Notion vs Simplenote vs Note Cargo: Which is better? (2026)
Simplenote is a free minimalist note app. Notion is an all-in-one cloud workspace with databases and real-time collaboration.
TL;DRSimplenote is fast and free but limited to plain text notes synced on Automattic's servers. Notion is a full workspace with databases, wikis, and team collaboration.
Note Cargo is self-hosted, stores standard Markdown in your own S3/R2 bucket, and runs on ~30 MB RAM.
Simplenote wins on simplicity and zero cost. Notion wins on structured data and collaboration. Note Cargo wins on data ownership and self-hosting.
18
Note Cargo wins
14
Notion wins
16
Simplenote wins
Feature
Notion
Simplenote
Note Cargo
Pricing
Starting price
$12/mo
Free
$4
Pricing model
Subscription
Free
One-Time
Demo/Trial
Data & Privacy
You own your storage
Doesn't train on your notes
Open source
Sync All Devices
Device Theft Resistant
Unlimited Storage
Platform
Web app
Mobile app
Desktop app
Offline access
Bloated Features
MCP Support
Markdown & Portability
Markdown support
Export Data
Notes Linking
Codeblock
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration
Note sharing
Self-Hosting
Self-hostable
Low RAM usage
Modifiable code
No Database
Zero Dependency
Ready to switch to Note Cargo?
Self-hosted, Markdown-native, stored in your own S3/R2. One-time payment, no subscriptions.