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Apple Notes alternative that works on Windows, Android and any browser

Checked 27 October 2026. Facts about other products come from their own pages, linked at the foot.

Short answer: Stay with Apple Notes if you live entirely on iPhone, iPad and Mac, use Apple Pencil, or scan documents. Choose Notaito if you also use Windows or Android, want a lock you can recover, earlier versions of every note, or a notebook that files notes under projects.

Apple Notes is free, fast and built into every Apple device, so most people who look for an alternative have hit one specific wall: a Windows PC or Android phone that cannot run it properly, a locked note that can never be opened again, or a note that was changed and cannot be taken back. This page compares the two on those points, and on where Apple Notes is simply better.

	Notaito	Apple Notes
Where it runs	Any browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad, and it can be added to the Home Screen as an installed web app. No store app and no widgets.	Built for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. iCloud for Windows does not include Notes; on a Windows PC you use iCloud.com in a browser, and it shows only notes stored in iCloud.
Deleted notes	Kept in a Deleted list that is not emptied on a timer.	Kept in Recently Deleted for 30 days, then permanently removed from your devices and iCloud.
Locking a note	A passphrase plus a recovery code, so forgetting the passphrase is not the end of the note.	If you use a separate Notes password and forget it, Apple says there is no way to open your locked notes and it cannot help. Resetting the password does not open notes locked earlier. You can use your device passcode instead of a separate password.
Earlier versions of a note	Every note keeps its earlier versions for 90 days. Restore one or copy from it.	Apple's Notes guides describe no version history for a note. The closest thing is the Recently Deleted folder.
How notes are organised	One running list; each note is filed under a project, by you or (if you switch it on) by AI.	Folders, and the iCloud and on-device accounts they live in.
AI	The main AI switch (Auto-organise with AI) is off for every new account, and you can keep chosen projects out of AI.	Apple documents how to turn off or restrict its AI features, including Writing Tools, which works inside Notes. The steps differ by iOS version.
Getting your notes out	A zip with Markdown, your pictures and a backup file, and you can import it again.	A note can be exported as PDF or Markdown, one note at a time. Apple's guides describe no one-step export of every note.

Where Apple Notes is the better choice

It is already there. No account to make and nothing to install, on every Apple device you own.
Apple Pencil and scanning. Drawing, handwriting and scanning documents into a note are built in and native.
System features. Widgets, Siri, Shortcuts and the share sheet reach into Apple Notes. Notaito is a web app and does not have widgets.
Offline. Apple Notes is an app on the device. Notaito works in a browser, and keeps your typing safe if the connection drops, but it is not offline-first.

What Notaito does differently

One notebook on every device. Sign in on a Windows laptop, an Android phone and an iPad and you see the same notebook, with changes live.

A lock with a way back. A locked note is encrypted in your browser with your passphrase. You also get a recovery code, which Apple Notes does not offer for a separate Notes password.

Earlier versions. If you or another device overwrite a note, you can open its earlier versions for 90 days and restore one.

Filing without folders. You write in one list and each note lands under a project. Drag it elsewhere if it is wrong.

What Notaito does not do

No store app and no widgets.
It is a notebook for working notes, not an archive of tens of thousands: a notebook holds up to 2,000 active notes (finished notes move to their own list), and one note can be up to 20,000 characters.
The free plan includes 1 GB for pictures and PDFs. See the plans.

Moving over from Apple Notes

Notaito reads Markdown and plain-text files and its own backup, and has no one-click Apple Notes importer. Export the notes you want to keep from Apple Notes first, then copy across the ones you still use. Keep both for a few weeks before deciding. Do not delete anything from Apple Notes until you have checked the copy: Recently Deleted holds a deleted note for only 30 days.

Questions people ask

How long does Apple Notes keep deleted notes?

Thirty days in Recently Deleted. After that a note is permanently removed from your iPhone, iCloud and the other devices signed in to your Apple Account.

What happens if I forget my Apple Notes password?

If you use a separate password for Notes, Apple says there is no way to open your locked notes and it cannot help. Resetting the password lets you lock new notes but does not open the ones locked before.

Can I use Apple Notes on Windows or Android?

Apple builds Notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. iCloud for Windows does not include Notes, so on a Windows PC you use iCloud.com in a web browser. Apple's pages do not mention Android. iCloud.com shows only notes stored in iCloud, not notes in Google or Yahoo accounts.

Does Apple Notes have version history?

Apple's Notes guides describe no version history for a note. Deleted notes can be recovered from Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Can I turn off Apple Intelligence in Notes?

Apple documents how to turn off or restrict its AI features on iPhone. In iOS 26 there is a switch under Settings, Apple Intelligence & Siri, and Screen Time can block Writing Tools. The steps differ by iOS version, so check Apple's page for yours.

See it for yourself

Notaito is a notebook that files your notes under your projects as you write. It runs in any browser and you can try it now without making an account.

Try Notaito without signing up or make a free account

Keep reading

Google Keep alternative: Notaito compared with KeepHow Notaito and Google Keep differ on reminders, version history, sharing, locking and export, and when staying with Keep is the better choice.Notes disappeared? How to get them back, and how to stop it happening againWhere deleted notes go in Apple Notes, Google Keep and Evernote, how long you have to recover them, and what keeps a note from vanishing again.

Sources

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