OpenAltFinder

Best Free & Open Source Alternatives to DEVONthink

Compare 1 open-source DEVONthink alternative including Tropy

If you're looking for the best open-source alternative to DEVONthink; Tropy is a strong place to start.

#1Tropy

Tropy

Desktop app for organising, describing and annotating photographs of archival research material.

Tropy is a free, open-source desktop application built for people who photograph archival material and then have to live with the results: thousands of images still named IMG_5261.JPG, with the box, folder and collection they came from living only in a notebook. It was created at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media and is now developed jointly with the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History and Digital Scholar, the nonprofit behind Zotero and Omeka.

The workflow is built around research sources rather than camera rollups. Photos are imported by reference, combined into items (the three pages of a letter become one item), described with custom metadata templates, tagged, and grouped into lists. Templates can mix in external vocabularies, including the Dublin Core, RDF and Europeana vocabularies that ship with the app plus any .ttl or .n3 vocabulary you import, so fields map onto archival description practice instead of a fixed schema. Item view adds notes and transcriptions in a rich text editor, selections cut out a detail of a page, and the built-in photo tools only go as far as rotate, crop and zoom to make a document legible. Search runs across metadata, tags and notes.

A project is a single .tpy file backed by SQLite, the storage format the Library of Congress recommends for preservation, and your photos are linked rather than modified, so removing Tropy leaves the originals untouched. Metadata and notes export to JSON-LD, CSV, a ZIP archive or directly to Omeka S, with a CSL export for Zotero; IIIF manifests can be imported, and plugins handle custom formats. Compared with paid photo catalogues such as Adobe Lightroom or Eagle, Tropy adds archival templates, transcriptions and selections but deliberately skips ratings, develop modules and cloud sync, and it is explicitly not a citation manager or a writing environment. Collaboration across machines is still manual: put the project on an external or cloud drive and open it read-only when the research is finished.

Highlights

  • Items, lists, tags and full-text search over metadata, notes and tags
  • Custom metadata templates with Dublin Core, RDF and Europeana vocabularies, plus imported .ttl/.n3 vocabularies
  • Notes and transcriptions, selections within an image, and basic rotate/crop/zoom
  • Export to JSON-LD, CSV, ZIP archive, Omeka S and CSL for Zotero; IIIF manifest import
  • Plugin system for custom imports and exports, with a SQLite-backed project file
  • Native builds for macOS, Windows and Linux, including Flatpak, Homebrew, winget and AUR
Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any open source alternatives to DEVONthink?

Yes, there are 1 open source alternatives to DEVONthink. Popular options include Tropy. These alternatives are free to use and many offer self-hosting options.

What is the best free alternative to DEVONthink?

The best free alternative to DEVONthink depends on your specific needs. Tropy is a popular choice. All alternatives listed here are open source and free to use.

Can I self-host an alternative to DEVONthink?

Some alternatives may offer self-hosting options. Check each tool's documentation for deployment details.

Why should I switch from DEVONthink to an open source alternative?

Open source alternatives to DEVONthink offer several advantages: no vendor lock-in, complete data ownership, no subscription fees, the ability to self-host for privacy and security, and active community support. You can also customize the software to fit your specific needs.

DEVONthink

DEVONthink

DEVONthink is a document and information manager for macOS from DEVONtechnologies, used to store, OCR, classify and search large personal and research collections. It is sold in personal, professional and server editions under a one-time licence.

Visit DEVONthink

Get the latest open source alternatives delivered weekly.
Discover tools that give you freedom from proprietary software.

People are looking for alternatives to...

Browse all →
Notion

Notion

Notion is an all-in-one AI-powered workspace that combines notes, tasks, wikis, databases, and project management tools into a unified platform. It enables teams and individuals to centralize information, automate repetitive workflows, and collaborate seamlessly—from simple docs to advanced knowledge bases and live project tracking.

31 alternatives
Discord

Discord

Discord is a free communication platform that lets people connect through text, voice, and video across customizable communities called “servers.” Originally popular among gamers, it has expanded into a hub for all kinds of groups—ranging from study clubs and fandoms to professional teams—thanks to features like topic-based channels, screen sharing, live streaming, and integrations with other apps. Its mix of casual chat and organized spaces makes it a versatile tool for both socializing and collaboration.

12 alternatives
1Password

1Password

1Password is a commercial password manager developed by AgileBits. It stores login credentials, credit card details, software licenses, secure notes, and other sensitive information in encrypted vaults protected by a master password and a Secret Key. The service is available on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and as browser extensions, with data syncing across devices through 1Password's cloud. Features include a built-in password generator, secure sharing of vaults between users, and Watchtower, which flags weak, reused, or compromised passwords. 1Password offers plans for individuals, families, and businesses, with shared vaults, role-based access controls, and admin tools for team management. It uses a zero-knowledge architecture with end-to-end AES-256 encryption, meaning data is encrypted on the user's device and 1Password cannot access the contents of stored vaults. Pricing follows a subscription model with monthly or annual billing; no free tier is available, though a trial period is offered.

10 alternatives
Google Analytics

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It helps businesses and individuals understand user behavior, measure performance, and optimize content by providing insights into visitor demographics, sources, and engagement patterns.

15 alternatives
Goodreads

Goodreads

Goodreads is Amazon's social cataloging platform for books, allowing users to track books they have read, are reading, or want to read. It offers reviews, recommendations, reading challenges, and community features for book enthusiasts.

4 alternatives
Jira

Jira

Jira is a proprietary project management and issue tracking tool by Atlassian, widely used for agile software development, sprint planning, and bug tracking.

18 alternatives
ChatGPT

ChatGPT

OpenAI's flagship conversational AI assistant, with chat, image generation, code execution, and plugins for general-purpose tasks.

5 alternatives
Claude Code

Claude Code

Anthropic's official CLI for running Claude in your terminal — agentic coding with file edits, bash, and tool use driven by the Claude API.

5 alternatives
Google Authenticator

Google Authenticator

Google Authenticator is a free mobile app developed by Google that provides two-factor authentication (2FA) to enhance account security. It generates time-based, one-time passcodes (TOTP) or counter-based codes (HOTP) that users enter along with their password when signing into supported services. By scanning a QR code or entering a setup key, users can link the app to their accounts, ensuring that even if a password is stolen, unauthorized access is far less likely without the corresponding code from the app. It works offline, making it both secure and convenient for protecting online accounts.

6 alternatives
TV Time

TV Time

TV Time is a mobile app for tracking TV shows and movies you watch. It lets you log episodes, discover new content, read reviews, and connect with other fans. Owned by Whip Media, it is one of the most popular media tracking apps with millions of users worldwide.

6 alternatives
Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the industry-standard image editing and graphic design software used by photographers, designers, and digital artists for photo manipulation, compositing, and digital painting. Part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite.

8 alternatives
Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro

A professional video editing application by Adobe, widely used for film, TV, and web video production.

10 alternatives