Turtl- ProductivityProductivity

Name: Turtl
Rating: 3.9 (635 reviews)

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About

Turtl is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted notebook for notes, bookmarks, passwords and files, with sharing through collaborative Spaces. The hosted service and apps are still online, but development has been very slow for years.

Turtl stores notes, bookmarks, passwords, files and other snippets in boards inside Spaces, and encrypts everything on your device with a key derived from your password before it is synced, so neither your password nor your key ever reaches the server. Notes support Markdown, and items can be organized and filtered with tags and full-text search. Spaces can be shared with family members or coworkers while keeping data encrypted, and browser bookmarking extensions for Chrome and Firefox make it easy to save links. The client core library has been security audited, and both the apps (GPL-3.0) and the server (AGPL-3.0) are open source, so you can run your own Turtl server at home or at work. Turtl is made by Lyon Bros LLC of Minneapolis, United States. The hosted service offers a free Basic plan alongside Premium and Business plans. Activity has slowed sharply: the website still offers v0.7.2.5 downloads, the Android app on Google Play was last updated in December 2018, an iOS app has been "coming soon" for years, and the only recent desktop release is v0.7.3 (March 2025), which mainly updated Electron and fixed bugs. The server repository has had no commits since March 2024.

Who Is Turtl Best For?

Turtl is particularly well-suited for:

Privacy-focused note-takers

People who want encrypted bookmarks and notes together

Self-hosters who want an encrypted sync server

Small teams sharing sensitive research

View all Productivity apps

Credibility of This Listing

We show what we know, where it comes from, and what is still incomplete.

Review Coverage

3.9/5

Aggregated score built from 1 public review source.

NoteFinderz Research

October 9, 2026

NoteFinderz research refreshed on October 9, 2026.

Product Freshness

March 27, 2025

Latest known product update: March 27, 2025.

Descriptions, use cases, pros, and limitations are written and curated by NoteFinderz. Ratings and review volume are aggregated from public signals when they exist.

Visible Review Sources

635 aggregated reviews

Google Play

635 reviews

3.9/5

View source

Features

End-to-end Encryption

Markdown

Ratings & Reviews

3.9

(635 reviews)

Aggregated from 1 sources

Google Play

3.9

(635)

Pricing

Freemium

Free Tier Available

Project Health

Status

Stalled

Activity Score

20/100

Status Note

The hosted service and website are still up, but the Android app was last updated in December 2018, iOS never shipped, the server repository has been idle since March 2024, and the only recent desktop release (v0.7.3, March 2025) was a maintenance update.

Publisher & Origin

Developer

Lyon Bros LLC

Source Model

Open source

License

GPL-3.0

Country of Origin

United States

Headquarters

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Origin Type

Company

Origin Note

Desktop, Android and core apps are GPL-3.0; the Turtl server is AGPL-3.0 and can be self-hosted.

Pros

✓End-to-end encryption with an audited core library

✓Fully open source with a self-hostable server

✓Stores notes, bookmarks, passwords and files in one place

✓Encrypted sharing through collaborative Spaces

✓Inexpensive paid plans

Cons

⚠Development is largely stalled; Android app not updated since 2018

⚠No iOS app and no web app

⚠Free plan limited to 50 MB of storage

⚠Users report sync and login issues on mobile

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Turtl free to use?

Yes, Turtl offers a free tier that you can use without payment. Basic is free with 50 MB of storage and up to 3 collaborators per Space. Premium costs $3/month (10 GB, 10 collaborators per Space) and Business costs $8/month (50 GB, 50 collaborators per Space, dedicated support). Premium and Business include a 30-day trial; custom plans are available on request. Self-hosting the open-source server is free.

What platforms does Turtl support?

Turtl is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android. Download the app for your preferred platform to get started.

Is Turtl open source?

Yes, Turtl is open source. You can view the source code and contribute on GitHub at https://github.com/turtl/desktop.

Is Turtl secure?

Yes, Turtl uses end-to-end encryption to protect your notes. This means your data is encrypted before it leaves your device, and only you can access it.