https://scrib.blog/blog/ Honest, factual audits of the privacy and encryption of popular notes apps, and guides to keeping notes only you can read. From Scrib, a free AES-256 encrypted, offline, no-account notes app for Android and Windows. en Beeswax Pat Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT 1440 https://scrib.blog/app-icon-512.png https://scrib.blog/blog/ https://scrib.blog/blog/why-we-recommend-proton https://scrib.blog/blog/why-we-recommend-proton Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Recommendations The same who-holds-the-keys test this site applies to notes apps, applied to email, VPN, and passwords. Why Proton passes it, and the honest caveats that still apply, court order included. https://scrib.blog/blog/best-private-notes-apps-windows https://scrib.blog/blog/best-private-notes-apps-windows Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Reviews Scrib Desktop, Joplin, Standard Notes, Obsidian, and Notesnook compared on who holds the keys: local encryption, account requirements, end-to-end sync, and the honest trade-offs of each. https://scrib.blog/blog/encrypted-notepad-windows https://scrib.blog/blog/encrypted-notepad-windows Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Guides Windows Notepad cannot password-protect a file. What does work: an editor with built-in AES-256 encryption, and the honest limits of EFS, BitLocker, Office passwords, and 7-Zip archives. https://scrib.blog/blog/is-apple-notes-private https://scrib.blog/blog/is-apple-notes-private Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy By default Apple holds the keys to iCloud notes. Locked notes and Advanced Data Protection change that, with real caveats: visible titles, opt-in settings, and a browser-only Windows story. https://scrib.blog/blog/is-onenote-safe https://scrib.blog/blog/is-onenote-safe Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy OneNote notebooks live on OneDrive under Microsoft's keys, not yours. Password-protected sections are the one genuinely encrypted exception. What Microsoft can see and how to lock it down. https://scrib.blog/blog/samsung-notes-vs-onenote https://scrib.blog/blog/samsung-notes-vs-onenote Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Neither is end-to-end encrypted, and the Samsung-Microsoft integration can put your Samsung notes on OneDrive anyway. The privacy head-to-head, plus the on-device alternative. https://scrib.blog/blog/is-notion-private https://scrib.blog/blog/is-notion-private Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Notion's own documentation confirms there is no end-to-end encryption. What staff and AI subprocessors can access, what belongs in Notion, and where private notes should live instead. https://scrib.blog/blog/is-evernote-safe https://scrib.blog/blog/is-evernote-safe Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Not end-to-end encrypted, new owners since 2023, and a free plan capped at 50 notes. The one real encryption feature, the 2016 policy incident, and what to replace it with. https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-1-7-0-locked-tabs https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-1-7-0-locked-tabs Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Release Notes Press Ctrl+L and an encrypted note locks in place: content and password wiped from the editor until you re-enter the password. Plus idle auto-lock, session restore that reopens encrypted notes locked, a fuzzy-search command palette, and one-step Change Password. https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-1-5-0-image-embeds https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-1-5-0-image-embeds Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Release Notes Embed images in rich-text notes: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, BMP, SVG and more. The image is stored inside the note, so in a .scrb it is AES-256 encrypted with the text. Plus instant note closing and a right-click tab menu. https://scrib.blog/blog/samsung-notes-vs-google-keep https://scrib.blog/blog/samsung-notes-vs-google-keep Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Neither Samsung Notes nor Google Keep is end-to-end encrypted, so on privacy it is a tie at the bottom: both vendors can read your notes. What each stores, the account-takeover risk, and a fully offline alternative. https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-1-2-0-release https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-1-2-0-release Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Release Notes The Windows encrypted editor gets atomic file writes via MoveFileExW, crash recovery on startup, a one-click revert on Plain and Rich toggles, undo-safe Find and Replace, and a 65-test suite. The .scrb format is unchanged. https://scrib.blog/blog/is-samsung-notes-safe https://scrib.blog/blog/is-samsung-notes-safe Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Samsung Notes syncs to Samsung Cloud by default with no end-to-end encryption, so Samsung holds the keys. Breach history, account-compromise scenarios, and how to lock it down. https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-open-source https://scrib.blog/blog/scrib-desktop-open-source Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Open Source An encrypted text editor for Windows. AES-256, rich text, multi-tab, fully offline. Source code on GitHub under GPL-3.0. https://scrib.blog/blog/is-google-notes-safe https://scrib.blog/blog/is-google-notes-safe Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Neither Google Notes nor Samsung Notes is end-to-end encrypted, and both vendors hold the keys. A side-by-side breakdown of what each stores and the real alternatives. https://scrib.blog/blog/best-notes-app-no-account https://scrib.blog/blog/best-notes-app-no-account Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Reviews Every Android notes app that works with zero sign-up: no Google account, no email, no phone verification. Honest picks with the trade-offs stated. https://scrib.blog/blog/best-private-notes-apps-android https://scrib.blog/blog/best-private-notes-apps-android Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Reviews Scrib, Standard Notes, Joplin, and Notally compared on encryption, sync, account requirements, offline use, and price, including the best offline notes app for Android. https://scrib.blog/blog/why-your-notes-need-encryption https://scrib.blog/blog/why-your-notes-need-encryption Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Encryption at rest is not the same as end-to-end encryption. What each one stops, why most notes apps only do the weaker kind, and how to check yours. https://scrib.blog/blog/google-keep-vs-encrypted-notes https://scrib.blog/blog/google-keep-vs-encrypted-notes Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Privacy Google Keep is not end-to-end encrypted, so Google holds the keys and can read every note. What that means, why Keep has no built-in note lock, and the real alternatives.