Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.
A fast, private notes app with the features that matter, and none of the clutter.
Write
A calm editor that gets out of your way.
Clean and simple
Notes are just a title and content. No clutter, no learning curve.
Auto-save
Notes save automatically as you type, so you never lose a thought.
Light and dark mode
Switch themes in one click, easy on the eyes day or night.
Works on any device
Desktop, tablet or phone. The layout adapts to the screen.
Markdown Premium
Plain text out of the box. Rich Markdown with live preview via Custom Development.
Keeps working offline
Lost your connection? Keep writing while Plainpad is open. Changes are saved on your device and sync when you are back online.
Find
Everything you wrote, a few letters away.
Quick search
Filter notes as you type, or press Ctrl/Cmd + K to jump to any note, or start a new one, from anywhere.
Download or share
Save any note as a plain .txt file, or share it straight from the app.
Pinned notes
Keep the notes you use every day at the top.
Multi-user
Separate accounts with admin and user roles. Everyone gets a private collection.
REST API
Automate imports, exports and workflows with the built-in API.
Own
Your server, your rules, your notes.
Self-hosted
Runs on your own PHP server or with Docker. Your notes never touch a third-party cloud.
Database encryption
Opt in per user and titles and content are encrypted before they are stored.
Free and open source
GPL-3.0. Personal or commercial use, no fees, no limits.
One-click updates
Install new versions from Settings in one click. Every update is signed and checked before it is installed.
Your language
Use Plainpad in English, German, French, Swedish or Chinese.
Lightweight
Runs smoothly on basic shared hosting. No heavy dependencies.
Every feature.
Zero cost.
All of it is yours to run on your own server, free forever. Or let us look after it for you, server included if you need one, from €20 a month.