Best Open-Source Note-Taking Apps 2026: 7 Options Compared

Open-source note apps differ in how they store your data, and that should drive your choice. Joplin keeps notes in Markdown, syncs through services you choose, and has apps for desktop and phones. Logseq and SiYuan are outliners built around linked blocks, so they suit people who think in connections. Zettlr is a Markdown editor aimed at academics, with citation support. Trilium builds a tree of notes with scripting and a self-hosted sync server. AppFlowy and AFFiNE are workspace apps in the style of Notion, with databases and pages, and both offer cloud plans next to local use. Pick Joplin or Zettlr if you want plain files that outlive any app. Pick Logseq or Trilium if you want structure and linking with local storage. Pick AppFlowy or AFFiNE if you are moving a team off Notion and want databases and a polished interface. The practical catch is sync: free apps leave sync to you, with a paid service from the vendor as the easy route, and mobile apps are usually weaker than the desktop versions. Open a handful of your real notes in each tool before you migrate everything. Licences below come from each project's own pages as of the check date.

Joplin

AGPL-3.0-or-later Markdown notes with desktop and mobile apps. The app is free; Joplin Cloud is the paid sync option, and other sync targets work too.

Price: Free (open-source note app; Joplin Cloud is the paid sync option) (Joplin pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Terminal. AGPL-3.0-or-later (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 56.9k GitHub stars · latest release v3.7.21 (Sep 25, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Plain-file Markdown notes.

Logseq

AGPL-3.0 outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed. Notes are stored as local files and linked by backlinks.

Price: Free (open-source outliner and knowledge base with no paid plan listed) (Logseq pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, iOS. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 45.4k GitHub stars · latest release 2.0.2 (Oct 7, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Daily journaling and linked thoughts.

SiYuan

AGPL-3.0 block-based workspace with a Docker option. Most features are free, though some are for paid members, so read the pricing page.

Price: Free (README: most features are free, even for commercial use; some features are for paid members) (SiYuan pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Desktop, Mobile, Self-hosted (Docker). AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 47k GitHub stars · latest release v3.8.8 (Oct 20, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Block-linked notes you host.

Zettlr

GPL-3.0 Markdown editor aimed at academic writing, free and supported by donations, with no paid tier listed on the site.

Price: Free (Free and open source; the site describes it as supported by donations and lists no paid tier) (Zettlr pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 13.8k GitHub stars · latest release v4.9.0 (Oct 25, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Academic writing and citations.

Trilium Notes

AGPL-3.0 hierarchical note tree with scripting and a self-hosted sync server. Powerful, but the interface is denser than most.

Price: Free (Free and open source) (Trilium Notes pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Desktop, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 38.6k GitHub stars · latest release v0.106.1 (Oct 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Large personal knowledge bases.

Worth knowing: README mentions self-hosted sync server. This is the TriliumNext continuation of zadam/trilium. License taken from the repository metadata and LICENSE file; description from the project README. No paid plan was checked.

AppFlowy

AGPL-3.0 Notion-style workspace. The Personal cloud plan includes 1 workspace owner, 100 MB of storage and 7-day version history; self-hosting avoids those limits.

Price: Free (Personal plan with 1 workspace owner, 100 MB of storage, 7 MB uploads and 7-day version history); paid from $12 per member/month, billed annually ($16 billed monthly, Pro) (AppFlowy pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 77.8k GitHub stars · latest release 0.14.11 (Oct 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Notion-style pages and databases.

AFFiNE

MIT workspace with local workspaces and a Cloud Basic plan of 10 GB storage and up to 3 members. Combines docs and whiteboards.

Price: Free (local workspaces; Cloud Basic has 10 GB of storage, up to 3 members and 10 MB files); paid from $6.75 per month (Pro; the page does not name the billing term) (AFFiNE pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted. MIT (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 73.9k GitHub stars · latest release v0.27.4 (Aug 18, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Notes with whiteboards.

Which one to pick

• You want notes as plain Markdown files you own: Joplin
• You think in linked outlines and daily pages: Logseq
• You are moving a team off Notion: AppFlowy
• You write papers and need citation tools: Zettlr