Plainpad
Modern note taking application for the cloud, utilizing the best features of progressive web apps technology.
- Note-taking & Editors
- PHP
- GPL-3.0
- Actively maintained
GitHub stats
- GitHub stars
- 448
- Forks
- 40
- Open issues
- 10
- Commits, last 12 months
- 184
- Last commit
- Oct 5, 2026
- Latest release
- 1.1.1Apr 23, 2026
- Created
- Nov 4, 2019
Data from the GitHub API, refreshed daily.
About Plainpad
Modern note taking application for the cloud, utilizing the best features of progressive web apps technology. Plainpad is open source under the GPL-3.0 license and written mainly in PHP, so you can read the code, run it on your own hardware and keep full control of your data.
The project has 448 stars and 40 forks on GitHub, with 184 commits over the last year. It installs natively rather than through an official Docker image, so plan for a short manual setup.
Topics
- self-hosted
- php
- javascript
- react
- note-taking
- laravel
Repository preview
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What is Plainpad?
Plainpad is a free, open-source app you can host on your own server, listed in our Note-taking & Editors category. Modern note taking application for the cloud, utilizing the best features of progressive web apps technology. The source code lives at github.com/alextselegidis/plainpad, where it has 448 stars.
Is Plainpad free and open source?
Yes. Plainpad is open-source software released under the GPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I run Plainpad with Docker?
Plainpad does not list an official Docker image. It installs natively (PHP), so follow the install steps in its README or look for a community-maintained container.
What are the best alternatives to Plainpad?
Popular open-source alternatives to Plainpad include Excalidraw, AFFiNE and Memos.
Is Plainpad actively maintained?
The most recent commit to Plainpad was on Oct 5, 2026 with 184 commits in the past twelve months. The latest release is 1.1.1, published Apr 23, 2026. Check the open issues on GitHub to gauge how quickly maintainers respond.