Best Free & Open Source Alternatives to Evernote

Joplin is a free, open-source note-taking and to-do application designed with privacy at its core. It supports markdown editing and organises notes into notebooks with tags, making it easy to structure large collections of notes.

One of its standout features is end-to-end encryption combined with flexible sync options — you can sync via Joplin Cloud, Nextcloud, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive, or your own server. This makes Joplin a strong self-hosted alternative to Evernote, removing the need to trust a proprietary cloud with your data.

Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, Joplin also supports a web clipper browser extension for capturing web content. It is scriptable via plugins and has an active community ecosystem, making it suitable for both casual note-takers and power users.

AFFiNE is an open-source, privacy-first workspace that merges three tools into one: a rich document editor, an infinite whiteboard, and a database-style organiser. It is designed to replace the combination of Notion for notes and Miro for visual collaboration.

Built with a local-first architecture using CRDT, AFFiNE works offline by default and syncs when connected — meaning your data lives on your device, not just in the cloud. It supports both self-hosted deployment and AFFiNE Cloud for teams that want a managed option.

AFFiNE is highly customisable and supports markdown, block-based editing, kanban views, and edgeless canvas mode for mind-mapping and diagramming. Written in TypeScript and Rust, it is actively developed and positions itself as a next-generation alternative for knowledge workers who want flexibility without vendor lock-in.

Files.md is a minimal, local-first note-taking application built around plain Markdown files. Unlike complex knowledge management tools, it focuses on simplicity and portability: there is no build system, no database, and no vendor lock-in. You open web/index.html in your browser and start writing.

The app supports notes, documents, projects, journals, habits, checklists, and tasks. All data lives in local .md files that you fully own. A Telegram bot provides on-the-go access, and the server is a single binary for those who want self-hosted sync. The project is deliberately small enough that a single developer (or an LLM) can understand the entire codebase.

Compared to Notion, Obsidian, or Evernote, Files.md trades advanced features for extreme simplicity and data ownership. There are no plugins, no graph views, and no AI workflows—just plain text files that work offline and sync via iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive.

SilverBullet is a powerful, markdown-based personal knowledge management tool and note-taking app optimized for people with a hacker mindset. It stores all notes as plain markdown files and extends them with a live query and template system that lets you create dynamic, database-like views within your notes.

Key features include live queries that pull data from across your note space into any note, slash commands for quick insertion of templates and snippets, a command palette, full-text search, backlinks, a rich plugin system (Plugs), and a web-based interface that works offline. SilverBullet is serverless — it runs entirely in the browser for a single user, or can be hosted on a server for access from multiple devices.

For Obsidian or Notion users who want something more programmable and self-hostable, SilverBullet's live query engine and template system provide a uniquely powerful approach to building a second brain and personal knowledge base.

NoteDiscovery is an open-source, self-hosted knowledge base designed for personal note-taking and knowledge management. Built with a modern JavaScript stack and FastAPI backend, it provides a clean interface for capturing and organizing your thoughts.

The application supports markdown formatting, making it easy to write and format notes. It is designed around the Zettelkasten methodology, a powerful system for connecting ideas and building a personal knowledge network.

As a self-hosted solution, NoteDiscovery gives you complete control over your data and privacy. It can be easily deployed using Docker, making setup straightforward for users familiar with containerization. Whether you are looking to replace Notion, Evernote, or Obsidian with a privacy-focused alternative, NoteDiscovery offers a compelling option.

Atomic is a self-hosted personal knowledge base that stores information as atoms — markdown notes that are automatically chunked, embedded, and linked by semantic similarity. It builds a knowledge graph from your notes and lets you explore connections on a spatial canvas powered by force-directed layout.

Key features include semantic vector search (sqlite-vec), LLM-powered wiki synthesis that generates articles from your notes with inline citations, an agentic chat interface for RAG-style conversations with your knowledge base, automatic tag extraction, RSS feed sync, a browser extension for web clipping, and an MCP server for Claude integration. AI providers are pluggable — use OpenRouter for cloud models or Ollama for fully local AI.

Atomic runs as a Tauri desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux), a self-hosted Docker server, or deployed to Fly.io. A native iOS SwiftUI app is also available. Compared to Obsidian, Atomic has AI-powered synthesis and semantic search built in without plugins; compared to NotebookLM, it is fully self-hosted and supports local AI via Ollama; compared to Notion, it is open source and designed around a personal, linked knowledge graph rather than collaborative databases.

Many Notes is a Markdown note-taking web application designed for simplicity. Easily create or import your vaults and organize your thoughts right away. It uses a database to power its features, but your files are also saved in the filesystem, giving you full control over your vault structure and ensuring easy access and portability.

Vaults are simply storage containers for your files, and Many Notes lets you choose to keep all your files in one vault or organize them into separate vaults. The app supports multiple users, OAuth authentication, real-time collaboration with live-updating interfaces, and an advanced Markdown editor with automatic saving. Additional features include links, backlinks, tags for note organization, export to PDF, import/export vaults for backup, and a Progressive Web App experience for a native app-like feel.

Scratch is a minimalist, offline-first markdown note-taking app built for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Unlike cloud-based alternatives, Scratch stores all your notes as plain .md files that you fully own — no account required, no internet connection needed.

It features WYSIWYG editing that saves as markdown, a preview mode for any .md file via drag-and-drop or "Open With", markdown source mode toggle, syntax highlighting for 20+ languages with a GitHub-inspired color scheme, Mermaid diagram support, KaTeX math rendering, wikilinks with autocomplete, slash commands for quick formatting, focus mode for distraction-free writing, and optional Git integration for version control and multi-device sync.

Scratch is built with Tauri, React, and Tailwind CSS, making it lightweight — 5-10x smaller than Obsidian or Notion. It also integrates with local AI tools like Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, OpenCode, or Ollama for editing notes with AI, and detects external file changes so it works seamlessly alongside other tools.

TriliumNext Notes (a community fork of Trilium Notes) is a powerful, open-source personal knowledge base application focused on building large, hierarchical note collections. It supports rich text editing, markdown, code blocks with syntax highlighting, diagrams, relation maps, and advanced scripting via JavaScript.

Notes are organized in a tree structure, but each note can appear in multiple places through clones — a flexible approach that lets you organize information in interconnected ways. Trilium also features a powerful attribute system for tagging and templating notes, and a scripting API that enables custom automations.

For self-hosters, Trilium can be deployed as a web server and accessed from any browser. It syncs across multiple instances, supports end-to-end encryption for sensitive notes, and exports to standard formats. It is an ideal alternative to Notion or Obsidian for users who want complete data ownership and a deeply customizable note-taking system.

kuku is an open-source, local-first Markdown workspace for macOS designed for people who want their notes to stay portable, private, and useful to AI. It edits ordinary .md files in a local vault, then layers search, graph navigation, AI assistance, Second Brain workflows, and encrypted sync on top.

The app connects notes with [[wikilinks]], backlinks, and 2D/3D graph navigation, turning your vault into a personal wiki. AI features include Agent, Ask, and Inline editing modes with diff-based approval, so proposed changes are always reviewable before they are applied. Decision documents help AI context improve explicitly over time by turning proposals into traceable memory and wiki updates.

Built as a full-stack open-source project, kuku includes the macOS client, web app, Go server, protobuf contracts, Rust AI/indexing crates, and Docker infrastructure. You can use it entirely offline, sign in for managed convenience, or self-host the complete stack yourself.

HedgeDoc (formerly CodiMD) is an open-source, self-hosted realtime collaborative markdown editor. Multiple users can edit the same document simultaneously with real-time sync, making it ideal for meeting notes, documentation, and knowledge sharing.

HedgeDoc supports the full CommonMark markdown spec plus many extensions: math equations (MathJax/KaTeX), diagrams (Mermaid, PlantUML, Graphviz), syntax-highlighted code blocks, interactive checklists, and embedded media. Documents can be published as presentations (using reveal.js), exported to PDF, or shared via public link.

For teams that collaborate on text documents, HedgeDoc provides a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Docs or Notion. It integrates with various authentication providers (LDAP, OAuth, email) and can be deployed with Docker. Each document gets a shareable URL and notes are stored with full version history.

Jotty is a minimalist, self-hosted note-taking and checklist application built for simplicity and control. It stores notes as plain files, giving you full ownership of your data without relying on any proprietary sync service.

Designed for homelab and personal use, Jotty covers everyday productivity needs — quick notes, to-do lists, and checklists — without the complexity of feature-heavy tools like Notion. It is lightweight by design, making it easy to deploy and maintain on your own infrastructure.

With Docker-based deployment, Jotty is a practical choice for self-hosters who want a fast, no-frills notes manager that stays out of the way.

Anchor is an offline-first, self-hostable note-taking application built around speed, privacy, and reliability across web and mobile. Notes are stored locally, fully editable without an internet connection, and synced across devices when you come back online, so your data is always available and always under your control.

The app ships with a rich text editor (bold, italic, underline, headings, lists, checkboxes), custom tags with colors, image and audio attachments, customizable note backgrounds, pinning, archiving, and a soft-delete trash with a recovery period. Notes can be shared with other users on the same instance as either viewers or editors, and an admin panel handles user management, registration control, and system statistics. Authentication is handled locally or via any OIDC provider such as Pocket ID, Authelia, Authentik, or Keycloak.

Unlike Google Keep, which is locked to Google's ecosystem and account system, Anchor runs as a single Docker container (with an optional external PostgreSQL database) that you host on your own infrastructure. There is no telemetry, no vendor lock-in, and your notes never leave your server unless you explicitly share them. It is a great fit for anyone who wants Keep's lightweight feel combined with the privacy, portability, and long-term control of self-hosted software.

HelixNotes is a local-first markdown note-taking application built with Tauri, SvelteKit, and Rust. Unlike cloud-based alternatives, it stores your notes as standard Markdown files on your local filesystem — giving you complete ownership and zero vendor lock-in.

The app features a rich WYSIWYG editor powered by TipTap with slash commands, tables, and code highlighting, alongside a source mode for raw Markdown editing. You can link notes with [[wiki-links]] and explore connections through an interactive graph view. Full-text search is powered by Tantivy for instant results across your entire vault.

HelixNotes supports KaTeX math rendering, Mermaid diagrams, daily notes with a built-in calendar, version history with diffs, automatic backups, and AI writing tools via local Ollama or your own API keys. It runs natively on Linux, Windows, macOS, and Android without Electron — making it significantly faster and lighter than many competitors.