Looking for a powerful, open source alternative to Evernote?
Discover a new generation of note-taking tools that give you control, privacy, and the freedom to work your way.
These apps aren’t just replacements, they’re upgrades.
Whether you want secure sync, markdown editing, AI-powered insights, or full offline access, there’s something here for you.
Joplin
Joplin is a note-taking app that prioritizes control, privacy, and versatility without overcomplicating the experience.
Built for offline use first, it ensures your notes are always with you, whether you're online or not.
With support for Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, or its own Joplin Cloud, syncing happens privately in the background, fully encrypted, end to end.
Joplin uses Markdown at its core, which keeps things fast, simple, and portable.
You can import from Evernote, attach media, clip web content directly, and extend the app with community plugins or custom themes.
Collaboration is possible through Joplin Cloud, but the heart of it remains the same: your notes are yours, and no one else’s.
Notesnook
Notesnook enters the space with a clear promise, true privacy, without compromise.
From the moment you start writing, your data is encrypted on your device and never shared.
There are no trackers, no ads, no profiling, just a clean, focused writing space.
Available across all platforms, Notesnook brings rich formatting, markdown support, and a powerful editor with features like bidirectional linking and embedded files.
Its open source web clipper makes collecting content easy and secure, while to-do and reminder features help you stay organized.
Notesnook is transparent, fully open source, and designed to let you write and think freely in a world full of noise.
Reor
Reor takes a different approach entirely, one built for people who think in messy, complex ways.
It’s a private, local-first app that doesn’t just store your notes, but understands them.
Every note you write becomes part of a vectorized database, allowing Reor to surface relevant connections as you work, without needing tags or manual links.
You can search semantically, using the meaning of your ideas, and even chat with a local AI model trained only on your notes.
Everything runs locally, from the language model to the search engine, so your thoughts stay private.
The interface remains familiar, using a Markdown editor, but under the surface, it’s quietly building a second brain.
Reor isn’t just a note-taking tool, it’s a companion for thinking deeply and privately in the age of AI.