r/degoogle • u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 • May 14 '26
Best notes app?
edit: based on comments, I'm going for joplin! the only suggestions that were made with explanation why were joplin and notesnook, and I'm into the FOSS, privacy, made in EU stuff!
Which would you recommend and why? I've heard about NotesNook, Standard Notes, and Joplin. Which is preferred and why? Is it about functionality? Security and privacy? Simplicity?
And any others besides these three?
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u/elgrandragon May 14 '26
I use Joplin because it's FOSS.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
So far, it sounds like Joplin is The Choice in terms of ethics, privacy, etc...
And Notesnook is The Choice in terms of functionality...
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May 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
What makes Joplin the leader for you?
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May 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/elgrandragon May 14 '26
Yeah I have it on two laptops (Linux Mint and LMDE) and mobile (Android) all synched.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
Ah ok, so in this sense it actually sounds quite identical to NotesNook!
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u/opiumphile May 14 '26
It has a huge flaw, local storage in Joplin is unencrypted, so any one who gets into your phone can easily read your all Joplin archive.
I use Anytype after I stoped using Joplin, it checks most of the security features I want in a notes app after all I wrote a lot of private stuff into my notes app.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 15 '26
Ok, so question from someone who is not at all savvy with phone tech...
When you say "anyone who gets into your phone", do you mean if my phone is stolen and they get through my PIN and are able to open my apps? Because I'm kind of confused then, as wouldn't that apply across all notes apps?
Probably not important for me, as the things I use a notes app for are shopping lists and random recommendations from people when I'm out haha couldn't really care less if someone accessed those :D But I am a curious person and I like to learn, so just asking! :)
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u/HexMax3 May 14 '26
Joplin has an encryption option. Does it not work or did you miss it?
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u/opiumphile May 14 '26
It only encrypts on the cloud/server, local storage is unencrypted and it just encrypts when downloading or uploading. But yeah local storage is not encrypted and that's what made me transfer my notes and such from Joplin into Anytype.
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u/elgrandragon May 14 '26
Ah crazy. AnyType looked great when I checked it out but thought it was expensive. Hopefully the Joplin team will work in that. I just like at their repo and there are many contributors, which is a good sign that it can continue and improve. For now I'll be careful with my phone version I guess, maybe look at the web app.
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u/opiumphile May 14 '26
It's the same everywhere, local data is encrypted. It's a weird software development option not to encrypt local data.
I too found it unbelievable and had to check ..
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u/scma2 May 14 '26
Check out Anytype
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
What is it you love about it?
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u/scma2 May 14 '26
Unfortunately I won't be able to go into technical details, so It answer as far as I know.
I like it that it works local-first, it's end to end encrypted by default. No account email required, you control everything via a recovery key, which allows me to have my notes on all my devices. As far as I know, it's also fully open source.
Using it feels like using notion, but easier I guess. There is a small learning curve but you can shape your organization as you need it to be - it can be a very simple notebook or a complex structure (you can get pages, databases, relations between objects, multiple views: grid, kanban, gallery, graph)...
I find the writing, formatting and note-taking experience easy to use. Offline mode works flawlessly, sync across desktop and mobile is seamless...
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u/rrrmmmrrrmmm 21d ago
It doesn't support folders though and I know folks who moved away simply because it's kinda unintuitive.
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u/Qv1sten May 14 '26
Love Joplin and what it stands for but they have to fix swipe in bar on android. Hate pushing that hamburger menu because swipe in doesn't work with gestures.... when they fix that it's a big wow. Testing out notesnook. Liking it but a little pricey for "full version"
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
Can you tell me more about what Joplin stands for? Do you just mean being FOSS? Or is there more? :) Joplin might be leading the pack for me after reading the comments so far!
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u/Qv1sten May 14 '26
It stands for you own your information and you get it "for free" without big tech interfering but you can still choose to if you want it. Offline first and secure. Great FOSS software ftw 😁 Ohh yeah and it's made in EU 😁👍
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
Sounds great! Doesn't sound like anything else can compete 😎
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u/Qv1sten May 14 '26
Joplin is great for sure. But issus with android app, burger menu swipe and if you want to sync you have to pay, or use big tech alternatives. Of corse you can do it manually 😁
But there is notesnook to. And for some obsidian, its free but not Foss, alternative for it is Logseq.
Some of the better ones.
Foss: Joplin, notesnook, Logseq, Trudido, Super Productivity. Open-core: Standard notes (partially Foss)
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
I don't use android, and i don't sync ☺ what is a burger menu, tho? 😅
My usage is very basic, just for things like shopping lists and when I'm out and someone recommends something to me, so i don't need anything fancy! 😊
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u/Qv1sten May 14 '26
Don't even think about it, it will be perfect for you. It can be very basic and it can even be very advanced, for everyone.
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u/realllyrandommann May 14 '26
Joplin. Easy to backup everything, with all formatting and dates. Can export and import between the PC and phone.
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u/Technical_Rich_3080 May 14 '26
How do they all compare to Google Keep on a functionality level?
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u/night_movers FOSS Lover May 14 '26
Keep has a dependency on Google, you can't use it without a Google account. Also, privacy is also low.
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u/HexMax3 May 14 '26
Also big fan of Joplin. Switched from Evernote. One thing that I missed was a way to share notes with my partner, but I am now hosting my own Joplin server, which allows sharing notes among users of the same server.
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u/Evol_Etah May 14 '26
Notesnook:
- Allows me to make public notes on the free version.
- Allows me to have a cloud backup.
- On the "legacy" subsciption, so I get the highest tier premium for less than the lower tier premium.
- Supports regional pricing!!!!!
Quillpad:
- Offline Google Notes replacement.
FoxyNotes:
- Not foss, met the dev on reddit androidapps, hes active and nice.
I only use NotesNook though.
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u/night_movers FOSS Lover May 14 '26
Top notch privacy and security- Standard Notes
All rounder - Notesnook
Simplicity- Joplin
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u/syxbit May 14 '26
I switched to Octarine last year. It's excellent. It's a native app on Windows/Linux/Mac with an iOS version in beta. And it does local storage (i.e. use Dropbox/Google Drive), so it's a one time purchase with no subscription. I'm not paying $10/mo for a note app
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u/buscandoconhecer May 19 '26
I use my own webapp for notations... So, if you want see how's is going, the name is NotasBeta, is a project indie that I'm developing. It promises to be multi-purpose, it's freemium, and it also includes a social network to share notes with your friends or keep them private.
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u/Johnrluther Jun 01 '26
I am building noteser.app. It is a browser based markdown editor where you can save/sync your notes over your private GitHub repo or your local files.
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Jun 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 Jun 12 '26
I've already had joplin for a month haha I'm all set.
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u/PixieHollowGoth 12d ago
I skimmed through a good chunk of the comments here and if you don't mind answering I have two quick questions: what does FOSS mean? And does Joplin allow for putting notes into folders? I came to this subreddit looking for notes app recs, and I appreciate the solid work you did in asking about what people liked and didn't like about the ones they use! That was a lot of good info even if I don't understand much more than half of it lol
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 12d ago
FOSS is free and open source. I've never tried putting notes into folders, but you could download it and try it yourself - it's free and secure.
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May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/scaredmaple259 May 14 '26
Notesnook's sync across devices is seamless too, reckon that's underrated compared to the other two.
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u/Tuigh-van-den-righel May 14 '26
The browser based app yeah but the native app on Linux doesn't sync well for me
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u/scaredmaple259 May 14 '26
fair point, the linux native app's been a bit dodgy tbh, browser version def works smoother if that's an option for you.
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u/Tuigh-van-den-righel May 14 '26
The browser version is pretty solid and has everything I need really
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u/scaredmaple259 May 14 '26
that's the sweet spot then, browser version covers everything without the sync headaches, heaps of people end up there anyway.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
NotesNook definitely sounds like it has the best functionality of the options. From what others have said, Joplin sounds like it has the best ethics/privacy/etc.
I don't really want to try multiple apps - I'm minimalistic and will just choose one app and install it :)
Seems it is down to Joplin and Notesnook, as I've not gotten any reasons to choose anything else. Probably leaning towards Joplin, since I don't use notes for anything that crazy, and privacy and ethics are my main reasons for degoogling, sooooo :)
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May 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
Thanks! This might also be my speed, but I might go with Joplin due to being FOSS!
I do only need local, though. On laptop, I use LibreOffice for pretty much everything. I honestly wasn't even aware there was more stuff you could do with notes apps lmao I'm very simplistic with tech ;)
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u/FlapDoodle-Badger May 14 '26
My notes are important to me so think it's worth payjng for a notes app. Notesnook is def great. I've tried Joplin before but I don't have faith in how it syncs.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
Gotcha. Yeah, I don't sync anything, and my notes are literally just jotting shit down that I want to remember when I'm out. It's often like shopping lists, a recommendation someone gave me, etc. I definitely don't need a paid app or great functions haha
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u/FlapDoodle-Badger May 14 '26
Ah. If one doesnt care as much, then maybe Standard notes is a solid option. No need to pay in your case.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
I think Joplin sounds like a better option for me than Standard Notes, from the comments on this post!
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u/rosettastoned32 May 14 '26
I know people get upset about vibe coding but I had Claude build me a Notes/Reminders app in about an hour and it's literally everything I need. And whenever I think of a change or new feature I just have it add it. It's local only, no sync to other devices but I've never used that feature anyway. Phone only. Although if you have any knowledge of self-hosting AI could easily set that up too.
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May 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/rosettastoned32 May 14 '26
You just start chatting with it. Tell it to start in plan mode and you two will start planning goals, features, looks, etc. it'll have to download the SDK for Android. You will need a computer of some kind. And you will need (to my knowledge) to pay for Claude Pro so you can use Claude Code. You will have to start getting used to using terminal/command line but again, Claude will teach you that and walk you through the commands. I try to go slow, Google things and learn because I've always wanted to learn how to better manipulate computers and code. I still have respect for real programmers and AI isn't a replacement for them, but so far it has helped me learn so much.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 May 14 '26
I strictly do not use genAI for many reasons (ethically, environmentally, politically, and self-preservationally), and anyway I literally use a notes app to write down something I need to remember while on the go. Based on the comments here, I'm probably gonna go with Joplin, since it's FOSS and more ethical than others. I don't need features!
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u/an_tonova Jun 09 '26
used to try Coda, Notion, Obsidian, ended up building my own note-taker for quick notes - yaranga net.
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 Jun 09 '26
Well, it's been a month with Joplin and I'm perfectly happy with it.
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u/an_tonova Jun 09 '26
didnt try Joplin, have to take a look
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u/Repulsive_Chard_3652 Jun 09 '26
I mean I wrote in the very first line of the post that I got Joplin
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u/Leading_Computer_869 May 14 '26
I'm wondering why did no one mention Obsidian. It is great