I built a note-taking app where I literally can't access your data

Hey everyone! I wanted to share a side project I've been working on called Mindpad.

The backstory

I've been trying to move away from free note-taking apps because, let's be honest, if it's free you're probably the product. Your notes getting sold to advertisers or used to train AI models doesn't sit right with me. I wanted something I could actually trust with my private thoughts.

What it is

A simple note-taking app with actual end-to-end encryption using OpenPGP.js (battle-tested, open source, used by major privacy-focused companies). Your notes never leave your device unencrypted. Ever. Not "encrypted at rest" or "encrypted in transit" (well, that too), but rather your device encrypts them before they even sync.

The privacy setup

I've made a conscious effort to use only European companies throughout the stack (EU has some of the world's strongest privacy laws). Managed to pull it off for everything except one service but even then, all data stays hosted in EU servers.

The catch

If you lose your encryption key, you lose your notes. No exceptions. No password reset. No "contact support to recover." This is the trade-off for real privacy — I can't help you because I literally can't access your data.

The results

Currently, It works and I use it daily. The landing page and some UX bits need polish, but it's functional enough that I wanted to see if anyone else cares about this kind of thing. I built it for me, but figured I'd share it.

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially on the UX/privacy trade-offs.

https://www.mindpad.eu?utm_source=dev.to&utm_campaign=initial-commit