Coffee Pad vs Standard Notes
Both encrypt in the browser. Standard Notes is the more serious, better-audited product; Coffee Pad is a to-do list rather than a notes app with a checklist editor.
The short version
Standard Notes: End-to-end encrypted
End-to-end encrypted with AES-256, zero-knowledge by design, with an open-source implementation under AGPL-3.0 that has been independently audited. On the axis this site cares about, Standard Notes is not a weaker product — it is a longer-established one.
Side by side
| Feature | Standard Notes | Coffee Pad |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted | Yes | Yes |
| Independent audit | Yes, and the crypto is open source | No — one person's project, no audit |
| What it is for | Notes, with task and checklist note types | A to-do list |
| Recurring tasks and reminders | No | No |
| Apps | Desktop, mobile and web | Any modern browser |
| Price | Free tier; task and rich editors on paid plans | Free, invite-only |
When Standard Notes is the right answer
- You want an audited, open-source implementation with a company and a track record behind it — this is the honest recommendation for anyone whose threat model is serious.
- You write notes as well as tasks, and want them in one encrypted place.
- You want native apps, offline editing, and file attachments.
When Coffee Pad is
- You want a to-do list, and a notes app with a tasks editor is not the same shape.
- You want the whole thing to be three panes and nothing else.
- You want it running on your own Postgres database rather than somebody's service.
Questions people actually ask
- Is Standard Notes more secure than Coffee Pad?
- Its encryption has been independently audited and its implementation is open source; Coffee Pad's has not been audited. If audited cryptography is your deciding factor, Standard Notes is the safer choice and this page is not going to pretend otherwise.
- Does Standard Notes do to-do lists?
- It has checklist and task note types, available on its paid tiers. What it does not have is reminders or recurring tasks, so it behaves like a notes app with checkboxes rather than a task manager.
- Why would I pick Coffee Pad over it?
- Shape and ownership. Coffee Pad is a to-do list rather than a notes app, and its rows live in a Postgres database you set up yourself.
Where this came from
Everything above about Standard Notes is taken from its own documentation, checked in . Products change; if you are reading this much later, check the source before believing it.
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