We make Protect text, so we are not neutral. ProtectedText.com is a good free service, and for some people it is the better choice. Here is the honest difference. Facts about ProtectedText.com come from its own FAQ, checked on 11 November 2026.
At a glance
| Protect text | ProtectedText.com | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Chrome extension (side panel) | Website, Android app |
| Account | None | None: an address of your choice plus a password |
| Where the encrypted text is stored | Only on your computer | On ProtectedText.com's server |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM in the browser (Web Crypto), PBKDF2-SHA-256 600,000 rounds | AES in the browser, password hashing with Argon2 (per its FAQ) |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Open from another device | No | Yes, from any browser |
| Forgotten password | Recovery key | Cannot be recovered |
| Auto-lock | Yes, timer and computer lock | Not described in its FAQ |
| Several notes, search, checklists | Yes | Plain text pages, one address each |
| Hidden text, password generator | Yes | No |
| Price | Free | Free |
How ProtectedText.com works
You open protectedtext.com/ followed by any name you like. If nobody has taken that name, you set
a password and start typing. Your browser encrypts the text before it is sent; the server stores
only the encrypted version and never receives your password. To read the text again, you go to the
same address from any device and enter the password.
That makes it a handy online encrypted notepad: nothing to install, works on any computer or phone. The trade-offs: you need the internet, the encrypted text sits on someone else's server, and the address itself is a clue: whoever knows or guesses it can try passwords against it.
How Protect text works
Protect text is installed in Chrome and opens in the side panel. When you create the safe, it generates a random key that encrypts every note with AES-256-GCM; that key is protected by your password (PBKDF2-SHA-256, 600,000 rounds) and by a recovery key shown once. The extension has no network access at all: notes are stored only on your computer, so there is nothing on a server to find or attack, and it works offline.
The trade-off is the opposite one: no sync. Your notes are on one computer. You can move them with an encrypted backup file.
When ProtectedText.com is better
- You need the same text on your phone and several computers.
- You cannot install extensions, for example on a work computer.
- You want to share a page with someone by giving them the address and the password.
When Protect text is better
- You do not want your secrets on any server, even encrypted.
- You want to work offline.
- You want a recovery key in case you forget the password.
- You keep many notes and want them organised: lists, checklists, pins, colors, search.
- You want the notepad to lock itself when you walk away or your computer locks.
- You keep passwords and PINs in your notes and want them blurred on screen and wiped from the clipboard after copying.
Which should I choose?
- Notes you must reach from anywhere: ProtectedText.com.
- Private notes on your own computer, offline, with nothing uploaded: Protect text.
- You can use both: ProtectedText.com for a shared shopping list, Protect text for recovery codes and bank details that should never leave your desk.
More: secure notes apps compared · how Protect text encrypts notes.