Alternatives to Notesnook
Zero-knowledge encrypted notes app
Notesnook ranks #6 of 13 in Note-taking, with an Alt Score of 66. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, freemium from €2.11/month and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Web. 8 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
People who want a private, encrypted alternative to note apps like Evernote or OneNote — from journalers and students to professionals handling sensitive information who don't want their notes readable by the app provider.
Notesnook is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app where notes are encrypted on-device before syncing, so even Notesnook can't read them. It supports rich-text/markdown editing with tables, task lists, code blocks, and images, plus notebooks, tags, and bidirectional linking for organization. A locked notes vault, app lock, and password-protected note sharing add extra layers of protection. It's available on desktop, web, and mobile, with an optional self-hosted sync server for full data control.
You write and format notes in the editor, then organize them into notebooks and tags. Notes are encrypted locally and synced across your signed-in devices, so content stays readable only to you.
Where Notesnook stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Notesnook
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How Notesnook compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Note-taking checklist | Notesnook | Amplenote | Joplin | Evernote | Standard Notes | UpNote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Markdown support | ||||||
| Sync between devices (native) | ||||||
| Local-first storage | ||||||
| End-to-end encryption | ||||||
| Web clipper | ||||||
| Templates | ||||||
| Tags & notebooks | ||||||
| Handwriting & stylus | ||||||
| OCR of images | ||||||
| Version history | ||||||
| Data export formats | ||||||
| Offline access |
Every fact and feature listed for Notesnook is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-11
Free or pro, you get the same level of privacy
https://notesnook.com/pricing -
Starts at €2.11/month verified 2026-07-11
€2.11
https://notesnook.com/pricing -
License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-11
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 29 June 2007
https://github.com/streetwriters/notesnook/blob/master/LICENSE -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web verified 2026-07-11
Download Notesnook for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
https://notesnook.com/downloads -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
Release Notesnook Android v3.4.5
https://github.com/streetwriters/notesnook/releases/tag/3.4.5-android -
Markdown support Yes verified 2026-07-11
Notesnook supports the following (Markdown) shortcuts in the editor:
https://help.notesnook.com/rich-text-editor/markdown-notes-editing -
Sync between devices (native) Yes verified 2026-07-11
Sync controls
https://notesnook.com/pricing -
Local-first storage Partial verified 2026-07-11
Encryption only takes place when you sync. Each item in the database is encrypted separately using XChaCha-Poly1305-IETF.
https://help.notesnook.com/how-is-my-data-encrypted -
End-to-end encryption Yes verified 2026-07-11
An end-to-end encrypted note taking alternative to Evernote.
https://github.com/streetwriters/notesnook/blob/master/README.md -
Web clipper Yes verified 2026-07-11
Notesnook Web Clipper is open source and available for Firefox and Chromium based browsers.
https://notesnook.com/notesnook-web-clipper -
Tags & notebooks Yes verified 2026-07-11
Default notebook & tag
https://notesnook.com/pricing -
Version history Yes verified 2026-07-11
Notesnook keeps a constant log of all your edit sessions. These are stored as “versions” of a particular notes which you can view & restore to in case of data loss.
https://help.notesnook.com/note-version-history -
Data export formats Yes verified 2026-07-11
export some or all your notes as PDF, HTML, Markdown and Plain text files on all Notesnook apps.
https://help.notesnook.com/export-notes-from-notesnook
FAQ
Yes. Amplenote, Joplin and Evernote have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Joplin, Standard Notes and Simplenote — every license claim links its source.