Note-taking apps look interchangeable from the outside — a list of pages, a search box — until you have a thousand notes in one and discover you think differently. The good news: the open-source options are now strong enough that the real question is not "free or paid" but "which shape fits your brain." This guide compares the six best open-source note-taking apps on GitHub by how you actually take notes — quick capture, daily journals, structured wikis and team workspaces — including the two honest answers for anyone leaving Obsidian or Notion.
Key takeaways
- Most like Obsidian: Logseq (local files, daily journal, linked outlines) — or Joplin if you prefer classic notebooks over outlines.
- Most like Notion: AppFlowy for projects and teams; AFFiNE if you also want a whiteboard beside your documents.
- Fastest capture: Memos — a private, self-hosted timeline for thoughts, as quick as posting to a social feed.
- All six are free and open source; your notes stay in open formats or on your own server, so leaving is always possible.
First, the three shapes of note-taking
Every app below is one of three shapes. Notebook apps (Joplin) organise pages into notebooks and folders — familiar to anyone from Evernote. Outliners (Logseq) build everything from bullet points and daily journals, linking ideas into a web. Workspaces (AppFlowy, AFFiNE) treat notes as one part of a bigger system with databases, boards and documents. And capture tools (Memos, and Trilium for deep personal archives) optimise for getting thoughts down before they vanish. Pick your shape first; the best app inside it follows naturally.
The apps at a glance
| App | Best for | Shape | License | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joplin | Everyday notes with sync everywhere | Notebook | Open source | 56,979 |
| AppFlowy | A Notion-style workspace you own | Workspace | AGPL-3.0 | 78,079 |
| AFFiNE | Documents plus whiteboard | Workspace | Open source | 74,053 |
| Logseq | Daily journals and linked thinking | Outliner | AGPL-3.0 | 45,448 |
| Memos | Fastest possible capture | Capture | MIT | 64,221 |
| Trilium | A deep personal knowledge base | Notebook (power) | AGPL-3.0 | 38,655 |
All six live in our Note-Taking category, which tracks 50 qualifying apps with difficulty and activity labels.
The apps in detail
Joplin — the dependable all-rounder
Joplin describes itself as a privacy-focused note-taking app with sync for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android — and it is the easiest recommendation on this list. Notes live in Markdown, sync can be end-to-end encrypted, and its Evernote importer makes it the natural landing place for refugees from older apps.
Best for: everyday notes, notebooks and folders, synced across every device you own.
The strength: completeness and calm — apps everywhere, web clipping, attachments, encryption, years of steady development.
The catch: the interface is functional rather than beautiful, and real-time collaboration is not its game.
★ 56,979 on GitHub · See Joplin on RepoEasy
AppFlowy — the Notion alternative with a flag planted
AppFlowy pitches itself as the AI collaborative workspace that brings projects, wikis and teams together — the open-source answer to Notion, built so your workspace data belongs to you. Pages, databases, kanban boards and documents, with a large and fast-growing community (the most GitHub stars in this category).
Best for: teams and individuals who want Notion's shape without Notion's lock-in.
The strength: the closest open-source match to the modern workspace style, with offline control of your data.
The catch: younger than Joplin — some advanced workspace features are still arriving release by release.
★ 78,079 on GitHub · AGPL-3.0 · See AppFlowy on RepoEasy
AFFiNE — documents that think in pictures
AFFiNE's pitch is that there can be more than Notion and Miro: it merges a document editor with an infinite whiteboard, so a plan can start as sketches and boxes and settle into structured pages — in the same place, with the same objects.
Best for: visual thinkers, planners and anyone whose notes keep escaping into diagrams.
The strength: the doc-plus-canvas combination is genuinely unique at this quality level.
The catch: the dual personality takes an evening to learn, and purists who want plain Markdown files should look at Logseq instead.
★ 74,053 on GitHub · See AFFiNE on RepoEasy
Logseq — the journal that links itself
Logseq is a privacy-first platform for knowledge management built on a simple habit: write today's journal page, bullet by bullet, and link names and topics as you go. Over months, those links weave your notes into a personal web — the workflow Obsidian users call "second brain," on local files you fully control.
Best for: researchers, writers and daily-journal thinkers who love outlines.
The strength: the outliner-plus-journal flow is the fastest way to build connected knowledge without filing anything.
The catch: if you think in finished documents rather than bullets, the outliner shape will fight you — that is what AppFlowy is for.
★ 45,448 on GitHub · AGPL-3.0 · See Logseq on RepoEasy
Memos — capture at the speed of thought
Memos is an open-source, self-hosted note app for everyday thoughts: open it, type, done — a private timeline that works like posting to a social feed only you can see. It is the lightest tool here and deliberately so; structure is optional, speed is the feature.
Best for: quick capture — ideas, snippets, daily logs — and people who abandon heavy apps.
The strength: zero friction; self-hosting takes minutes and the app stays out of your way.
The catch: it is a capture stream, not a document system; long structured projects belong in Joplin or AppFlowy.
★ 64,221 on GitHub · MIT · See Memos on RepoEasy
Trilium — the deep personal archive
Trilium (now developed as TriliumNext) is built for large personal knowledge bases: thousands of notes in rich hierarchies, with powerful organisation, attributes and scripting for people who treat their notes as a lifetime archive.
Best for: power users building a big, structured, private archive.
The strength: depth — few note apps of any price organise this much, this thoroughly.
The catch: power brings complexity; casual note-takers will use a tenth of it and may prefer Joplin's calm.
★ 38,655 on GitHub · AGPL-3.0 · See Trilium on RepoEasy
How to choose
"I just want my notes everywhere, simply": Joplin. "I miss Notion but want my data back": AppFlowy, or AFFiNE if your notes come with diagrams. "I journal and link ideas": Logseq. "I lose thoughts before apps open": Memos. "I'm building an archive for life": Trilium. The honest meta-advice: every app here imports and exports open formats, so a two-week trial costs nothing but a little curiosity — which is more than the subscription apps offer. If notes are one of several subscriptions you are rethinking, our guide to free alternatives to paid software covers the rest.
The lock-in test: what happens to your notes?
The deepest difference between these apps and the subscription names is what happens on the day you leave. With a proprietary app, leaving means exporting into whatever format the company feels like offering, if it offers one. With the tools above, the exit door is built in: Logseq and Joplin keep notes as Markdown — plain text files that any editor can open, decades from now, with no app at all. Self-hosted apps like Memos and Trilium keep your data on your own server, where it was never anyone's hostage. Even the workspaces, AppFlowy and AFFiNE, are open source: the code that reads your notes can never be taken away or repriced. Whichever app you choose from this list, you are choosing notes that remain yours — that is the real feature, and it is the one the subscription apps cannot match without ceasing to be subscription apps.
Frequently asked questions
Which open-source note app is most like Obsidian?
Logseq is the closest in spirit: local files, a daily journal and outline-style notes that link to each other. If you prefer classic notebooks and folders instead of outlines, Joplin is the nearer match.
Which one is most like Notion?
AppFlowy and AFFiNE. Both give you pages, databases and boards in a Notion-like workspace — AppFlowy leans toward projects and teams, AFFiNE adds a built-in whiteboard for sketching ideas alongside documents.
Are my notes private in these apps?
They can be. Local-first apps keep notes as files on your own devices, and self-hosted apps keep them on your own server. Joplin additionally offers end-to-end encryption for its sync. As always, privacy depends on where you choose to sync.
Can I import my notes from Evernote or Notion?
Joplin is the import champion — it has a dedicated Evernote importer and handles Markdown files from almost anywhere. Most other apps here import Markdown too, so notes written in standard formats are rarely trapped.
Do these apps have mobile versions?
Mostly yes. Joplin and AppFlowy have their own phone apps, Logseq has mobile apps in active development, and Memos works through the browser plus community apps. Check the app's RepoEasy page for its current platform list before committing.