+
+### 2. Obsidian
+
+**Pick it for:** a polished Markdown workspace on every platform, with a huge plugin library.
+
+- **Primary copy:** a vault, which is an ordinary folder of Markdown files on your device
+- **Format:** plain text Markdown, plus `.canvas` and `.base` files for its visual features
+- **Sync:** optional paid Obsidian Sync, or any folder sync tool you already use
+- **Encryption:** Obsidian Sync is end-to-end encrypted by default (AES-256-GCM, scrypt key). Local vaults aren't encrypted.
+- **AI:** none built in, though community plugins add it
+- **Source:** closed source
+- **Latest:** version 1.14.4, October 5, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** the app is closed source, and the official sync is a paid add-on
+
+Obsidian is the reason "apps like Obsidian" became a search phrase, and it's the yardstick most local first note taking apps get measured against. Its vault is just a folder, so your notes are readable by any text editor today and in twenty years. That's the strongest data ownership story on this list.
+
+### 3. Logseq
+
+**Pick it for:** outlining and daily journals, where every line is a block you can link.
+
+- **Primary copy:** your device, either as Markdown files (Logseq OG) or a local database (the new Logseq)
+- **Format:** Markdown or Org files in Logseq OG, a database graph in Logseq 2.0
+- **Sync:** your own folder sync for file graphs, or Logseq's end-to-end encrypted sync for database graphs
+- **Encryption:** none for local files, end-to-end for its own sync
+- **AI:** none built in
+- **Source:** open source under AGPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 2.0.2 Beta, October 7, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** the project is mid-split. The database version is still in beta, and the file version gets maintenance only.
+
+In April 2026 the Logseq team split the app in two. Logseq OG keeps the Markdown files and gets security fixes. The new Logseq stores a database graph and gets the new features. If you want plain text that will never change under you, stay on OG for now and back up before you test the beta.
+
+### 4. SiYuan
+
+**Pick it for:** a block-based knowledge base you can self-host, including on HarmonyOS.
+
+- **Primary copy:** a local workspace on your device
+- **Format:** its own structured JSON documents, with Markdown export
+- **Sync:** the paid official cloud, or your own S3 or WebDAV storage with a one-time PRO license
+- **Encryption:** end-to-end encryption on every sync option
+- **AI:** optional writing help and Q&A through the OpenAI API, once you add your own key
+- **Source:** open source under AGPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** version 3.8.6, September 29, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** every sync option costs money, and folder-sync tools can corrupt its data
+
+SiYuan runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS, and a Docker image serves it from your own server. Its block references are the most capable among these local first note taking apps, and its sync stays encrypted even on storage you rent.
+
+### 5. SilverBullet
+
+**Pick it for:** a Markdown wiki you can program with Lua.
+
+- **Primary copy:** Markdown pages in an ordinary folder, called a space
+- **Format:** plain Markdown files
+- **Sync:** a self-hosted server, with a browser client that keeps working offline, or the desktop app
+- **Encryption:** none built in
+- **AI:** none built in
+- **Source:** open source under MIT
+- **Latest:** version 2.12.0, October 6, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** you get the most from it once you learn Space Lua, its scripting language
+
+SilverBullet is the tinkerer's pick. Queries, templates, and custom commands all live in your notes as code. And because pages are Markdown in a folder, leaving it costs you nothing.
+
+### 6. Trilium Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** a deep, tree-shaped knowledge base with thousands of notes.
+
+- **Primary copy:** a local SQLite database in the desktop app
+- **Format:** a database, with Markdown and HTML export
+- **Sync:** optional, to your own self-hosted Trilium server
+- **Encryption:** "protected notes", encrypted one note at a time
+- **AI:** an optional assistant that is off by default and works with the provider you pick, including local models
+- **Source:** open source under AGPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** version 0.106.0, September 25, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** on phones you use the server's mobile web interface, and there's no official app
+
+Trilium shines when your notes form a hierarchy: research, a homelab wiki, a novel's world. The project spells out exactly what its AI integration sends, and nothing happens until you switch it on.
+
+## What happens to your notes if the company disappears?
+
+**With local first note taking apps, you keep working.** The test is simple: imagine the company behind your app shuts down tomorrow, and check what's still on your disk.
+
+
+
+Try it on each app:
+
+:::widget shutdown-test
+
+The honest result: every one of these local first note taking apps keeps your notes on your device. The differences are in how easily you can carry them somewhere else. Markdown folders win outright. A database is safe but needs an export step. Atomic Notes sits in between: readable JSON files in your own Drive, with a one-tap export still to come.
+
+## Which sync model fits you?
+
+**Decide who runs the sync, then pick the app.** Some people want zero servers to look after. Others already run one at home and want to keep everything on it.
+
+
+
+| If you want | Pick |
+|---|---|
+| Local first notes on an Android phone, synced to your own Drive | Atomic Notes |
+| Markdown files on every platform, with optional encrypted sync | Obsidian |
+| Daily journals and outlines | Logseq |
+| Block references and a self-hosted Docker server | SiYuan |
+| A programmable wiki in plain Markdown | SilverBullet |
+| A large tree of notes on your own server | Trilium Notes |
+
+My take after building one of these: the sync model matters more than any feature list. A beautiful editor can't save you from a sync layer you don't control, and the best local first note taking apps make sure you never have to trust one.
+
+## Are there other apps like Obsidian worth a look?
+
+**Yes. Anytype and Joplin come up in almost every "apps like Obsidian" thread.** Anytype is another local first option with end-to-end encrypted sync. Joplin is a strong pick if encryption matters most. You'll find it in [my roundup of encrypted notes apps](/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps) instead, because no app appears twice across these lists.
+
+I also left out apps that call themselves offline-friendly but keep the primary copy on a server. Those aren't local first note taking apps, however good their offline mode is. That rules out most mainstream notes apps, and it's why this list is short.
+
+## FAQ
+
+
+
+What are local first note taking apps?
+
They're notes apps that keep the real copy of your notes on your own device. Sync to other devices is an extra layer you can turn off. If the company's server disappears, the app keeps working and your notes stay where they are.
+
+
+What are the best apps like Obsidian?
+
Logseq and SilverBullet are the closest, since both can keep notes as Markdown files in a folder. SiYuan and Trilium Notes trade files for a local database with richer features. On Android, Atomic Notes keeps notes local first with sync to your own Drive.
+
+
+Is local first the same as offline mode?
+
No. An offline mode caches notes that really live on a server, so the cache can go stale or be lost. Local first note taking keeps the primary copy on your device and syncs later. The server is a helper, not the owner of your notes.
+
+
+Which local first note taking apps work on Android?
+
Atomic Notes is built for Android. Obsidian, Logseq, and SiYuan also have Android apps. SilverBullet and Trilium Notes work on phones through a browser connected to your own server, with SilverBullet's client able to keep working offline.
+
+
+Do local first apps still need backups?
+
Yes. Your device may hold the only complete copy, and phones break. Use sync to a second place, a folder backup, or an export. Atomic Notes keeps a synced copy in your own Google Drive, so one lost phone doesn't take your notes with it.
+
+
+Is Atomic Notes biased toward itself here?
+
I wrote it, so disclosure comes first and the ranking is open about it. The local first claims are easy to test: switch on airplane mode and keep writing. Its gaps are listed above: Android only, Google sign-in, no export button yet, and 30 free notes.
+
+
+
+## Keep reading
+
+- [What is a local first notes app?](/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app)
+- [Local first architecture: the 4 layers behind Atomic Notes](/blog/atomic-notes-architecture)
+- [Notes app without internet: why offline should be the default](/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline)
+
+
+
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
+
A local first notes app for Android. Every note saves on your phone first, then syncs to a folder in your own Google Drive. Nothing to manage, no server of yours to run, and nothing in the app that reads your notes. Take the tour.
+
+
+## Sources
+
+- [Atomic Notes source code and releases. GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2)
+- [Local-first software: you own your data, in spite of the cloud. Ink & Switch](https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/local-first/)
+- [Obsidian changelog](https://obsidian.md/changelog/)
+- [Obsidian Sync security and privacy. Obsidian Help](https://obsidian.md/help/sync/security)
+- [Logseq releases. GitHub](https://github.com/logseq/logseq/releases)
+- [Big update: Logseq is splitting into two versions. Logseq](https://logseq.io/p/e3YDyX5AYr)
+- [SiYuan. GitHub](https://github.com/siyuan-note/siyuan)
+- [SilverBullet. GitHub](https://github.com/silverbulletmd/silverbullet)
+- [Trilium Notes. GitHub](https://github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium)
+- [Trilium AI documentation. GitHub](https://github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium/blob/main/docs/User%20Guide/User%20Guide/AI.md)
diff --git a/content/blog/best-note-taking-apps-without-ai.md b/content/blog/best-note-taking-apps-without-ai.md
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@@ -0,0 +1,272 @@
+---
+title: "7 Best Note Taking Apps Without AI in 2026"
+slug: "best-note-taking-apps-without-ai"
+description: "Want a note taking app without AI? Seven notes apps with no built-in assistant, checked October 9, 2026, plus Notion alternatives without AI and how to check."
+excerpt: "No assistant reading along, no summaries you didn't ask for. Seven note taking apps without AI, checked on October 9, 2026, with their trade-offs."
+author: "ashutosh-sharma"
+publishedAt: "2026-10-09"
+updatedAt: "2026-10-09"
+category: "privacy"
+tags: ["privacy", "ai", "notes-apps", "comparison", "offline"]
+featured: false
+draft: false
+coverImage: "/blog/best-note-taking-apps-without-ai/01-banner.png"
+coverAlt: "Cover reading 7 Best Note Taking Apps Without AI, beside a numbered list of seven apps checked in October 2026"
+canonical: "https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-note-taking-apps-without-ai"
+keywords: "note taking app without ai, notes app without ai, notion alternatives without ai, AI free note taking app, no AI notes app, AI training data, AI features toggle, Apple Intelligence, Gemini, Notion AI, plain notes, distraction free writing, offline writing"
+readingTime: "10 min read"
+---
+
+
+
Quick answer
+
Pick a note taking app without AI by the way you think. For private Android notes, Atomic Notes. For Markdown files, Markor. For a wiki, TiddlyWiki or Zim. For a stylus, Saber. For bullet outlines, Dynalist, and for big trees of pages, CherryTree. Not one of the seven has an assistant reading your pages.
+
+
+Open almost any big notes app in 2026 and something offers to help. A sparkle icon. A "summarize" button. A prompt box at the bottom of an empty page.
+
+Some people love that. Others want a notebook that stays a notebook: you write, it saves, and nothing reads along. If that's you, you're looking for a **note taking app without AI**, and the choice has quietly gotten smaller.
+
+I checked each app below against its repository, website, or changelog on October 9, 2026. I build Atomic Notes, so it's listed first, with its limits written out like everyone else's.
+
+## Why look for a notes app without AI?
+
+**Because an AI feature is a new path for your notes to travel.** Text you summarize or rewrite usually goes to a model, often on someone else's server, under terms that can change.
+
+
+
+There are three honest reasons people want a notes app without AI:
+
+- **Privacy.** Fewer places your writing goes, fewer policies to read, and no chance of becoming AI training data under a future terms change.
+- **Focus.** Distraction free writing is easier when nothing interrupts with suggestions.
+- **Ownership of thought.** A rough note is half-formed on purpose. Some people don't want it rewritten before they've finished thinking.
+
+This isn't an anti-AI list. It's a list for people who want the choice. If you'd like a structured way to judge whether a note taking app without AI really is one, my [notes app privacy checklist](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags) covers the AI question alongside eight others.
+
+## What counts as a note taking app without AI?
+
+**An app qualifies when the version you download has no assistant of its own that can see your notes.** That rules out built-in summaries, rewrites, and chat. Plugins you add later don't count against an app, because adding them was your call.
+
+Here's how three of the biggest notes apps handle AI today, for contrast:
+
+| App | Built-in AI | How it reaches your notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| Notion | Notion AI | Built into the editor. Full access comes with the Business and Enterprise plans |
+| Apple Notes | Apple Intelligence Writing Tools | Proofread, rewrite, and summarize on supported devices |
+| Google Keep | Gemini | "Help me create a list" on Android for eligible accounts |
+
+None of these is hidden, and each has an AI features toggle or a plan that leaves it out. But if you'd rather not manage switches at all, the seven apps below don't have the feature to switch.
+
+
+
+## The 7 best note taking apps without AI
+
+To help you choose a note taking app without AI that fits, each entry covers its platforms, where notes live, any encryption, its AI status as shipped, and the trade-off.
+
+### 1. Atomic Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** private notes and checklists on Android, with nothing in the app that reads them.
+
+- **Platforms:** Android 9 and newer
+- **Storage:** your phone first, then a folder in your own Google Drive when you sync
+- **Encryption:** an optional end-to-end vault (AES-256-GCM)
+- **AI:** none. No analytics, ad, or crash-reporting SDKs either.
+- **Code:** source-available on GitHub, so you can confirm there's no AI library in it
+- **Latest:** 2.03.5, September 28, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** Android only, a Google account to sign in, and 30 notes on the free plan
+
+
+
+"No AI" is a standing rule for Atomic Notes, next to no ads and no subscription. You don't have to take my word for it. The app's dependency list is in `pubspec.yaml`, and it's short:
+
+
pubspec.yaml · Atomic Notes 2.03.5 (trimmed)
+
+```yaml
+dependencies:
+ http: ^1.2.2
+ google_sign_in: ^6.2.2
+ hive_ce: ^2.11.0
+ flutter_bloc: ^9.1.0
+ connectivity_plus: ^6.1.5
+ local_auth: ^2.3.0
+ cryptography: ^2.7.0
+ flutter_secure_storage: ^9.2.2
+ qr_flutter: ^4.1.0
+ url_launcher: ^6.3.2
+```
+
+No model SDK, no analytics package, no ad network. That makes it a plain notes app in the most literal sense.
+
+### 2. Markor
+
+**Pick it for:** plain text and Markdown on Android, saved as files you can open anywhere.
+
+- **Platforms:** Android
+- **Storage:** ordinary `.md` and `.txt` files, in whichever folder you point it at
+- **Encryption:** an optional AES-256 password on text files. Images and attachments aren't covered.
+- **AI:** none
+- **Code:** open source under Apache-2.0
+- **Latest:** 2.16.1, March 19, 2026, with code updates through October 2026
+- **Trade-off:** no sync of its own, so you pair it with a folder sync app
+
+Markor is a text editor first and a notes app second, which is exactly its appeal. Pair it with any folder sync tool and your notes go where you send them, and nowhere else.
+
+### 3. TiddlyWiki
+
+**Pick it for:** a personal wiki that lives in one file you own.
+
+- **Platforms:** any modern browser, or Node.js as a server
+- **Storage:** a single HTML file, or a folder of small files on a server
+- **Encryption:** optional AES-256 for single-file wikis
+- **AI:** none built in
+- **Code:** open source under a BSD 3-Clause license
+- **Latest:** 5.4.1, July 10, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** saving a single-file wiki needs a little setup in some browsers
+
+TiddlyWiki has worked the same basic way since 2004: your whole notebook is one file. It's also one of the most flexible Notion alternatives without AI, since you can build tables, tags, and views out of plain text.
+
+### 4. Zim
+
+**Pick it for:** a calm desktop wiki made of plain text pages.
+
+- **Platforms:** Linux, Windows, and macOS
+- **Storage:** plain text files with wiki formatting, in ordinary folders
+- **Encryption:** none built in
+- **AI:** none
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-2.0
+- **Latest:** 0.77.2, July 2026
+- **Trade-off:** desktop only, with no mobile app
+
+Zim is what offline writing on a laptop should feel like, and it's a notes app without AI by design: no account, no cloud, and every page readable in any text editor. Its plugins add calendars, task lists, and diagrams.
+
+### 5. Saber
+
+**Pick it for:** handwritten notes with a stylus.
+
+- **Platforms:** Android, iOS, Windows, and Linux
+- **Storage:** your device, with optional sync through a Nextcloud server
+- **Encryption:** notes are encrypted before they're sent to the cloud
+- **AI:** none
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 1.36.1, August 30, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** built for handwriting, so typing comes second
+
+If your notes start with a pen, Saber is the AI free note taking app to try. Its privacy policy is short and readable, which tells you something.
+
+### 6. Dynalist
+
+**Pick it for:** outlining everything as nested bullet points.
+
+- **Platforms:** web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS
+- **Storage:** Dynalist's servers
+- **Encryption:** no end-to-end encryption
+- **AI:** none
+- **Code:** closed source
+- **Status:** in maintenance mode since 2024. The team fixes critical bugs but isn't adding features, because it's focused on its sister product, Obsidian.
+- **Trade-off:** your outlines live on someone else's server
+
+Dynalist is here because it's a fine outliner and a note taking app without AI by history, not by promise, and it's a real Notion alternative without AI for list-heavy work. It's not a privacy tool, though, and its future is maintenance, not growth.
+
+### 7. CherryTree
+
+**Pick it for:** deep, nested notes with code blocks and tables.
+
+- **Platforms:** Windows, Linux, and macOS
+- **Storage:** one local file (SQLite or XML), or a folder of files
+- **Encryption:** password protection for single-file documents
+- **AI:** none
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 1.7.2, August 22, 2026
+- **Trade-off:** while a protected file is open, an unprotected copy sits in a temporary folder until you close it
+
+CherryTree suits technical notes that grow into a tree of hundreds of pages, and it's the most structured note taking app without AI on this list. Treat its password protection as a lock on the door, not a vault.
+
+## What are the best Notion alternatives without AI?
+
+**TiddlyWiki, CherryTree, and Dynalist cover most of what people use Notion for: linked pages, nested structure, and lists.** None of them has a database view as rich as Notion's, but none of them has an assistant either.
+
+
+
+If you're leaving Notion for privacy as well as AI, favor the local options. TiddlyWiki and CherryTree keep everything in files on your disk, and Zim does the same if a simple desktop wiki is enough. Dynalist keeps your outlines online.
+
+## How do you check an app for AI before you update?
+
+**Read the release notes, look for a few telltale words, and check the settings after every big update.** Apps add AI features fast, and a no AI notes app today can ship an assistant next year.
+
+Paste any app's release notes below. The scanner runs in your browser and flags words that usually mean an AI feature:
+
+:::widget ai-scanner
+
+Then check where the feature sends your text. Try the switches below to see how the path changes:
+
+:::widget ai-path
+
+
+
+Open source helps here. With public code, anyone can spot a new AI library in a pull request long before it ships. With closed apps, you're reading release notes and hoping they're complete.
+
+| If you want | Pick |
+|---|---|
+| Private notes and checklists on Android | Atomic Notes |
+| Plain text and Markdown files on Android | Markor |
+| A whole wiki in one file | TiddlyWiki |
+| A plain text wiki on the desktop | Zim |
+| Handwriting with encrypted sync | Saber |
+| Nested outlines, online | Dynalist |
+| A deep tree of technical notes | CherryTree |
+
+My take: a note taking app without AI isn't a step backward. It's a smaller, quieter tool that does one job and keeps your rough thinking yours until you decide otherwise.
+
+## FAQ
+
+
+
+Is there a note taking app without AI for Android?
+
Yes. Atomic Notes and Markor are both Android notes apps with no AI features, and Saber covers handwriting. Dynalist has an Android app too, though your outlines live on its servers. Atomic Notes also has no analytics or advertising SDKs.
+
+
+What are good Notion alternatives without AI?
+
TiddlyWiki for linked pages in one file, CherryTree for deep page trees, and Dynalist for nested outlines. Zim works well for a simple desktop wiki. None has a built-in assistant, and the first three cover most everyday Notion habits.
+
+
+Can I turn off AI in Notion, Apple Notes, or Google Keep?
+
Mostly, yes. Notion gives full AI to its Business plan, Apple Intelligence can be switched off in Settings, and Keep's Gemini features depend on your account and device. Settings change over time, so check after each update.
+
+
+Why would anyone want a notes app without AI?
+
Fewer places your writing travels, no chance of it becoming AI training data, and fewer interruptions while you think. Some people simply want their unfinished notes left alone until they're ready to share or rewrite them.
+
+
+Will these apps stay AI free?
+
Nobody can promise that. Read release notes before you update, and favor apps with public code, where a new AI feature is visible long before it ships. I'll update this list if any of these apps adds one.
+
+
+Does Atomic Notes use AI anywhere?
+
No. There's no AI feature, no model library, and no analytics or advertising SDK in the app. Notes stay on your phone and in your own Google Drive. The dependency list is public in the app's source code, so you can check it yourself.
+
+
+
+## Keep reading
+
+- [Notes app privacy: 9 red flags to check](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags)
+- [Notes app metadata: 8 things it knows without reading notes](/blog/notes-app-data-collection)
+- [8 best offline notes apps for Android](/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android)
+
+
+
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
+
A note taking app without AI, ads, or trackers. Your notes live on your phone and in your own Google Drive, and nothing in the app reads them. See what's inside.
+
+
+## Sources
+
+- [Atomic Notes source code and releases. GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2)
+- [Markor. GitHub](https://github.com/gsantner/markor)
+- [TiddlyWiki encryption. TiddlyWiki](https://tiddlywiki.com/static/Encryption.html)
+- [TiddlyWiki releases. GitHub](https://github.com/TiddlyWiki/TiddlyWiki5/releases)
+- [About Zim. Zim Desktop Wiki](https://zim-wiki.org/manual/About.html)
+- [Saber. GitHub](https://github.com/saber-notes/saber)
+- [Saber privacy policy. GitHub](https://github.com/saber-notes/saber/blob/main/privacy_policy.md)
+- [Product discontinued? Dynalist Forum](https://talk.dynalist.io/t/product-discontinued/8761)
+- [CherryTree. GitHub](https://github.com/giuspen/cherrytree)
+- [Notion AI. Notion](https://www.notion.com/product/ai)
+- [Use Notes on your iPhone and iPad. Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118442)
+- [Use Gemini for notes in Google Keep. Google Keep Help](https://support.google.com/keep/answer/14626262?hl=en)
diff --git a/content/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android.md b/content/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46e2170
--- /dev/null
+++ b/content/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android.md
@@ -0,0 +1,267 @@
+---
+title: "8 Best Offline Notes Apps for Android in 2026"
+slug: "best-offline-notes-apps-android"
+description: "The 8 best offline notes app Android picks for 2026, checked for internet permission, account, sync, and backups. Find an offline notes app that never waits."
+excerpt: "Four of these apps can't reach the internet at all. Four work offline and sync later. Eight offline notes apps for Android, checked October 9, 2026."
+author: "ashutosh-sharma"
+publishedAt: "2026-10-09"
+updatedAt: "2026-10-09"
+category: "local-first"
+tags: ["offline", "android", "notes-apps", "comparison", "local-first"]
+featured: false
+draft: false
+coverImage: "/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android/01-banner.png"
+coverAlt: "Cover reading 8 Best Offline Notes Apps for Android, beside a numbered list of eight apps checked in October 2026"
+canonical: "https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android"
+keywords: "best offline notes app android, offline notes app, offline note taking app, offline notes app android, airplane mode, no account, local storage, Notally, Markor, Joplin, F-Droid, sync later, battery"
+readingTime: "11 min read"
+---
+
+
+
Quick answer
+
The best offline notes app Android users can install depends on whether they want sync. Material Notes, Open Notes, sNotz, and Easy Notes have no internet permission at all. Atomic Notes, Orgzly Revived, Notes, and Butterfly work fully offline and can sync or reach the network when you ask. Atomic Notes is the only one that syncs to your own Google Drive by itself.
+
+
+Most notes apps will tell you they work offline. Try one on a long flight and the truth shows up fast: a spinner, a "you're offline" banner, a new note that never appears on your other phone.
+
+I wanted an **offline notes app android** users can trust in a tunnel, on a plane, or in a village with one bar. So every pick here creates, edits, and searches notes with no connection at all. Then I sorted them by a fact anyone can check: whether the app asks Android for internet access.
+
+I checked every app's F-Droid listing and its `AndroidManifest.xml` on October 9, 2026. Atomic Notes is my own app. It's first, with its limits listed in the same plain terms as the others.
+
+## What makes the best offline notes app Android users can trust?
+
+**It saves to local storage first and never needs the network to do your daily work.** Sync, if there is any, happens later and catches up by itself.
+
+
+
+Four checks decide it:
+
+1. **It opens in airplane mode** with your notes already there, no spinner.
+2. **You can create, edit, and search** with no connection.
+3. **Offline edits are safe.** They either never need to sync, or they sync later without losing anything.
+4. **You can back up.** An export, a backup file, or a synced copy, because the phone may hold the only one.
+
+An app with no internet permission passes the first two by design. That's also the strongest privacy guarantee Android offers, since the app has no way to send a note anywhere. If you want to see why offline should be the default for any notes app, my piece on [notes apps without internet](/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline) covers the reasons and a five-minute test.
+
+## How do the 8 apps compare?
+
+**Half can't reach the internet. Half can, for sync or extras. Only one needs an account.** Here's the whole list.
+
+
+
+Tell the finder what you need and it narrows the list:
+
+:::widget offline-finder
+
+## The 8 best offline notes apps for Android
+
+To find the best offline notes app Android owners will actually keep, every entry lists what the app can reach, whether it needs an account, how you back it up, and its weak spot.
+
+### 1. Atomic Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** an offline notes app that also syncs into your own Google Drive.
+
+- **Offline:** write, edit, check off, search, and delete with no connection. Every note saves on the phone as you type.
+- **Can reach:** the internet for sync, network state, and the fingerprint lock
+- **Account:** a Google account, used once to sign in
+- **Sync:** optional, to a folder in your own Drive. Edits made offline sync later by themselves.
+- **Protection:** an optional end-to-end vault, a biometric lock, and a no-screenshots mode
+- **Code:** source-available on GitHub
+- **Latest:** 2.03.5, September 28, 2026
+- **Weak spot:** the first sign-in needs internet, the free plan holds 30 notes, and there's no export button yet
+
+
+
+When the network comes back, Atomic Notes retries a failed sync after 5, 15, and 45 seconds, then waits for the next trigger instead of draining the battery. If an offline edit collides with one from another device, the app keeps both and names one "(conflict copy)". That's why it's my pick for the best offline notes app Android users can run on two phones.
+
+### 2. Material Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** a clean notebook that can't go online even if it tried.
+
+- **Offline:** full. The app has no internet permission.
+- **Can reach:** only the biometric hardware, for the lock
+- **Account:** none
+- **Notes:** plain text, Markdown, rich text, and checklists, with tags, pins, and a bin
+- **Protection:** lock the app, one note, or every note with a tag
+- **Backup:** JSON export (encryption optional, and it can run on a schedule) and Markdown export
+- **Code:** open source under AGPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 2.2.2 on F-Droid, July 16, 2026
+
+Material Notes has the shortest permission list on this page, which makes it the best offline notes app Android offers for pure privacy. For an offline note taking app that you install and forget, it's the one I'd hand to a relative.
+
+### 3. Open Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** Markdown notes and checklists behind a biometric lock.
+
+- **Offline:** full, with no internet permission
+- **Can reach:** notifications for reminders, start at boot, and the biometric lock
+- **Account:** none
+- **Notes:** Markdown with headers, checklists, code blocks, and quotes, plus home screen widgets
+- **Protection:** an app lock and a switch that blocks screenshots
+- **Backup:** your whole library as one ZIP file
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 1.4.1 on F-Droid, September 23, 2026
+
+Open Notes is moving fast, with three F-Droid releases since June 2026. The ZIP backup makes moving to a new phone a two-minute job.
+
+### 4. sNotz
+
+**Pick it for:** quick notes and checklists with widgets and reminders.
+
+- **Offline:** full, with no internet permission
+- **Can reach:** notifications, the biometric lock, shared storage, and the camera
+- **Account:** none
+- **Notes:** simple notes and checklists, reminders, and home screen widgets
+- **Protection:** biometric or PIN lock for single notes
+- **Backup:** built-in backup and restore
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 0.35 on GitHub, July 19, 2026. F-Droid still lists 0.34 from August 2025.
+
+sNotz asks for more permissions than the two apps above, so check them against what you'll use. None of them include the internet, though, so your notes stay put.
+
+### 5. Easy Notes
+
+**Pick it for:** Markdown with images, plus an encrypted vault for the private stuff.
+
+- **Offline:** full, with no internet permission
+- **Can reach:** the biometric lock
+- **Account:** none
+- **Notes:** full Markdown, including images
+- **Protection:** an encrypted notes vault
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 1.7 on F-Droid, May 18, 2026
+- **Weak spot:** the last code change in its repository dates from January 2026, so updates have slowed
+
+If you want encryption inside an app that never goes online, Easy Notes is the only pick here that does both. It's an offline note taking app with a safe built in.
+
+### 6. Orgzly Revived
+
+**Pick it for:** plain-text planning in Org mode, with schedules and deadlines.
+
+- **Offline:** full. Notebooks live as plain-text Org files.
+- **Can reach:** the internet for WebDAV and Dropbox sync, plus calendar and alarms for reminders
+- **Account:** none
+- **Sync:** a folder on the phone, an SD card, WebDAV, or Dropbox
+- **Extras:** priorities, tags, saved searches, and agenda views
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 1.23.1, October 4, 2026
+
+Orgzly Revived is a community fork that kept the original Orgzly alive, and it's the best offline notes app Android planners can get for Org files. Plain Org files age better than any database, and any text editor can open them.
+
+### 7. Notes (by Bill Farmer)
+
+**Pick it for:** Markdown notes saved as ordinary text files.
+
+- **Offline:** full for writing and search
+- **Can reach:** the internet, used for extras like OpenStreetMap maps, and all of shared storage
+- **Account:** none
+- **Storage:** plain text files in a folder you choose
+- **Backup:** ZIP backups
+- **Code:** open source under GPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 1.41, March 1, 2026
+
+Notes is a small, quiet app from a developer with a long shelf of F-Droid tools. Because notes are text files, any sync app you already trust can carry them, which turns a simple offline note taking app into a portable one.
+
+### 8. Butterfly
+
+**Pick it for:** handwriting, sketches, and diagrams on an endless canvas.
+
+- **Offline:** full, with files stored on the device
+- **Can reach:** the internet for WebDAV, Nextcloud, and live collaboration, plus the camera and microphone
+- **Account:** none
+- **Sync:** optional WebDAV or Nextcloud
+- **Platforms:** phones, tablets, desktops, and the web
+- **Code:** open source under AGPL-3.0
+- **Latest:** 2.6.0, September 28, 2026
+
+Butterfly is the one to pick if you think with a pen. On a tablet with a stylus, it's the best offline note taking app on this list.
+
+## Which apps can even reach the internet?
+
+**Four of the eight can't.** An app without the internet permission has no way to send your notes off the phone by itself. "View network connections" sounds similar, but it only lets an app check whether you're online.
+
+Tap an app to read its permissions in plain English:
+
+:::widget permission-reader
+
+## How do you back up an offline notes app?
+
+**On a schedule, to a second place, and you test the restore once.** An offline notes app keeps your notes safe from servers. It doesn't keep them safe from a dropped phone.
+
+
+
+Material Notes can export on a schedule. Open Notes and sNotz have one-tap backups. Orgzly Revived and Notes keep plain files, so any folder sync tool can copy them. Atomic Notes keeps a synced copy in your Drive, which covers a lost phone but not a deleted note, so empty the Recycle Bin with care.
+
+## Which one fits you?
+
+**Start with one question: will these notes ever need to reach another device?** The best offline notes app Android gives you follows from that answer. If not, pick from the four with no internet permission. If yes, pick by where the copy should go.
+
+
+
+| If you want | Pick |
+|---|---|
+| Offline notes that sync to your own Google Drive | Atomic Notes |
+| The fewest permissions possible | Material Notes |
+| Markdown with reminders and a screenshot block | Open Notes |
+| Fast checklists and widgets | sNotz |
+| An encrypted vault with no internet at all | Easy Notes |
+| Org mode planning with WebDAV sync | Orgzly Revived |
+| Plain text files any app can read | Notes |
+| Handwriting and sketches | Butterfly |
+
+Readers often ask about Notally X, Markor, and Joplin too. Notally X is a well-kept offline notes app with no account. Markor appears in my list of notes apps without AI, and Joplin sits in my guide to encrypted notes apps, since each app shows up in only one of my roundups.
+
+My take: the best offline notes app Android owners can install is the one they never have to think about. It opens instantly, saves without asking, and has a backup you've tested once. Everything else is preference.
+
+## FAQ
+
+
+
+What is the best offline notes app for Android?
+
For notes that never leave the phone, Material Notes, with no internet permission and a very short permission list. For offline writing that syncs later into your own Google Drive, Atomic Notes. For an encrypted vault with no internet at all, Easy Notes.
+
+
+Is there an offline notes app with no account?
+
Seven of the eight here need no account at all: Material Notes, Open Notes, sNotz, Easy Notes, Orgzly Revived, Notes, and Butterfly. Atomic Notes asks for a one-time Google sign-in, because it syncs to your own Drive.
+
+
+How can I check if a notes app works without internet?
+
Look up its permissions on F-Droid or in the Play Store, and look for "have full network access". Then test it: turn on airplane mode, force-close the app, reopen it, and create, edit, and search a note.
+
+
+Do offline notes apps save battery?
+
Usually, a little. An app that never syncs makes no network calls in the background. Sync apps vary, so look for ones that sync on events instead of polling. Atomic Notes stops retrying after three failed attempts until something changes.
+
+
+Are F-Droid offline notes apps safe?
+
F-Droid builds each app from its public source and labels anti-features like tracking, which is a strong start. Still read the permission list. An app with no internet permission can't send your notes anywhere, whatever its code says.
+
+
+Does Atomic Notes work offline?
+
Yes. It's built local first: every note saves on the phone as you type, and writing, editing, and search never need a connection. You need internet for the first Google sign-in and for sync, which catches up by itself when you reconnect.
+
+
+
+## Keep reading
+
+- [Notes app without internet: why offline should be the default](/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline)
+- [6 best local first note taking apps](/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps)
+- [7 best private notes apps for Android](/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android)
+
+
+
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
+
An offline notes app for Android that saves every keystroke to your phone, then syncs to your own Google Drive when a connection shows up. Airplane mode changes nothing about how you write. See the app.
+
+
+## Sources
+
+- [Atomic Notes source code and releases. GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2)
+- [Material Notes. F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.maelchiotti.localmaterialnotes/)
+- [Open Notes. F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.opennotes/)
+- [sNotz. GitHub](https://github.com/sunilpaulmathew/sNotz)
+- [Easy Notes. F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.kin.easynotes/)
+- [Orgzly Revived. GitHub](https://github.com/orgzly-revived/orgzly-android-revived)
+- [Notes by Bill Farmer. F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.billthefarmer.notes/)
+- [Butterfly. GitHub](https://github.com/LinwoodDev/Butterfly)
+- [Notally X. GitHub](https://github.com/PhilKes/NotallyX)
+- [Permissions on Android. Android Developers](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/permissions/overview)
diff --git a/content/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android.md b/content/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android.md
index d1b69f5..1b751f4 100644
--- a/content/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android.md
+++ b/content/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android.md
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ The trade is the same every time: no internet means no sync and no cloud backup.
**Google Keep** fails the rules: notes live in your Google account, readable by Google, with no end-to-end encryption. It's convenient, not private by design.
-**Notesnook, Standard Notes, and Joplin** are excellent encrypted apps with encrypted sync. They're cross-platform first rather than Android-first, and I'm covering them in a separate guide to end-to-end encrypted notes apps, so this list stays unique.
+**Notesnook, Standard Notes, and Joplin** are excellent encrypted apps with encrypted sync. They're cross-platform first rather than Android-first, and they have their own spot in my [guide to end-to-end encrypted notes apps](/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps), so this list stays unique.
## FAQ
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ The trade is the same every time: no internet means no sync and no cloud backup.
- [Notes app privacy: 9 red flags to check](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags)
- [Encrypted notes explained: T2T vs end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained)
- [What is a local first notes app?](/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app)
+- [8 best offline notes apps for Android](/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android)
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
diff --git a/content/blog/encrypted-notes-explained.md b/content/blog/encrypted-notes-explained.md
index 1f21558..de7873b 100644
--- a/content/blog/encrypted-notes-explained.md
+++ b/content/blog/encrypted-notes-explained.md
@@ -194,6 +194,7 @@ My take after building both modes: most notes don't need the vault, and some enc
- [Local first architecture: the 4 layers behind Atomic Notes](/blog/atomic-notes-architecture)
- [Notes app metadata: 8 things it knows without reading notes](/blog/notes-app-data-collection)
- [Notes app privacy: 9 red flags to check](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags)
+- [5 best end to end encrypted notes apps, compared](/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps)
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
diff --git a/content/blog/notes-app-data-collection.md b/content/blog/notes-app-data-collection.md
index b801a46..ed2a8ac 100644
--- a/content/blog/notes-app-data-collection.md
+++ b/content/blog/notes-app-data-collection.md
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ The catch is the same one every time: no sync means no backup and no second devi
- [Notes app privacy: 9 red flags to check](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags)
- [Encrypted notes explained: T2T vs end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained)
- [Local first architecture: the 4 layers behind Atomic Notes](/blog/atomic-notes-architecture)
+- [7 note taking apps with no AI reading your notes](/blog/best-note-taking-apps-without-ai)
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
diff --git a/content/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes.md b/content/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..86db096
--- /dev/null
+++ b/content/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes.md
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+---
+title: "Notes App Security: 10 Privacy Mistakes to Fix in 2026"
+slug: "notes-app-privacy-mistakes"
+description: "Notes app security depends more on your habits than on the app. Ten notes app privacy mistakes people make every day, and a quick fix for each one."
+excerpt: "Most leaks from a notes app don't come from hackers. They come from a phone left unlocked, a link left shared, or an APK nobody checked. Ten fixes."
+author: "ashutosh-sharma"
+publishedAt: "2026-10-09"
+updatedAt: "2026-10-09"
+category: "privacy"
+tags: ["privacy", "security", "notes-apps", "checklist", "android"]
+featured: false
+draft: false
+coverImage: "/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes/01-banner.png"
+coverAlt: "Cover reading Notes App Security, 10 privacy mistakes to fix, beside a checklist of ten numbered mistakes"
+canonical: "https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes"
+keywords: "notes app security, notes app privacy mistakes, note taking privacy, recovery phrase, screen lock, app lock, cloud backup, shared notes, APK security, password storage risk, end to end encryption, data ownership, cloud notes privacy"
+readingTime: "11 min read"
+---
+
+
+
Quick answer
+
Notes app security breaks most often through habits, not hacks: a weak screen lock, no app lock, passwords and recovery phrases in plain notes, forgotten share links, previews that leak, an unprotected cloud account, loose exports, unchecked APKs, and trusting the word "encrypted". Each one has a fix that takes minutes.
+
+
+Picture handing your phone to a friend to show a photo. Your notes app is still open in the background. One swipe, and they're looking at your bank's security questions and answers.
+
+Nobody hacked anything. That's the uncomfortable truth about **notes app security**: the weak points are usually ours, not the app's. The best encryption in the world doesn't help if the phone is unlocked and the note is right there.
+
+So this guide is about habits. Ten notes app privacy mistakes that I see constantly, why each one matters, and the fix. I build Atomic Notes, and I'll point out where it helps and where it can't.
+
+## Why does notes app security fail so often?
+
+**Because a notes app feels private, so we treat it like a safe.** That feeling causes more notes app privacy mistakes than any bug. It's usually closer to a desk drawer: handy, unlocked, and often copied to a cloud account you set up years ago.
+
+
+
+The mistakes fall into four groups:
+
+- **Locks (1, 2, 6):** who can open the phone, the app, and the screen preview.
+- **Secrets (3, 4, 5):** what you store, and who you've shared it with.
+- **Accounts and copies (7, 8):** the cloud account behind your notes, and the exports you leave around.
+- **Installs and claims (9, 10):** where the app came from, and what its security claims really mean.
+
+Before you read on, run the quick audit. It takes a minute and scores your own setup:
+
+:::widget habit-audit
+
+If you'd like to judge the app itself rather than your habits, my [nine red flags for notes app privacy](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags) covers that side.
+
+## Mistake 1: A screen lock anyone can guess
+
+**Your screen lock is the front door to every note on the phone, so notes app security starts there.** A four-digit PIN like 1234, a simple pattern, or no lock at all means anyone holding the phone holds your notes.
+
+Smudge marks give patterns away, and people pick predictable PINs. A six-digit PIN or a real passphrase raises the bar a lot, and it also protects your phone's own storage encryption, which is tied to that lock.
+
+**Fix:** use a six-digit PIN or longer, turn off pattern visibility, and set the phone to lock after 30 seconds.
+
+## Mistake 2: No app lock on the notes app
+
+**A screen lock only helps until you unlock the phone and hand it over.** An app lock adds a second check right at the notes app, so a borrowed phone doesn't mean borrowed notes.
+
+This is the mistake from the scene above. Plenty of notes apps offer a fingerprint or face lock, and it's usually off by default.
+
+**Fix:** turn on the app lock in your notes app. It's the cheapest notes app security upgrade there is. In Atomic Notes, it's under Security as biometric unlock, and you can add two-step verification with an authenticator app as a second gate.
+
+
+
+## Mistake 3: Passwords in ordinary notes
+
+**A note titled "logins" is the first thing anyone looks for.** A plain note can't warn you about a breach, can't fill passwords into the right site only, and is often stored readable by the provider.
+
+Each login you add makes that note a bigger prize, and makes one stolen phone or one breached cloud account more costly. CISA's advice is short: use a password manager, and let it generate and remember unique passwords.
+
+**Fix:** move passwords into a password manager. If a note must hold something sensitive, put it behind end to end encryption. I'll cover this one in depth in a separate guide.
+
+## Mistake 4: A recovery phrase in a note that syncs
+
+**A recovery phrase is a master key.** Crypto wallet seed words, two-factor backup codes, and encryption vault phrases all unlock everything behind them.
+
+Recovery phrase safety works best offline. A phrase saved in a synced note now lives on your phone, in a cloud, and in every backup of both. That's at least three places an attacker can find it.
+
+Atomic Notes shows its six-word vault phrase once, asks you to write it down, and never sends it anywhere. That's on purpose.
+
+
+
+**Fix:** write recovery phrases on paper and store them somewhere safe and offline. Never photograph them.
+
+## Mistake 5: Share links you forgot about
+
+**A shared note link usually works for anyone who has it, for as long as you leave it on.** Shared notes outlive the reason you shared them.
+
+That grocery list you shared with a roommate three years ago may still be live, and now it's also where you keep the door code. Some apps keep public links active until you revoke them by hand.
+
+**Fix:** open your notes app's sharing settings and revoke every link you don't need today. Atomic Notes has no share links at all, so there's nothing to forget there, but check every other app you use.
+
+## Mistake 6: Previews that leak your notes
+
+**Your notes can show up where you never opened them.** The recent apps switcher keeps a picture of the last screen. Widgets show note text on the home screen. Screenshots copy notes into your photo library and its cloud backup.
+
+None of this needs a hack. Anyone glancing at your phone, or anyone with access to your photo backup, sees it.
+
+**Fix:** remove note widgets from the home screen if others use your phone. Turn on a no-screenshots mode if your app has one. In Atomic Notes, it also hides the app's preview in the recent apps switcher.
+
+## Mistake 7: A weak cloud account behind your notes
+
+**Your synced notes are only as safe as the account they sync to.** If that account reuses a password from a breached site, cloud notes privacy is gone the moment someone tries it.
+
+OWASP calls this credential stuffing: attackers replay leaked email and password pairs on other sites. Two-step verification stops most of these attempts, and it's the notes app security step people skip most. For Atomic Notes, that account is your Google account, because your notes sync to your own Drive, so its security is your notes app security.
+
+**Fix:** give your cloud account a unique password and turn on two-step verification, ideally with a passkey or an authenticator app.
+
+## Mistake 8: Exports and backups left lying around
+
+**An export is a full copy of your notes, usually unencrypted.** People export once, then leave the file in Downloads, a shared folder, or an email to themselves.
+
+Data ownership means you can take your notes with you. It also means you're now responsible for that copy. A cloud backup you set up and forgot can be the least protected copy you have.
+
+**Fix:** search your phone and cloud storage for old exports. Delete the ones you don't need, and keep the rest in one encrypted place.
+
+## Mistake 9: Installing an APK you didn't check
+
+**A modified app can look identical to the real one.** APK security comes down to two checks: where the file came from, and whether it matches what the developer published.
+
+Atomic Notes ships its signed APKs only on GitHub Releases, with the file checksums and the signing certificate in the release notes. Here's how to check a download on a computer with the Android build tools installed:
+
+
Terminal · verify an Atomic Notes 2.03.5 download
+
+```bash
+# 1. The file's fingerprint must match the release notes
+sha256sum atomic-notes-2.03.5-arm64-v8a.apk
+# 7ae44e050a0e62edc0b2162d26314675b8cd12fc6a43ab926c9ce4ced40ce0d9
+
+# 2. The signing certificate must match too
+apksigner verify --print-certs atomic-notes-2.03.5-arm64-v8a.apk
+# Signer #1 certificate SHA-256 digest:
+# cc24ae5ce1dca50fcd5e5c4c252d69e4965c55a975bd0e4739e8938fad9bebeb
+```
+
+No computer? Check the fingerprint right here. The file never leaves your browser:
+
+:::widget apk-checker
+
+
+
+**Fix:** install only from the official source, and compare the fingerprint before you tap install. An update signed with a different certificate won't install over the real app, which is Android protecting you.
+
+## Mistake 10: Trusting the word "encrypted"
+
+**"Encrypted" can mean the trip over HTTPS, the company's disks, or your own phone.** Only end to end encryption keeps the company itself out of your notes.
+
+This mistake undoes the other nine in a quiet way, and it's the one that makes note taking privacy feel solved when it isn't: you assume the cloud copy is sealed, so you store things there you'd never write on a postcard. Then you learn the provider holds the key.
+
+**Fix:** ask who holds the key. If the answer isn't "only you", treat the cloud copy as readable. My guide to [encrypted notes and end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained) shows the difference with a live demo, and my [comparison of end-to-end encrypted notes apps](/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps) shows which apps hold up.
+
+## How do you keep note taking privacy for good?
+
+**Make the fixes into a short routine.** Note taking privacy isn't a setting you flip once, and notes app security drifts the moment you stop checking. Apps update, accounts age, and old share links pile up.
+
+
+
+Here's what Atomic Notes does about each group, and where you still have work to do:
+
+| Mistake group | What Atomic Notes does | What's still on you |
+|---|---|---|
+| Locks | Biometric unlock, two-step verification, no-screenshots mode | Your phone's screen lock |
+| Secrets | Optional end-to-end vault, phrase shown once, no share links | Keeping passwords and phrases out of notes |
+| Accounts and copies | Notes sync to your own Google Drive | Your Google account's password and two-step verification |
+| Installs and claims | Signed APKs with published checksums, public code | Checking the download |
+
+My take: most notes app privacy mistakes come from treating one tool as three. A notes app is for thinking. A password manager is for secrets. Paper is for recovery phrases. Keep them separate and your notes app security mostly takes care of itself.
+
+## FAQ
+
+
+
+What is the biggest notes app security mistake?
+
Keeping passwords and recovery phrases in ordinary notes. One unlocked phone or one breached cloud account then exposes every login at once. Move passwords to a password manager and keep recovery phrases on paper, offline.
+
+
+Is it safe to keep private notes on my phone?
+
Yes, with three habits: a strong screen lock, an app lock on the notes app, and end-to-end encryption for anything synced. Phones encrypt their own storage when locked, so the lock you choose does most of the work.
+
+
+How do I check an APK before installing it?
+
Download it only from the developer's official release page. Compare its SHA-256 fingerprint with the one the developer published, and check the signing certificate with apksigner. If either doesn't match, delete the file.
+
+
+Do notes app privacy mistakes matter if I have nothing to hide?
+
Most people's notes hold more than they think: addresses, health notes, door codes, and account hints. Those help scammers even when they seem boring. Fixing the common mistakes takes minutes and protects people you've written about, too.
+
+
+How often should I review my note taking privacy?
+
Every three months, and after any big app update. Check your locks, revoke old share links, delete stray exports, confirm two-step verification on your cloud account, and read release notes for new AI or sharing features.
+
+
+Does Atomic Notes protect me from these mistakes?
+
From some of them. It offers an app lock, two-step verification, a no-screenshots mode, an optional vault, and signed APKs with published checksums. Your screen lock, your Google account, and what you choose to write down are still up to you.
+
+
+
+## Keep reading
+
+- [Notes app privacy: 9 red flags to check](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags)
+- [Encrypted notes explained: T2T vs end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained)
+- [5 best end to end encrypted notes apps](/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps)
+
+
+
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
+
Biometric unlock, two-step verification, a no-screenshots mode, and an optional end-to-end vault, in a notes app that keeps your notes on your phone and in your own Google Drive. Look around.
+
+
+## Sources
+
+- [Use strong passwords. CISA](https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/use-strong-passwords)
+- [Turn on multifactor authentication. CISA](https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/turn-mfa)
+- [Credential stuffing. OWASP](https://owasp.org/www-community/attacks/Credential_stuffing)
+- [apksigner. Android Developers](https://developer.android.com/tools/apksigner)
+- [Atomic Notes 2.03.5 release and checksums. GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2/releases/tag/v2.03.5)
+- [Atomic Notes source code. GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2)
diff --git a/content/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags.md b/content/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags.md
index 2453dc2..9e0addc 100644
--- a/content/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags.md
+++ b/content/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags.md
@@ -194,6 +194,8 @@ That's why the third question, who pays, matters as much as encryption. A privac
- [7 best private notes apps for Android in 2026](/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android)
- [Notes app metadata: 8 things it knows without reading notes](/blog/notes-app-data-collection)
- [What is a local first notes app, and why does it matter?](/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app)
+- [Notes app security: 10 privacy mistakes to fix](/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes)
+- [7 best note taking apps without AI](/blog/best-note-taking-apps-without-ai)
- [Read the Atomic Notes code on GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2) and check every claim on this page
diff --git a/content/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app.md b/content/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app.md
index 8ebae66..6635a0f 100644
--- a/content/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app.md
+++ b/content/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app.md
@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ Local first is also one of the strongest privacy signals a notes app can send. F
- [Notes app without internet: why offline should be the default](/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline)
- [Local first architecture: the 4 layers behind Atomic Notes](/blog/atomic-notes-architecture)
- [Notes app privacy: 9 red flags to check before you trust one](/blog/notes-app-privacy-red-flags)
+- [6 best local first note taking apps, compared](/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps)
- [The Atomic Notes source code on GitHub](https://github.com/DevBehindYou/Atomic-Notes-App-V0.2), public to read and verify
diff --git a/content/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline.md b/content/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline.md
index f59566f..30ef484 100644
--- a/content/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline.md
+++ b/content/blog/why-notes-should-work-offline.md
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ My opinion, after building one: a notes app that needs a network to save is real
- [What is a local first notes app, and why does it matter?](/blog/what-is-a-local-first-notes-app)
- [Local first architecture: the 4 layers behind Atomic Notes](/blog/atomic-notes-architecture)
- [Encrypted notes explained: T2T vs end to end encryption](/blog/encrypted-notes-explained)
+- [8 best offline notes apps for Android, checked](/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android)
Atomic Notes by DevBehindYou
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diff --git a/public/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes/05-apk-check.png b/public/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes/05-apk-check.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..77c7c4b
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new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9326437
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diff --git a/public/llms.txt b/public/llms.txt
index a530f17..dfedab4 100644
--- a/public/llms.txt
+++ b/public/llms.txt
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ Key facts:
- [Notes App Metadata: 8 Things It Knows Without Reading Notes](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/notes-app-data-collection): the metadata a notes app can collect, what it reveals, data minimization, and exactly what the Atomic Notes server keeps
- [Local First Architecture: 4 Layers Behind Atomic Notes](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/atomic-notes-architecture): the device, metadata-only sync server, user-owned Google Drive, and optional vault, with failure modes and the tech stack
- [7 Best Private Notes Apps for Android in 2026](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-privacy-first-notes-apps-android): Atomic Notes, SilentNotes, CypherLeaf, NoteSR, Quillpad, Fossify Notes, and Privacy Friendly Notes, checked October 7, 2026
+- [6 Best Local First Note Taking Apps in 2026](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-local-first-note-taking-apps): Atomic Notes, Obsidian, Logseq, SiYuan, SilverBullet, and Trilium Notes, compared on primary copy, file format, sync, and encryption, checked October 9, 2026
+- [5 Best End to End Encrypted Notes Apps in 2026](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-end-to-end-encrypted-notes-apps): Atomic Notes, Notesnook, Standard Notes, Cryptee, and Joplin, compared on key ownership, default encryption, recovery, audits, and metadata
+- [8 Best Offline Notes Apps for Android in 2026](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-offline-notes-apps-android): Atomic Notes, Material Notes, Open Notes, sNotz, Easy Notes, Orgzly Revived, Notes, and Butterfly, checked for internet permission, account, sync, and backups
+- [7 Best Note Taking Apps Without AI in 2026](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/best-note-taking-apps-without-ai): Atomic Notes, Markor, TiddlyWiki, Zim, Saber, Dynalist, and CherryTree, plus Notion alternatives without AI and how to check an app for AI
+- [Notes App Security: 10 Privacy Mistakes to Fix in 2026](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/notes-app-privacy-mistakes): ten everyday habits that weaken notes app security (locks, secrets, share links, cloud accounts, exports, APKs) and a fix for each
- [Atomic Notes v1.18.2 Demo Build](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/blog/atomic-notes-v1-18-2): Atomic Energy, in-app email flows, notification center, offline launch fix
- [RSS feed](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/feed.xml) and [sitemap](https://atomic-notes.devbehindyou.com/sitemap.xml): every published page and post
diff --git a/src/app/globals.css b/src/app/globals.css
index 5b96a20..a96a6de 100644
--- a/src/app/globals.css
+++ b/src/app/globals.css
@@ -1577,7 +1577,8 @@ section h2 {
gap: 6px;
margin: 0 0 14px;
}
-.bw-track button {
+.bw-track button,
+.bw-track .bw-stop {
font-family: var(--mono);
font-size: 0.72rem;
letter-spacing: 1px;
@@ -1589,11 +1590,19 @@ section h2 {
color: var(--slate);
cursor: pointer;
}
-.bw-track li.done button {
+.bw-track .bw-stop {
+ display: inline-flex;
+ align-items: center;
+ gap: 6px;
+ cursor: default;
+}
+.bw-track li.done button,
+.bw-track li.done .bw-stop {
border-color: var(--ink);
color: var(--ink);
}
-.bw-track li.now button {
+.bw-track li.now button,
+.bw-track li.now .bw-stop {
background: var(--signal);
border-color: var(--signal);
color: #fff;
diff --git a/src/components/blog/AiPath.tsx b/src/components/blog/AiPath.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9b418d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/blog/AiPath.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useState } from "react";
+
+// Where a note's text travels when a notes app's AI feature runs, by provider type.
+// A general model of common designs, not a description of any one app.
+
+const MODES = [
+ { id: "off", label: "AI off", stops: ["Your phone", "Your storage"], note: "Your note goes only where the app already syncs it, if anywhere." },
+ { id: "device", label: "On-device model", stops: ["Your phone", "Model on the phone"], note: "The text stays on the device. Check whether the app falls back to a cloud model for bigger requests." },
+ { id: "cloud", label: "Cloud AI provider", stops: ["Your phone", "App's server", "AI provider", "Provider logs"], note: "The text leaves your device for at least one other company. Its terms decide how long it's kept and whether people or training can see it." },
+ { id: "own", label: "Your own API key", stops: ["Your phone", "AI provider you chose", "Provider logs"], note: "You pick the provider and its terms, but the text still leaves your device for that provider." },
+] as const;
+
+export function AiPath() {
+ const [m, setM] = useState(2);
+ const mode = MODES[m];
+ const leaves = mode.id === "cloud" || mode.id === "own";
+ return (
+
+
TRY IT · FOLLOW THE NOTE
+
Tap "summarize." Where does the text go?
+
Pick how the AI feature runs.
+
+ {MODES.map((x, i) => (
+
+ ))}
+
+
+ {mode.stops.map((s, i) => (
+
+ {String(i + 1).padStart(2, "0")} {s}
+
+ ))}
+
+
+
{mode.stops.length} STOPS
+
{mode.note}
+
+
A general model of how AI features are usually built. Each app's own privacy policy has the details.
+
+ );
+}
diff --git a/src/components/blog/AiScanner.tsx b/src/components/blog/AiScanner.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d05faae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/blog/AiScanner.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useMemo, useState } from "react";
+
+// Flags words in pasted release notes that usually signal an AI feature. Runs entirely in the browser.
+// A keyword scan, not proof: it can miss features and flag harmless uses of a word.
+
+const TERMS: { re: RegExp; label: string }[] = [
+ { re: /\bAI\b/g, label: "AI" },
+ { re: /\bartificial intelligence\b/gi, label: "artificial intelligence" },
+ { re: /\bassistant\b/gi, label: "assistant" },
+ { re: /\bcopilot\b/gi, label: "Copilot" },
+ { re: /\bgemini\b/gi, label: "Gemini" },
+ { re: /\b(chat ?gpt|gpt-?\d|openai)\b/gi, label: "OpenAI / GPT" },
+ { re: /\b(claude|anthropic)\b/gi, label: "Claude / Anthropic" },
+ { re: /\bLLMs?\b/g, label: "LLM" },
+ { re: /\blanguage models?\b/gi, label: "language model" },
+ { re: /\bsummari[sz](e|es|ed|ation|ing)\b/gi, label: "summarize" },
+ { re: /\brewrit(e|es|ing)\b/gi, label: "rewrite" },
+ { re: /\bsmart (compose|reply|search|suggestions?)\b/gi, label: "smart features" },
+ { re: /\bgenerat(e|ive|ed|ion)\b/gi, label: "generate" },
+ { re: /\bsemantic search\b/gi, label: "semantic search" },
+ { re: /\bmachine learning\b/gi, label: "machine learning" },
+ { re: /\bMCP\b/g, label: "MCP" },
+];
+
+const SAMPLE = `Version 4.2
+- New: Ask the assistant to summarize long notes.
+- Smart search now understands questions.
+- Fixed a crash when exporting PDFs.`;
+
+export function AiScanner() {
+ const [text, setText] = useState("");
+ const hits = useMemo(() => {
+ const out: { label: string; n: number }[] = [];
+ for (const t of TERMS) {
+ const n = (text.match(t.re) || []).length;
+ if (n) out.push({ label: t.label, n });
+ }
+ return out;
+ }, [text]);
+ const total = hits.reduce((s, h) => s + h.n, 0);
+
+ return (
+
+
TRY IT · RELEASE NOTE SCANNER
+
Did your notes app just add AI?
+
Paste the release notes from an app store page or changelog. Nothing leaves this page.