Alternatives to Evernote
3 self-hosted alternatives — 3 easy
Why people look for alternatives
- Free tier severely limited to 50 notes
- Frequent pricing changes
- Performance degradation over the years
- Acquired by Bending Spoons with staff cuts
| App | Difficulty | Min RAM | Docker | Mobile | Active | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BookStack Simple wiki and documentation platform with a WYSIWYG editor. | easy | 0.5 GB | — | Yes | ||
| Joplin Open-source note-taking app with sync, encryption, and Markdown support. | easy | 0.25 GB | iOS & Android | Yes | ||
| Trilium Notes Hierarchical note-taking application with focus on building personal knowledge bases. | easy | 0.5 GB | — | — | Yes |
BookStack
Simple wiki and documentation platform with a WYSIWYG editor.
Pros
- + Very intuitive interface
- + Good permission system
- + WYSIWYG and Markdown editors
- + Easy to set up
Cons
- - No real-time collaboration
- - Not designed for personal notes
- - Limited mobile experience
Joplin
Open-source note-taking app with sync, encryption, and Markdown support.
Pros
- + End-to-end encryption
- + Good mobile apps
- + Markdown support
- + Multiple sync backends
Cons
- - Sync server is separate from the app
- - Web clipper less reliable than Evernote
- - No real-time collaboration
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking application with focus on building personal knowledge bases.
Pros
- + Powerful note linking and organization
- + Built-in scripting for automation
- + Relation maps between notes
- + Web clipper available
Cons
- - Steep learning curve
- - UI is functional but not modern
- - Single-user focused
- - Can feel overwhelming for simple note-taking