I want the dumbest possible notes app that syncs and doesn't want to be my second brain

Question

Every recommendation I get is a knowledge management system with databases and relations, and what I want is to write 'call the plumber back Tuesday' on my…

plaintext_paz · Accepted Answer

You want a text editor with sync, and the good news is the category exists and is deeply boring. Three properties to look for: it stores plain text or markdown, it syncs without an account you'd be upset to lose, and search is instant. Anything with 'workspace', 'database' or 'second brain' on its front page is not…

grepwitch · Answer

Your phone and your laptop both shipped with a notes app that does exactly this. The only reason to leave is that the built in ones sync badly across Android and Windows specifically, which happens to be your case. That's the one real constraint in your post and it's the thing that should drive the choice — not…

inbox_zero_ivo · Answer

I'll defend the truly boring option: one long text file, appended to, with the date at the top of each entry. Two years in. Search finds everything because it's one file. There is no app to migrate out of, ever. It isn't for everyone but the ceiling is much higher than people assume before they try it.

starschema_sy · Answer

Ask 'what happens if this company shuts down' before you commit anything. If the answer is 'my notes are files in a folder I can open with anything', stop evaluating and start using it. If the answer is 'I would export a JSON blob and then what', keep looking.

attic_server · Answer

One thing the simple ones do genuinely worse: sharing. If you ever need to send someone a note or keep a list jointly with a partner, plain files get awkward fast. Worth knowing before you build a whole system on it.

I want the dumbest possible notes app that syncs and doesn't want to be my second brain App Question

9 answers