Frequently asked questions
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General
What is NoteSmith?
NoteSmith is a real-time collaborative document platform. Teams use it to write, edit, and discuss documents together in real time — with built-in chat, task checklists, @mentions, and full-text search.
How is NoteSmith different from Google Docs?
Google Docs is great for simple documents but lacks built-in team chat — you still have to jump to Slack. NoteSmith keeps conversation and documents in one place, with live cursors, document chat, and @mentions built in.
How is NoteSmith different from Notion?
Notion is great for knowledge bases, but its real-time collaboration is limited and it has no built-in chat. NoteSmith is optimized for teams actively working in documents together — live cursors, document chat, and collaborative editing are first-class features.
Does NoteSmith have a mobile app?
Not yet. The web app is responsive and works well on phones and tablets — but it requires an internet connection. A dedicated mobile app is on the roadmap.
Is NoteSmith open to the public?
NoteSmith is currently invite-only. Admins send invitations by email. If you'd like access, use the Contact page to request an invite.
Migrating from Quip
Why is Salesforce retiring Quip?
Salesforce acquired Slack for $27.7B in 2020 and is consolidating all collaboration features around Slack Canvas. Quip subscriptions cannot be renewed after March 1, 2027. After expiry, there's a read-only period, then accounts are blocked, then data is permanently deleted.
Can I import my Quip documents into NoteSmith?
A Quip import wizard is in active development. For now: export your Quip content using Quip's built-in export tools (File → Export from each document). We'll notify you when the importer is ready.
What can't be migrated from Quip?
Quip Live Apps (Kanban boards, Salesforce record embeds, Calendar) have no portable format — they're proprietary to Quip. Spreadsheet formulas referencing live Salesforce data will also not migrate. Quip Slides should be exported to PDF before shutdown.
When do I need to migrate by?
Quip subscriptions can no longer be renewed after March 1, 2027. Don't wait — export your content from Quip now, even if the NoteSmith importer isn't ready yet. You can copy content manually in the meantime.
Security & Privacy
How is my data encrypted?
All connections use TLS (HTTPS). Passwords are hashed with bcrypt. Document content in the collaborative editor is stored as encrypted binary (AES-256-GCM) in the database. See our Security page for full details.
Can NoteSmith employees read my documents?
Document content is encrypted in the database with AES-256-GCM. Without the encryption key, stored data is ciphertext. We do not access customer data without consent.
Is NoteSmith self-hostable?
No. NoteSmith is a cloud-hosted service running on Hetzner servers in the EU. There is no self-hosted option.
How does access control work?
Workspace membership is verified on every API request. Documents are scoped to workspaces — there is no way to access another workspace's data through the API. Document sharing allows granting view or edit access to specific users.
Where is data stored?
All data is stored on Hetzner servers in Frankfurt and Nuremberg, Germany (EU). Your documents, chat messages, and files never leave the EU.
Technical
How does real-time collaboration work?
NoteSmith uses CRDTs (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) via the Yjs library and HocusPocus for WebSocket sync. CRDTs guarantee that concurrent edits from multiple users always converge to the same result — no conflicts, no data loss.
What happens if two people edit the same sentence simultaneously?
CRDTs handle this at the character level. Both edits are preserved and merged correctly — no conflict dialogs, no version forks.
Is there an API?
Not yet. A public REST API is on the roadmap. If you have an integration need, contact us.