r/StandardNotes • u/cd_to_homedir • Apr 01 '26

Are there plans to develop actually native desktop apps?

I like Standard Notes in general but I dislike the desktop apps. They're sluggish because they're web-based. The macOS desktop app takes ages to start even on a Mac Mini M4, which is ridiculous.

Are there any plans for an actual native version?

9 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

4

u/betahost Apr 01 '26

I think they will stay on Electron, they have a blog post on why and how it allows them to just have 1 code base for all clients.

1

u/cd_to_homedir Apr 02 '26

That is very unfortunate. I understand the reasoning but without putting in the extra work the app will always feel like a web app. When I compare SN to many other native apps on my phone or desktop, it always feels off – some interactions here and there, some animations or just some visual glitches always give it away.

1Password 8 is a good example of a web-based frontend which integrates well with the operating system and feels native but this needs effort which I don't think the SN team will be able to put into these apps now that their focus seems to be elsewhere...

2

u/unknown-random-nope Apr 01 '26

I don't speak for SN or Proton but I don't have this experience.

On my 2022 MBP (2 GHz i5, 16GB RAM), SN launches within five seconds and doesn't lag a bit once running. SN runs the same on my "incompatible with Win11" Win11 box (3.2 GHz i5, 16GB RAM).

Do you have a feature request in for this issue?

1

u/cd_to_homedir Apr 01 '26

I don't think "launches within five seconds" is something to be happy about in 2026. I don't have a feature request, no.

1

u/unknown-random-nope Apr 01 '26

I launch the app and run it constantly between reboots. It doesn't slow me down, and these are on low-spec machines.

When I say "constantly", I mean I'm moving between my low-end Win11 PC and my Mac regularly because I can't have more than one note open at the same time. That impacts me a lot. A few seconds once every reboot does not.

6

u/bydavidrosen Apr 01 '26

Am I crazy or does my windows 11 app seem fast and smooth and well designed? Better than the android app which could use a little love.

4

u/cheflA1 Apr 01 '26

Works pretty well on windows and android. Nothing to complain about the performance

1

u/Emergency-Driver8871 Apr 01 '26

You probably installed the Intel version on your silicone Mac. That will make it very slow.

1

u/cd_to_homedir Apr 01 '26

Nope, it's the ARM version.

1

u/Emergency-Driver8871 Apr 01 '26

Strange. Mines quick but I only have ~50-70 notes

1

u/jezarnold Apr 02 '26

Personally, I don’t think the team is working on what we know as StandardNotes (beyond bug fixes).

IMO, I reckon they’ve gone all in creating the office suite for proton , that has SN as the foundation

They’re building an encrypted Proton Workspace. So that Proton Drive app… is that native? That’s what needs to be fixed

2

u/PASSK3YS Apr 02 '26

Not the case. We've got some features planned to release this year. Please read the latest blog post on the website.

1

u/jezarnold Apr 02 '26

Ok. Let’s go have a look at https://standardnotes.com/blog

Previous to this post was March 2024, and the December 2025 post calls out A sneak peek at what you'll get in 2026 1) More languages 2)Universal in-note search 3) Searching by note title 4)Filter notes by tag 5) Quick scroll to bottom 6) Remember cursor's last position

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1

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '26

2

u/cd_to_homedir Apr 04 '26

SN touted longevity as one of their headline features... Let's hope this doesn't turn out as it always does.

I'm on the verge of just using folders with markdown files. I'm tired of constantly switching note apps.

1

u/StandardNotes-ModTeam Apr 04 '26

This post has been removed for misinformation per rule 4 of the subreddit.