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Productivity & Collaboration · Documents, Notes & Knowledge

Note Taking

8 paid against 40 free you can run yourself.

Paid against free › Productivity & Collaboration › Documents, Notes & Knowledge › Note Taking · Documents and knowledge on Repo Radar

These apps capture, organise and find personal and shared notes: an editor, notebooks or tags, search, sync across devices and sharing. Evernote, OneNote, UpNote and Google Keep are the familiar everyday notes apps; Obsidian, Bear and Capacities are built for linked notes and personal knowledge; Notion and Craft mix notes with docs and team spaces; Standard Notes puts end-to-end encryption first. On the open-source side Joplin, Notesnook and Standard Notes are complete cross-platform notes apps, Logseq, SiYuan and Trilium are knowledge bases you can run yourself, AFFiNE and Anytype add Notion-style structure, and memos and SilverBullet are lighter self-hosted tools.

Paid 8 reviewed · 13 related

Prices and free tiers as checked, dated on each review.

EEvernote

Capture, organize, and find notes, tasks, and documents across devices.

$8.25free tierOOneNote

OneNote is a digital note-taking app for organizing, sharing, and collaborating.

$9.99free tierOObsidian

A free, flexible, private note-taking app for building personal knowledge bases.

free tierBBear

A Markdown note-taking app for Apple devices with tagging, themes, and export options.

$2.99free tierUUpNote

A clean, cross-platform note-taking app with rich editing and sync.

$1.99free tierSStandard Notes

End-to-end encrypted notes app with cross-platform sync and privacy features.

free tierGGoogle Keep

Google Keep is a note-taking app for capturing, sharing, and collaborating on notes.

—CCapacities

Object-based note-taking and knowledge management app with AI features.

free tier

Related paid tools

Their home is another job; they cover part of this one too.

MMeisterTask

Secure work management platform for teams with tasks, notes, and reports.

free tierRRaycast

Extendable launcher with AI, notes, window management, and more.

$8free tierMMonarch

A macOS launcher for apps, commands, notes, and calculations.

—GGranola

AI notepad for back-to-back meetings.

free tierGGoogle Docs

Cloud-native collaborative document editor with AI assistance and PDF editing.

free tierMMicrosoft Word

Word processing with AI, collaboration, and editing tools.

free tierPProton Docs

End-to-end encrypted real-time collaborative document editor from Proton.

$4.99free tierCCoda (Superhuman Docs)

All-in-one collaborative workspace blending docs, spreadsheets, apps, and AI.

free tierCCraft

A free notes and productivity app for documents, tasks, and planning.

$6.4free tierNNotion

All-in-one workspace with AI agents, docs, and developer platform.

free tierDDocmost

Open-source, self-hosted collaborative wiki and documentation software for teams.

free tierRReadwise

Revisit and learn from your highlights and annotations.

$5.59free tierMmymind

A private bookmarking and note-taking app that auto-organizes saved content.

$4.99

Free 10 direct · 30 related

Free to use. You run it on your own server.

Direct alternatives

They do this job.

AFtoeverything/AFFiNE

There can be more than Notion and Miro. AFFiNE(pronounced [ə‘fain]) is a next-gen knowledge base that brings planning, sorting and creating all together. Privacy first, open-source, customizable and ready to use.

★ 73.8kFreeMEusememos/memos

A very light place to write short notes, privately, searchable and tagged.

★ 63.9kFreeJOlaurent22/joplin

Joplin - the privacy-focused note taking app with sync capabilities for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

★ 56.8kFreeSIsiyuan-note/siyuan

A notebook whose notes stay as files you own.

★ 46.7kFreeLOlogseq/logseq

A privacy-first, open-source platform for knowledge management and collaboration. Download link: http://github.com/logseq/logseq/releases. roadmap: https://logseq.io/p/NX4mc_ggEV

★ 45.3kFreeTRTriliumNext/Trilium

Build your personal knowledge base with Trilium Notes

★ 38.4kFreeNOstreetwriters/notesnook

A fully open source & end-to-end encrypted note taking alternative to Evernote.

★ 14.8kFreeANanyproto/anytype-ts

Official Anytype client for MacOS, Linux, and Windows

★ 9kFreeAPstandardnotes/app

Think fearlessly with end-to-end encrypted notes and files. For issues, visit https://standardnotes.com/forum or https://standardnotes.com/help.

★ 6.7kFreeSIsilverbulletmd/silverbullet

A notes system you run yourself that stores everything as plain Markdown files in a folder of your own.

★ 6.3kFree

Related alternatives

A second choice: they cover part of this job or are a building block for it.

NAHKUDS/nanobot

Ultra-lightweight, open-source, self-hosted personal AI agent framework in Python with WebUI, tools, memory, MCP, multi-agent workflows, automation, and chat apps

★ 49.2kFreeKAkarakeep-app/karakeep

Saves links, notes, pictures and PDFs on a server you control, and adds labels on its own.

★ 29.7kFreeBOBookStackApp/BookStack

A self-hosted wiki organised as shelves, books, chapters and pages.

★ 19.1kFreeDOsuitenumerique/docs

Docs is an open-source text editor: web-native, made for real-time collaboration, cleanly structured documents and sub-documents with full ownership of your data. Built to scale with Django and React.

★ 16.9kFreeOMomnivore-app/omnivore

Omnivore is a complete, open source read-it-later solution for people who like reading.

★ 16.3kFreeFRFreshRSS/FreshRSS

It gathers the feeds you follow into one page you control.

★ 16.3kFreeXOxournalpp/xournalpp

Xournal++ is a handwriting notetaking software with PDF annotation support. Written in C++ with GTK3, supporting Linux (e.g. Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, SUSE), macOS and Windows 10. Supports pen input from devices such as Wacom Tablets.

★ 15.6kFreeZEZettlr/Zettlr

A desktop writing program for Markdown documents, with citation support and export to Word, PDF and LaTeX.

★ 13.8kFreeMAmarkmap/markmap

It turns an indented Markdown list into a foldable mind map in the browser.

★ 13.2kFreeWAwallabag/wallabag

It saves the readable text of any web article on a machine you control.

★ 13kFreeSHgo-shiori/shiori

A self-hosted bookmark manager that keeps an offline copy of each saved page.

★ 11.7kFreeLIsissbruecker/linkding

A self-hosted bookmark manager that installs with one Docker command and exports in the standard browser format.

★ 11.1kFreeV2miniflux/v2

A feed reader you run yourself, built as one small program plus a PostgreSQL database.

★ 9.8kFreeNEsamuelclay/NewsBlur

A feed reader that learns which stories are wanted and hides the rest, running since 2009 and self-hostable.

★ 7.6kFreeHEhedgedoc/hedgedoc

A shared notepad in the browser where several people write the same document at the same time.

★ 7.5kFreeWRwritefreely/writefreely

A small self-hosted blog in one downloaded program.

★ 5.3kFreeJAJabRef/jabref

A desktop citation and reference manager that stores its library as a plain BibTeX file.

★ 4.8kFreeCOLibreOffice/core

Read-only LibreOffice core repo - no pull request (use gerrit instead https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/) - don't download zip, use https://dev-www.libreoffice.org/bundles/ instead

★ 4.5kFreeFRfreeplane/freeplane

Application for Mind Mapping, Knowledge Management, Project Management. Develop, organize and communicate your ideas and knowledge in the most effective way.

★ 4.4kFreeYAnkanaev/yarr

A feed reader that is one small file, runnable as a desktop application or as a small private server.

★ 4.1kFreeZKzk-org/zk

A command-line assistant for a folder of plain text notes.

★ 2.8kFreeMAFeel-ix-343/markdown-oxide

A language server that gives a folder of Markdown notes links, backlinks, daily notes and completion inside an editor.

★ 2.3kFreeDJjgm/djot

A light markup language designed to fix the confusing parts of Markdown.

★ 2kFreeSTstenolabs/stenoai

StenographAI is the secure privacy-first AI notepad & notetaker for confidential conversations in government & defence sectors. On Windows, Linux & MacOS.

★ 1.3kFreeXWxwiki/xwiki-platform

The XWiki platform

★ 1.3kFreeOPoperately/operately

The open source company operating system.

★ 592FreeHUmichaelwilhelmsen/humla

Open-source AI meeting notes for Mac. Records mic + system audio with no bot, transcribes on-device or via OpenAI / Deepgram / Groq, identifies speakers offline, and writes summaries that fuse your notes with the transcript. Ask your notes and get cited answers. Tauri 2 + Rust + Swift.

★ 319FreeOBchrisgrieser/obsidian-quadro

Obsidian Plugin for social-scientific Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA). An open alternative to MAXQDA and atlas.ti, using Markdown to store data and research codes.

★ 162FreeTAremram44/taguette

Free and open source qualitative research tool -- MIRROR OF GITLAB REPOSITORY

★ 90FreeOPopenqda/openqda

Free open collaborative qualitative data analysis software

★ 81Free

Feature by feature

Every paid tool and free repository we compared, marked against the same features.

✓has itPartlysome plans or extra work—confirmed not available?not confirmed✓the vendor's claim onlypricingClick a mark for its note and source

Paid · 10Free · 10
Featurelaurent22/joplinlogseq/logseqsiyuan-note/siyuanusememos/memosTriliumNext/Triliumtoeverything/AFFiNEstreetwriters/notesnookstandardnotes/appanyproto/anytype-tssilverbulletmd/silverbullet
Starts at$8.25 per month for Starter, billed annually ($99 a year)$10 per seat per month for PlusFree OneNote app; Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99 per month, billed monthlyFree app; Sync $4 per user per month, billed annually$2.99 per month for Bear Pro, billed monthly$6.40 per month for Plus, billed yearly$1.99 per month for UpNote Premium$90 per year for Productivity$7 per user per month for Google Workspace Business Starter$9.99 per month for Pro, billed monthlyAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0MITAGPL-3.0MITGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0Any Source Available License 1.0MIT
Writing
Markdown editingWrite or format notes in Markdown, natively or through Markdown shortcuts.
Capture
Web clipperA browser extension that saves web pages or selections as notes.
Handwriting or sketchingDraw, sketch or write by hand inside notes.
Organization
TagsLabel notes with tags or labels across folders.
Note links and backlinksLink notes to each other and see which notes link back.
Search in images and PDFsFind text inside photos, scans and PDF attachments (OCR).
Access
Offline accessRead and edit notes without an internet connection.
Sync across devicesNotes stay in sync across computers and phones.
Web appUse the notes in a browser without installing an app.
Mobile appsApps for iPhone and Android phones.
Sharing
Real-time collaborationSeveral people edit the same notes together.
Publish to the webPublish notes as public pages or a site.
Privacy and data
End-to-end encryptionNotes are encrypted so the provider cannot read them.
Export to Markdown or plain filesExport notes to Markdown or plain-text files you keep.
Self-hostingRun the sync server or the whole app on your own server.
Extras
AI assistantBuilt-in AI to write, summarize or ask questions of your notes.
API or pluginsA public API, MCP connection or plugin system to extend or connect the app.

Also considered

Looked at, and left out of the comparison, with the reason.

Paid apps

  • NotesnookNotesnook is an end-to-end encrypted notes app with unlimited notes free and paid plans from $1.67 a month for attachment storage. Its open-source code is compared here as streetwriters/notesnook, so the hosted plans were not listed separately.Source
  • HeptabaseHeptabase is a visual notes app built around whiteboards, PDF highlights and cards, from $8.99 a month. Its focus is visual research and learning rather than everyday notes, so it ranked below Capacities and Craft.Source
  • Roam ResearchRoam Research is an outliner for networked thought with block references and real-time collaboration. Logseq, Obsidian and Capacities cover the same linked-notes job with broader platform support, so it ranked below them.Source
  • NotejoyNotejoy is a collaborative notes app for small teams, with a Solo plan from $5 a month billed annually that adds offline access and encryption. It covers the same team-notes ground as Evernote and Notion with a smaller user base, so it ranked below them.Source
  • WorkflowyWorkflowy is an infinite outliner with all features free up to 100 nodes a month and Pro from $6.99 a month billed annually. It is a list outliner rather than a notes app with notebooks and rich notes.Source
  • SupernotesSupernotes is a card-based notes app with free starter cards and an Unlimited plan, available on desktop, mobile and the web. Its card model suits study and short notes, and it ranked below the selected tools on adoption.Source
  • MemMem is an AI-first notes workspace that organises notes and meetings and checks in with an agent. Its centre is the AI agent rather than writing and organising notes, so it was left out in favour of tools with stronger core note features.Source
  • TanaTana began as an outliner for structured notes; its pricing page now centres on AI meeting notes, with Pro at $20 per user a month as an early-bird price. Its focus on meetings puts it outside this comparison of general notes apps.Source
  • SimplenoteSimplenote is a plain-text notes app that syncs across iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web. It is free with no paid plan, so there is no price to compare.Source
  • GoodnotesGoodnotes is a handwriting notebook and PDF annotation app for tablets, with typed documents, whiteboards and AI. Its centre is handwritten notes on iPad and tablets rather than typed, searchable notes across devices.Source

Repositories

  • karakeep-app/karakeepKarakeep is a self-hostable app for bookmarking links, notes and images with AI tagging. Its centre is saving and tagging bookmarks rather than writing notes, so it belongs with bookmark managers.Source
  • wallabag/wallabagwallabag is a self-hostable read-it-later app for saving and reading web articles. It saves articles to read later rather than notes you write, so it belongs with bookmark and read-later tools.Source
  • go-shiori/shioriShiori is a simple bookmark manager built with Go, with archived copies of pages. It manages bookmarks rather than notes, and its latest release dates from September 2025.Source
  • sissbruecker/linkdinglinkding is a minimal, self-hosted bookmark manager that is fast and easy to set up. It manages bookmarks rather than notes, so it belongs with bookmark managers.Source
  • AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowyAppFlowy is an open-source AI workspace that brings projects, wikis and teams together, in the manner of Notion. Its centre is team projects and wikis; AFFiNE covers the Notion-style notes place here.Source
  • lfnovo/open-notebookOpen Notebook is an open-source take on Google NotebookLM for researching sources with AI. It is an AI research notebook rather than a notes app for everyday writing.Source
  • foambubble/foamFoam is a personal knowledge management system that runs as an extension inside Visual Studio Code. It needs a code editor rather than being a standalone notes app.Source
  • codexu/note-genNoteGen is a local-first Markdown notes app that uses AI to turn scattered records into notes. It is younger and smaller than Joplin, SiYuan and Logseq, which took the places here.Source
  • pbek/QOwnNotesQOwnNotes is a plain-text Markdown notepad and to-do manager with Nextcloud integration. It is desktop-centred and smaller than Joplin, which covers the same open-source notes job here.Source
  • hedgedoc/hedgedocHedgeDoc is a self-hosted collaborative Markdown editor for writing documents together in real time. It is a shared document editor rather than a personal notes app.Source
  • tianma-if/edgeeverEdgeEver is an AI-native knowledge base pitched as an Evernote and Obsidian alternative, created in June 2026. It is too early to compare with established projects.Source
  • Laverna/lavernaLaverna is a Markdown notes app pitched as an Evernote alternative. Its last push to GitHub was in May 2021, so it was left out in favour of maintained projects.Source

Other tools in this category

Not compared here. Listed so you can see the rest of the field.

Gaps

What the research could not settle from the vendors' own pages.

What vendors don't publish

  • Evernote shows Starter and Advanced prices billed annually by default; the monthly-billed price is behind a toggle that the page read did not show. People who want to pay month to month need to check the plans page.Evernote · checked 2026-10-22 · source 1
  • Notion's plan cards show $10 and $20 per seat a month without saying whether that is the annual or the monthly rate. The cost of monthly billing cannot be read from the cards alone.Notion · checked 2026-10-22 · source 1
  • OneNote has no price list of its own: it is free, and paid features come with Microsoft 365 plans whose page does not state OneNote-specific limits. The storage a free OneNote user gets was not shown on the page read.OneNote · checked 2026-10-22 · source 1
  • Google Keep is sold only as part of Google Workspace, and the Workspace pricing page does not list any Keep-specific limits. Buyers pay for the whole suite to get Keep for business use.Google Keep · checked 2026-10-22 · source 1
  • Capacities describes the AI budget in Pro and Believer as light and the Plus add-on as much larger, without stating amounts. People who plan to use AI regularly cannot tell how far a plan goes.Capacities · checked 2026-10-22 · source 1
  • Standard Notes lists Productivity and Professional only as yearly prices; a monthly option is not shown on the plans page. People who want to try a paid plan for a month need to check at checkout.Standard Notes · checked 2026-10-22 · source 1

Where vendor pages disagree

  • GitHub shows no recognised licence for Joplin, AFFiNE and Anytype, while their licence files state AGPL-3.0-or-later with an exception, MIT with a separately licensed backend, and a source-available licence. Adopters need to read the licence files rather than the GitHub label.laurent22/joplin, toeverything/AFFiNE, anyproto/anytype-ts · checked 2026-10-22 · source 1 · source 2 · source 3

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