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Best Open-Source Evernote Alternatives (2026)

14 self-hostable, open-source projects that replace Evernote — without repeated price hikes and device limits. Each is scored for how hard it is to self-host, with one-click deploy options where they exist.

Evernote has raised prices repeatedly and capped how many devices free users can sync, pushing long-time users toward paid tiers for basic functionality. People leave to stop renting access to their own notes and to keep their data encrypted and under their control.

A warm, inviting workspace featuring coffee, handwritten notes, and a pen on the desk.
Photo by David Bares on Pexels

Our picks at a glance

Easiest to self-host
SiYuan

Difficulty 2/5 with Docker or manual deploy, plus managed hosting, the lowest-friction full PKM option here.

Most powerful
Joplin

Full note-taking app with web clipper, notebooks, and end-to-end encrypted sync, the most complete Evernote-style replacement.

Most active
Joplin

Highest star count in this list (~50k) and actively maintained across desktop, mobile, and server.

Best managed option
Standard Notes

Offers an official managed/hosted sync service with end-to-end encryption, the closest drop-in to Evernote's hosted model.

Compare all 14 alternatives

ProjectDeployManagedLicense
Memos
Go
62k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
MIT4 days agoRepo
Joplin
TypeScript
56k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.04 days agoRepo
SiYuan
TypeScript
45k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.03 days agoRepo
Logseq
Clojure
44k ★
4/5
Involved
Manual
AGPL-3.03 days agoRepo
Paperless-ngx
Python
44k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
GPL-3.03 days agoRepo
Trilium Notes
TypeScript
37k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.03 days agoRepo
Notesnook
TypeScript
14k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
GPL-3.03 days agoRepo
Blinko
Docker
11k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Docker Compose
AGPL-3.024 days agoRepo
TiddlyWiki
Nodejs
8.6k ★
2/5
Easy
Manual
Docker
BSD-3-Clause4 days agoRepo
CryptPad
JavaScript
7.8k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.06 days agoRepo
HedgeDoc
Docker
7.3k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.06 days agoRepo
Standard Notes
TypeScript
6.6k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
AGPL-3.06 days agoRepo
SilverBullet
Docker
5.7k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
MIT6 days agoRepo
Papra
Docker
5.1k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.04 days agoRepo

What to look for: For a personal note tool the deciding factors are reliable cross-device sync, a clean capture/clipping workflow, and ideally end-to-end encryption so your notes stay private even on a server you host. Check whether sync is built in or requires wiring up your own server, since that's the biggest practical difference between these options.

Head-to-head:Memos vs EvernoteJoplin vs EvernoteSiYuan vs EvernoteLogseq vs EvernotePaperless-ngx vs Evernote

The alternatives, reviewed

  1. #1
    Memos
    Self-host: Easy

    Lightweight, self-hosted note-taking and memo hub

    62k Go MIT 4 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Designed for short notes/memos, not long structured documents or wikis.
    • No nested page hierarchy, databases, or board views.
    • No real-time collaboration.
    • Limited rich formatting compared to block editors.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  2. #2
    Joplin
    Self-host: Moderate

    Open-source note-taking app with end-to-end encrypted sync

    56k TypeScript AGPL-3.0 4 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • The note editor is more basic than Notion-style block editors.
    • No real-time collaborative editing; sync is eventual.
    • No relational database or board views.
    • Self-hosted Joplin Server setup and multi-user management is less polished than the apps.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  3. #3
    SiYuan
    Self-host: Easy

    Privacy-first personal knowledge management with block-level editing

    45k TypeScript AGPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Primarily single-user; no real-time team collaboration.
    • Official cloud sync and some features require a paid subscription.
    • Documentation and UI are translated from Chinese and can be uneven.
    • Smaller English-language community and plugin ecosystem.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  4. #4
    Logseq
    Self-host: Involved

    Privacy-first, local-first outliner for networked notes

    44k Clojure AGPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Primarily a local desktop app; there is no official self-hosted web server, only file sync via Git/cloud storage.
    • Official sync service is paid and separate from the open-source core.
    • The database-backed rewrite has had a long, disruptive transition.
    • Mobile apps are less polished and sync can be tricky.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  5. #5
    Paperless-ngx
    Self-host: Moderate

    Scan, index, and archive paper documents with full-text search and AI tagging

    44k Python GPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Primarily a document archive, not a note-taking or collaboration tool.
    • Mobile scanning requires a third-party app (e.g., Scanbot) pointing at the consume folder.
    • No real-time collaboration or shared editing of documents.
    • Initial OCR processing of large backlogs can be slow and CPU-intensive.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  6. #6
    Trilium Notes
    Self-host: Easy

    Hierarchical note-taking app for building personal knowledge bases

    37k TypeScript AGPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Single-user oriented; no real-time multi-user collaboration.
    • UI is dense and has a steep learning curve.
    • No relational database/board views like Notion.
    • Original Trilium is archived; users must migrate to the community TriliumNext fork.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  7. #7
    Notesnook
    Self-host: Moderate

    End-to-end encrypted note-taking app with cross-platform clients

    14k TypeScript GPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Self-hosted server documentation is still maturing and can be tricky to set up
    • No built-in AI writing assistant unlike Notion AI
    • Offline-first mobile sync occasionally has edge-case conflicts on initial vault load
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  8. #8
    Blinko
    Self-host: Easy

    AI-powered personal note-taking tool with fast capture and semantic search

    11k Docker AGPL-3.0 24 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • AI features require a separately configured LLM API key; no bundled model.
    • No real-time collaboration or multi-user workspace sharing.
    • Limited rich content types — no databases, kanban boards, or spreadsheet views.
    • Mobile experience is a PWA only; no native iOS or Android app.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  9. #9
    TiddlyWiki
    Self-host: Easy

    Reusable non-linear personal web notebook for capturing and organizing ideas

    8.6k Nodejs BSD-3-Clause 4 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • No built-in real-time collaboration; multi-user editing requires workarounds
    • UI feels dated compared to modern tools like Notion; steeper learning curve for non-technical users
    • Mobile editing experience is limited and not optimized
    • No built-in database views (kanban, gallery, table) found in Notion
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  10. #10
    CryptPad
    Self-host: Moderate

    Encrypted, real-time collaborative office suite you can self-host

    7.8k JavaScript AGPL-3.0 6 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Real-time performance degrades noticeably with large documents or many simultaneous editors
    • No native mobile apps; browser-only experience on phones is suboptimal
    • Admin management UI is rudimentary compared to Confluence or Google Workspace admin consoles
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  11. #11
    HedgeDoc
    Self-host: Moderate

    Realtime collaborative Markdown editor and notes platform for teams

    7.3k Docker AGPL-3.0 6 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Limited to Markdown; no rich block-based editing (tables, databases) like Notion
    • No built-in task management, kanban boards, or project organization features
    • Lacks a hierarchical page tree or wiki-style organization found in Confluence
    • No native mobile apps; browser-only experience on mobile
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  12. #12
    Standard Notes
    Self-host: Moderate

    End-to-end encrypted notes app with self-hostable sync server

    6.6k TypeScript AGPL-3.0 6 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • Advanced editors and features require a paid (or self-hosted Pro) subscription.
    • No relational database or board views.
    • No real-time collaboration.
    • Minimalist by design, so power-user organization features are limited.
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  13. #13
    SilverBullet
    Self-host: Easy

    Extensible hacker-friendly Markdown knowledge base with offline-first sync

    5.7k Docker MIT 6 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • No native mobile apps; mobile use relies on the web interface
    • Real-time multi-user collaboration is limited compared to cloud-first tools
    • Plugin ecosystem is much smaller than Obsidian's community plugin library
    • No built-in rich media embedding or database views comparable to Notion
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  14. #14
    Papra
    Self-host: Easy

    Minimalist document archiving and management platform, simple and accessible

    5.1k Docker AGPL-3.0 4 days ago
    How it compares to Evernote
    • No OCR or full-text search within scanned PDFs out of the box
    • Lacks workflow automation, approval chains, or document versioning found in Confluence
    • No collaborative editing or commenting on documents
    • Limited role/permission system; not suited for large enterprise teams
    RepoDetails & deploy →

The verdict

Joplin is the most direct Evernote replacement, with notebooks, a web clipper, and end-to-end encrypted sync; if privacy is the priority over features, Standard Notes offers the same encrypted-by-default sync with an official managed option.

Still deciding? Compare Memos vs Joplin side by side →

Evernote alternatives — frequently asked questions

What's the closest open-source replacement for Evernote?

Joplin, which mirrors Evernote's notebook model and includes a web clipper plus end-to-end encrypted sync across desktop and mobile. It's AGPL-3.0 and can self-host its sync server via Docker.

Which Evernote alternative has the best privacy?

Standard Notes and Joplin both offer end-to-end encrypted sync, so your notes are encrypted before they reach the server. Standard Notes is built around encryption first and offers a managed hosted plan.

Which is easiest to self-host?

SiYuan and Memos are the lowest difficulty (2/5). Memos is a lightweight memo hub good for quick captures; SiYuan is a fuller personal knowledge base with block-level editing.

Do any of these offer hosted sync so I don't have to run a server?

Yes. Joplin, SiYuan, and Standard Notes provide managed/hosted options. Memos, Logseq, and Trilium are self-host or local-only and don't offer official managed hosting.

Is there a free Evernote alternative that syncs across devices?

Joplin is free, open-source, and syncs across devices with encryption; you can use its own server or services like a WebDAV target. Standard Notes also syncs across devices, with a self-hostable server.

Can I migrate my Evernote notes?

Joplin has the most mature import path and can take in Evernote ENEX exports directly, which makes it the safest landing spot if you have years of notes to bring over.

Keep exploring

All Notes & Knowledge Base →Self-hosted directory →Easiest to self-host →
Notion alternativesConfluence alternativesObsidian alternatives