I decided to re-download Simplenote and give it another shot. I wanted to see if it could fit into my current workflow, especially given its reputation for speed and simplicity.
What I Like
- It lives up to its name. It is refreshing to use a tool that is genuinely simple.
- No bells and whistles. It is strictly for creating notes. There are no distractions to get in the way of writing.
- Fast sync. The syncing across devices is incredibly quick.
- Markdown support. I can write in Markdown, which is a must for me these days.
- Truly cross-platform. It works on all my devices: Mac, iOS, Windows, and Linux. I am actually writing this using the web version right now, but I have my iPhone next to me to test out the syncing as I edit.
- Tag support. Organizing notes with tags is straightforward and effective.
- Markdown preview. You can preview your formatted text easily. On the desktop, it is Ctrl + Shift + P. On iOS, I really like being able to swipe from right to left to show the preview. It is a smooth and responsive feature that is well-implemented.
What I Don’t Like
- Lack of encryption. I don’t believe the notes are encrypted at rest.
- The editor is very basic. The Markdown editor doesn’t highlight syntax or support inline previews like other apps such as Bear or Obsidian. You have to toggle a separate preview mode to see how things look.
- Sustainability concerns. Since the core product is free, I wonder about the long-term sustainability of their business model.
- Corporate ownership. It is owned by Automattic. They own WordPress, Day One, Pocket Casts, and others. While they are a stable company, I generally prefer supporting smaller independent developers when I can.
- Text expansion issues. For some reason, the web version I was using did not let RocketTypist expand and paste my snippets, which slows me down. Worked fine in other apps on myu Mac.
- Privacy tradeoffs. This is the big one for me. Messages are encrypted in transmission but not at rest. Technically, the Automattic staff could access my notes if they wanted to. Worse than that, if their servers ever get hacked, my notes would be exposed.
#NoteTaking #Simplenote