Best open-source alternatives to Evernote

Memos is an open-source, self-hosted note-taking application designed for quick capture and lightweight personal knowledge management. It is aimed at users who want a simple, timeline-first interface for creating Markdown notes without the overhead of folders or complex organization. The project emphasizes portability and self-hosting: notes are stored in Markdown, the app can be deployed with a single Go binary or via Docker, and it supports SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. It also presents itself as extensible through documented REST and gRPC APIs, making it suitable for integrations and custom workflows.

Joplin is an open source note-taking and task management application aimed at people who want to organize a large volume of notes in notebooks and work with them in Markdown. It supports searching, tagging, editing, and importing content from Evernote or plain Markdown files, making it useful for users migrating from other tools or maintaining text-based note libraries. The project is designed with an offline-first approach, so data remains available on the user’s devices even without internet access. For those who want cross-device synchronization, Joplin can securely sync with cloud services such as Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Joplin Cloud using end-to-end encryption. It also offers full-text search, customization through plugins and themes, and companion apps across major desktop and mobile platforms.

Logseq is an open-source knowledge management and collaboration platform aimed at people who want a privacy-focused way to organize notes, tasks, and related information. It supports common note formats such as Markdown and Org-mode, and it emphasizes user control, longevity, and extensibility through plugins and themes. The README presents Logseq as suitable for students, professionals, and anyone managing personal or team knowledge workflows. It is available as a desktop application, has a web version for testing the DB version, and includes mobile apps. The DB version adds graph-based data, a new sync approach called RTC for real-time collaboration, and automated or SQLite database backup guidance because the feature set is still in beta/alpha.

Karakeep is a self-hostable bookmarking and read-it-later application for people who collect links, notes, images, and documents in one place. It is aimed at data hoarders and users who want a private alternative to cloud bookmark managers, with support for both individual capture and collaborative lists. The project combines browser extensions, mobile apps, and a web interface to make saving content easy across devices. It adds automation on top of bookmarking, including fetching metadata from links, OCR for images, RSS ingestion, page archiving, video archiving, semantic search, and AI-driven tagging and summarization. The README also mentions SSO support, a REST API, multiple clients, and a managed cloud offering for users who do not want to self-host.

Trilium Notes is a cross-platform note-taking application aimed at people who want to build and manage large personal knowledge bases. It organizes content into deep hierarchical trees and supports placing a note in multiple locations, which makes it useful for structuring related information without duplicating it. The project positions itself as free and open source, with desktop, browser, and mobile access options. The application combines a rich editor, code note support, search, versioning, encryption, scripting, and visual note types such as maps and canvas sketches. It also supports synchronization through a self-hosted server, sharing notes publicly, and automation through a REST API. The README mentions OpenID and TOTP-based login, a mobile frontend, and third-party Android/iOS clients for offline use and server sync.

linkding is a self-hosted bookmark manager for people who want a lightweight way to organize and access saved links. It is aimed at users who prefer a minimal interface and straightforward setup, especially for hosting on their own server. The project centers on bookmark organization with tags, notes, read-later handling, and sharing. It also includes conveniences such as automatic metadata fetching for bookmarked sites, archiving to local HTML or the Internet Archive, browser extensions, a bookmarklet, and a PWA. For administrators and integrators, it provides an admin panel and a REST API, and it supports SSO through OIDC or authentication proxies.

buku is a bookmark manager aimed at users who prefer a command-line workflow but still want a private, portable, and flexible way to organize links. It stores bookmarks in a mergeable database, can fetch metadata from URLs, and supports editing and searching through a text-based interface. It is designed for local use and emphasizes privacy, with no tracking or usage analytics mentioned. The project also offers integration points for browsers, text editors, shell completion, and a related web front-end called bukuserver for those who want a browsable local UI. In addition to the CLI, buku can be used as a Python library and supports import/export across multiple bookmark formats.

TiddlyWiki is a personal web notebook and interactive wiki designed for people who want a flexible, self-contained place to store and organize information. It can be used as a single HTML file in the browser, which makes it portable and easy to keep for long-term use, or as a Node.js application for more advanced client/server setups. The project is aimed at users who want a highly customizable note-taking and knowledge-management tool, as well as developers who want to extend or adapt the interface. Its UI is built in WikiText, allowing the whole application to be modified in a hackable way. The README also points users to a live demo, community forums, and developer documentation.

SilverBullet is a self-hosted personal knowledge management platform aimed at users who want a browser-based workspace for notes, writing, and lightweight knowledge organization. It presents content as Markdown pages in a “Space,” and combines note-taking with wiki-style linking, outlining, task management, and simple database-like objects and queries. The project is especially suited to people who want more than a static markdown editor: it includes a programmable layer based on Lua for generating content and building custom commands, templates, and widgets. The README also indicates that SilverBullet has both a frontend and backend, with the client written in TypeScript and the server in Go, and it can be built and run locally or packaged into a Docker container.

Blinko is an AI-powered note-taking project aimed at individuals who want a fast way to capture and organize fleeting thoughts. It focuses on turning quick ideas into stored notes that can later be retrieved through natural-language queries powered by AI and RAG-style search. The project is positioned as self-hosted, giving users control over their data and keeping notes within their own environment. It supports plain-text note capture with Markdown formatting and is presented as a lightweight, multi-platform application built with Tauri, with support for macOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. The README also highlights a live demo, documentation site, and one-line Docker-based installation.

Rowboat is an open-source personal AI assistant designed to work alongside a user’s day-to-day tools while building a local, persistent understanding of their work. It organizes email, meetings, notes, web activity, and assistant interactions into a living knowledge graph, then uses that context to help draft responses, manage tasks, and support coding or research workflows. The project is aimed at individuals and teams who want an assistant that runs on their own machine and can participate in shared workspaces. The README emphasizes a multiplayer “Space” model, where each person keeps their own local assistant and context, while a shared server called Harbor mediates messages, files, whiteboards, and collaboration through HTTP, WebSocket, and MCP access.

Open Notebook is a self-hosted, privacy-focused notebook application positioned as an alternative to Google NotebookLM. It is intended for people who want to keep research and source materials under their own control while still using modern AI workflows to organize, search, and transform information. The project supports a wide range of content types, including PDFs, videos, audio, web pages, and office documents, and it can work with many AI providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, and LM Studio. Users can create notebooks, search across their content, chat with context, and generate multi-speaker podcasts. The README emphasizes deployment flexibility, with Docker-based setup, local AI via Ollama, and a full REST API for automation.

Standard Notes is an encrypted note-taking application aimed at people who want a secure, durable place to store notes, files, and other important writing. It emphasizes privacy through end-to-end encryption and cross-device sync, and it presents itself as suitable for both personal use and professional workflows. The project also supports self-hosting and a web-based deployment path, allowing users to run the web app from static files behind their own server. Beyond note taking, it includes publishing capabilities through Listed and supports third-party extensions/plugins, making it more than a basic notes app. The README positions it as a platform for long-term, private writing and publishing rather than just a simple editor.

SiYuan is a personal knowledge management system designed around privacy and local control. It targets individuals who want to organize notes and knowledge using block-based editing, fine-grained references, and a Markdown-based WYSIWYG workflow rather than a traditional document-only model. The project emphasizes a broad feature set that includes large-document editing, databases, flashcards, export options, snippets, OCR, and an API for extension and integration. It also has a wider ecosystem of companion apps and components for mobile, desktop, marketplace content, and data repositories, suggesting it is aimed at users who want a cross-platform knowledge workspace with both local and deployment-oriented options.

Zim is a graphical desktop editor designed for maintaining a personal or small-team wiki of linked pages. It stores content as plain text files in a folder hierarchy, making it suitable for note-taking, journaling, meeting notes, task organization, brainstorming, and drafting short documents like blog entries or emails. The project is aimed at users who want a lightweight local knowledge base with wiki-style navigation rather than a hosted web app. It can be installed through distribution packages or built from source, and it supports extensibility through plugins for features such as task lists, equations, system tray integration, and version control.

Papra is a document management and archiving platform aimed at people or small groups who want a simple way to store and retrieve important files over time. The README presents it as a lightweight, minimalistic alternative for keeping documents like receipts and warranties organized in a long-term archive. The project includes features for document upload and management, full-text search, organizations, tagging, email-based ingestion, folder importing, and automated text extraction from scanned documents. It also exposes an API, SDK, and webhooks for integration, and supports self-hosting through Docker with a lightweight image. The README emphasizes ease of use, open-source availability, and ongoing active development.

Khoj is a personal AI application designed to extend a user’s capabilities as a "second brain." It combines conversational AI, document retrieval, semantic search, and agent creation so people can work with their own notes, files, and online information in one place. The project is aimed at individual users as well as teams and enterprises, with support for self-hosting, a cloud app, and enterprise deployment models. It can be used from multiple clients such as browsers, note-taking apps, desktop, mobile, and chat platforms, and it supports both local and online LLMs. The README emphasizes privacy and flexibility, highlighting that it can run on a personal computer or be accessed through the hosted service.

Linkwarden is a self-hosted, open-source bookmark manager built for people who want to collect, organize, and preserve web content in one place. It targets individuals and teams who need more than a basic “read later” app, combining bookmarking with archiving and annotation so saved pages remain useful even if the original content changes or disappears. The project stores screenshots, PDFs, and single-page HTML copies of saved webpages, and it offers a reader view for highlighting and notes. It also supports sharing and collaboration, with member permissions, public link sharing, multi-user use, API keys, browser sync integrations, uploads, RSS subscriptions, and mobile apps. An official cloud offering is available, but the README emphasizes self-hosting as an alternative.

flatnotes is a self-hosted note-taking web app aimed at users who want a simple, distraction-free way to manage markdown notes. It avoids a traditional database and instead stores content directly as files in a folder, which makes the notes portable and easy to edit outside the app. The project focuses on a clean interface with features such as search, tagging, markdown editing, wikilinks, and theme customization. It is designed for people who want a lightweight personal knowledge base that can be run locally or self-hosted, with support for several authentication modes and a REST API for integration.

Briefkasten is a self-hostable web application built as a monorepo with a SvelteKit frontend and a Hono-based backend API. The README presents it as a complete rewrite of version 1 and provides setup instructions for running it locally, in development, or as a Dockerized stack. It is intended for users who want to deploy and operate the application themselves, with support for configuring environment variables, database migrations, and optional external services such as hosted databases and object storage. The project relies on Better Auth for authentication and uses PostgreSQL plus Prisma for schema management, while Docker Compose variants make it easier to run the full stack with or without bundled storage services.

TagSpaces is a free and open-source file organization tool designed for people who want to manage local content without relying on cloud services. It is aimed at users who need a privacy-focused, offline-first way to browse folders, apply tags, search files, and keep notes or task lists alongside their documents. The project is available as a desktop app for Windows, Linux, and macOS, and it also includes a web version and a browser extension for capturing online content into local files. It uses Electron for the desktop client and runs a local web service for search indexing and thumbnail generation. The README also highlights extension support for opening and editing different file types, as well as packaging and source-build instructions for contributors and developers.

DailyTxT is a web-based diary and journal application designed for users who want to keep private entries and attachments in a self-hosted environment. It emphasizes encryption, portability, and long-term data ownership by storing all content in JSON files rather than a database. The project appears aimed at individuals or households that want a personal journaling tool with privacy protections, but it also includes multi-user administration features for managing accounts and registration. Users can write entries in Markdown, organize them with tags, search across content and filenames, upload files, view images in a gallery, and export entries to HTML. The app is intended to run in Docker and supports PWA-style mobile installation.

Note Mark is a web-based Markdown notes application designed to provide a fast, minimal writing experience with a sleek responsive interface. It appears aimed at users who want a simple note-taking system with Markdown rendering, clean URLs, and a modern editor rather than a large, complex knowledge-management suite. The project supports notebook sharing, asset uploads, and multiple views of a note, including rendered and plain-text modes. It also includes HTML sanitisation for XSS protection, dark and light themes, and OIDC single-sign-on support. The README indicates it uses a custom flat-file storage system and points users to online documentation and a demo video.

Readflow is a personal news reader service for people who want to collect and manage web articles in one place. It focuses on saving articles for offline reading, organizing them into categories, and customizing how articles are processed through a scripting engine. The project also integrates with external services through webhooks and supports notifications when new articles arrive. It offers a web UI, a GraphQL API, and a command-line client with OIDC device-code and basic authentication support. Readflow can be installed via Go, Docker, Docker Compose, or a precompiled binary, and its PWA support makes the experience consistent across mobile and desktop browsers.

OpenHabitTracker is a privacy-focused note, task, and habit app designed for people who want their personal data stored locally on their own device. It presents itself as free, ad-free, and open source, and it is available across desktop, mobile, and web platforms. The project centers on Markdown-based note taking with organization tools such as categories, priorities, search, filtering, and sorting. It also supports data exchange through import and export formats including JSON, YAML, TSV, and Markdown, plus import from Google Keep. The README indicates multiple runtime targets, including Blazor WASM, Blazor Server, MAUI, Photino.Blazor, WinForms, and WPF, and provides Docker and Docker Compose deployment details for a one-user server setup.

Faved is an open-source bookmark manager designed for people who need to organize large collections of links with speed and structure. It emphasizes advanced tagging, fast search, and a streamlined interface that keeps common actions close at hand. The project is positioned as private and suitable for both self-hosted use and a hosted cloud offering. Its feature set centers on bookmark organization and migration. It supports nested tags, tag customization, bulk edits, automatic fetching of bookmark metadata, and imports from major browsers and other bookmark services. The README also highlights integrations such as a browser extension, a bookmarklet, and Apple Shortcuts, along with PWA installation for an app-like experience.

Plainpad is a self-hosted note taking application designed for users who want to keep their notes on infrastructure they control. The README emphasizes simplicity, stability, and data ownership, positioning the project as a lightweight personal knowledge or note management tool rather than a hosted SaaS product. It is intended to run on a user's own server and is set up through Docker Compose. The project appears to be straightforward to deploy and operate, with the README specifically noting compatibility with Windows, WSL, and Docker. Its open-source GPL v3 licensing and self-hosted nature suggest it is aimed at individuals or teams seeking a private, self-managed notes solution.

Many Notes is a web-based Markdown note-taking application built around the concept of vaults. It is aimed at users who want a simple self-hosted system for capturing, organizing, and retrieving notes while keeping both database-backed functionality and filesystem-based file storage for portability. The project supports multiple users and multiple vaults per user, with authentication options that include local accounts and several OAuth providers. It also includes collaboration features, real-time broadcasting, search, a tree-view explorer, Markdown editing tools, templates, PDF export, import/export for vault backups, and a progressive web app experience. The README recommends running it behind an HTTPS reverse proxy for improved security and to enable additional browser features.

plumio is a self-hosted markdown editor and note-taking platform aimed at individuals and teams that want to keep their documents private and under their own control. It combines a browser-based editing experience with live preview, document encryption, and organizational tools for managing notes and documents in one instance. The project is also positioned for collaborative use, with support for multiple user accounts and multiple organizations in the same deployment. It includes API key management for programmatic access, webhook notifications for document events, and an optional automated backup system with retention handling, making it suitable for self-hosted teams that want both security and operational convenience.

EveryDocs Core is the server-side application behind EveryDocs, a document management system intended for private use. It provides the backend that stores documents, manages metadata, supports folder organization, and powers search and account creation for the accompanying web interface. The project is aimed at users who want a self-hosted way to manage PDF documents digitally. It exposes a REST API for CRUD operations on documents, folders, people, and processing states, and it uses JSON Web Token authentication. The README also describes encrypted storage for PDFs, full-text search based on extracted PDF content, and deployment options via Docker, Docker Compose, or manual Rails-based installation.

Tsuzuri is a terminal notebook application for working with Markdown-based notes. It is aimed at users who want an editor-like experience in the terminal while keeping their notes as ordinary Markdown files that remain portable and compatible with other tools. The project presents itself as a block-based workspace with features such as a file tree, tabs, live preview, and rich note elements like tables, callouts, boards, calendars, timelines, charts, and forms. It is distributed as a single binary for macOS, Windows, and Linux, with installation supported via scripts, manual release downloads, or Go-based installation. Because notes are stored as files and there is no database, it is well suited to people who want a local, lightweight, git-friendly notebook.

Writer is a desktop application for people who manage markdown content inside a workspace. It is positioned as a fast, lightweight tool that keeps documents on disk rather than in an external cloud store, making it suitable for local note-taking or project documentation workflows. The app is built with Tauri, React, Zustand, CodeMirror, and Rust. The README highlights capabilities such as honoring workspace .gitignore rules, supporting multiple windows, and rendering richer markdown content including tables and Mermaid diagrams. It also mentions a signed macOS release process and an updater, suggesting it is intended as a polished desktop experience for self-managed files.

Opensidian is a cross-platform markdown notes application designed to be compatible with Obsidian vaults while reimplementing Obsidian-like behavior from scratch. It is presented as an open-source, non-profit project licensed under GPLv3 and built with Rust and Tauri v2. The project targets users who want a local notes app with familiar features such as live preview, wikilinks, backlinks, graph view, themes, tabs, splits, and plugin/theme support. The README emphasizes Linux distribution packages and source builds, and it also describes community plugin handling, restricted mode, and secure secret storage through the system keyring.

BinPastes is a simple pastebin project aimed at self-hosters who want a lightweight notes and paste service. It presents itself as a straightforward alternative for storing notes with searchable content, expiration controls, and configurable exposure/visibility settings. The project emphasizes ease of deployment through a single binary and a minimal setup process. For production use, it is configured to run with MySQL and Java 21+, with database connection details provided through an application properties file. It also includes client-side encryption and a dark mode, suggesting it is designed for privacy-conscious users and an accessible web UI.

Local Content Share is a self-hosted web application designed for quick sharing of text snippets, files, and links inside a local network. It targets homelab users and other people who want a simple, browser-based alternative to tools like airdrop, pastebins, or a temporary scratchpad, without needing setup on client devices. The app provides a browser and PWA interface for creating, viewing, editing, renaming, downloading, and deleting shared content. It also includes a built-in notepad with Markdown support, automatic live updates through SSE, and configurable expiration for stored items. The README emphasizes that it runs on local assets and can operate without internet access, with deployment options including Docker, Docker Compose, binaries, and building from source.

Outline is a team knowledge base application whose source code is hosted in this repository. The README presents it as a collaborative product for organizing internal documentation, and it points users to a hosted version at getoutline.com for trying the service without self-hosting. The repository is mainly intended for people who want to run their own copy of Outline or contribute to development. The README directs operators to the hosting documentation for production setup and to a separate local-development guide for contributors. It also mentions debugging, testing, and database migrations, indicating that the project is a full-stack application with a server-side component and a frontend built around React and Node.js.

Writing is a lightweight Markdown editor designed to run directly in the browser with a minimal, distraction-free interface. It is aimed at people who want a simple writing environment with live preview, especially those who value speed and a clean layout over feature-heavy online editors. The project emphasizes local use without a server, and the README states that it can run offline by simply opening the `index.html` file. It includes support for writing, previewing, saving source as a Markdown file, and printing or exporting to PDF, along with conveniences like display mode toggling and a help overlay. The project is open source under the MIT license and relies on bundled frontend libraries such as Pagedown and MathJax to provide editing and math rendering capabilities.