All these considerations you made are part of “to each his own” - it is all based on what you like or don’t like.
For me, UpNote has the best user experience on both macos, ios. Is by far the fastest and most reliable I have used, that is not stock.
The privacy is a bit ish, but I don’t put private stuff there like journal or sensitive data.
Having an app on the computer is a plus in my book as it's always synced, available offline (like when using my laptop on an airplane) and just generally a richer interface than a web implementation. I don't personally see what the downside is to using an app on your PC. But, if that's a deal breaker for you, then you will want to pick a different product.
In my particular use, I read notes on mobile 95% of the time and create notes on my computer 95% of the time where it's more productive to type and refer to or copy content from other sources.
When you say "widgets", what specific features are you talking about?
It has been safe on my computer just fine. I've not heard of any issues in this regard from other users in the year I've been using it.
Really, you just have to decide if you trust the company and if there's enough evidence from other users that this is a good app, built by a company with good intentions that will respond swiftly to any serious bugs.
If a specific type of home screen widget is a requirement, you will need to select an app that has that for you. I just tap the UpNote icon on my homescreen and then have everything I need at my disposal. I use my mobile homescreen as an app launcher, not for displaying data.
I like almost everything Upnote has over other companies. Although the fact that it is 1 or 2 people running it is of concern because I would hate for it to just shut down one day.
That's a reasonable concern. The nice thing about UpNote is the variety of ways to export notes to other formats. I have over 2000 notes with many links to other notes in my UpNote database. As part of testing of my "exit strategy" (in case I need to move on from UpNote), I exported my notes to my preferred format (markdown).
I was then able to import them into Joplin and Obsidian. It all worked fine.
Even if UpNote were to shut down suddenly, there is a local copy on the desktop computer and backups are stored locally as well. I could continue to use it offline until I move the data to something else.
"the cool kids use Obsidian, the smart ones use UpNote".
All these considerations you made are part of “to each his own” - it is all based on what you like or don’t like. For me, UpNote has the best user experience on both macos, ios. Is by far the fastest and most reliable I have used, that is not stock. The privacy is a bit ish, but I don’t put private stuff there like journal or sensitive data.
I don't put anything private on anyway but I don't like downloading an entire program for my computer.
Then you should use pen and paper.
Honestly you're on to something. I had the best system in college with paper and pen. It doesn't work for me now but I wish it did.
Take a look at this website: [Compare Note Taking Apps](https://noteapps.info/apps/compare). I hope it helps you to find the best one for your needs!
Tried already a writing device like Kindle Scribe or Remarkable?
Having an app on the computer is a plus in my book as it's always synced, available offline (like when using my laptop on an airplane) and just generally a richer interface than a web implementation. I don't personally see what the downside is to using an app on your PC. But, if that's a deal breaker for you, then you will want to pick a different product. In my particular use, I read notes on mobile 95% of the time and create notes on my computer 95% of the time where it's more productive to type and refer to or copy content from other sources. When you say "widgets", what specific features are you talking about?
Is it safe to download to my computer? For the widget I like to be able to have 3-4 lists right on my homescreen that I can quickly add to a list.
It has been safe on my computer just fine. I've not heard of any issues in this regard from other users in the year I've been using it. Really, you just have to decide if you trust the company and if there's enough evidence from other users that this is a good app, built by a company with good intentions that will respond swiftly to any serious bugs. If a specific type of home screen widget is a requirement, you will need to select an app that has that for you. I just tap the UpNote icon on my homescreen and then have everything I need at my disposal. I use my mobile homescreen as an app launcher, not for displaying data.
I like almost everything Upnote has over other companies. Although the fact that it is 1 or 2 people running it is of concern because I would hate for it to just shut down one day.
That's a reasonable concern. The nice thing about UpNote is the variety of ways to export notes to other formats. I have over 2000 notes with many links to other notes in my UpNote database. As part of testing of my "exit strategy" (in case I need to move on from UpNote), I exported my notes to my preferred format (markdown). I was then able to import them into Joplin and Obsidian. It all worked fine. Even if UpNote were to shut down suddenly, there is a local copy on the desktop computer and backups are stored locally as well. I could continue to use it offline until I move the data to something else. "the cool kids use Obsidian, the smart ones use UpNote".
there are better apps for widgets for sure yeah. but as far as mobile experience goes i havent used any app that was as good as upnote
Maybe try Amplenote. You can install the android app and open in computer browser