# Simplenote

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/simplenote/

7 people recommended Simplenote in Hacker News comments, 5 had mixed feelings and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 12 months, in 4 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a quick, minimal, free note app that syncs across platforms and respects privacy. Common caveats: it lacks encryption, and its sync has had trouble.

Summary written by Claude from 18 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Quick, minimal, no frills (2 comments in the sample): "Simplenote is a really useful and quick note taking app that's minimal but not missing anything for this kind of app." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47197822)) "It's lightweight, fast, accessible anywhere, no frills and functional." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47197435))
- Unobtrusive, privacy-respecting design (2 comments in the sample): "It just did what it said on the sticker and has always been unobtrusive and respectful of the user" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47196313)) "It was well designed and privacy respecting." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47195822))
- Free and multiplatform with sync (1 comment in the sample): "It is Multiplatform, it syncs, and it's free." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49673194))

## Other note-taking apps people recommend

- [Obsidian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/obsidian/): 306 recommend, 104 mixed, 114 criticize
- [Org mode](https://hackerapproved.com/p/org-mode/): 133 recommend, 30 mixed, 29 criticize
- [Notion](https://hackerapproved.com/p/notion/): 43 recommend, 37 mixed, 96 criticize
- [Logseq](https://hackerapproved.com/p/logseq/): 30 recommend, 19 mixed, 23 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Simplenote", https://hackerapproved.com/p/simplenote/ (7 recommend, 5 mixed, 6 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.