10 top picks · 2 audience rankings
Best open source note-taking apps
The best open source note-taking app is Excalidraw (MIT, 134,690 GitHub stars, Docker image). Memos stands out for a permissive MIT license, and TriliumNext Notes stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (20,724).
This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Excalidraw leads for startups, small business, freelancers, solo developers and home use.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Excalidraw
excalidraw/excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
UtilitiesTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Excalidraw has 134,690 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 285 commits in the last year.
- Rank 2:
Memos
usememos/memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Note-taking & EditorsGoDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. Memos has 64,135 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,007 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Google Keep.
- Rank 3:
TriliumNext Notes
TriliumNext/Trilium
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (20,724). TriliumNext Notes has 38,600 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 20,724 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Obsidian.
At a glance
Open source note-taking apps compared
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 25 apps in the note-taking & editors category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excalidraw | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 134,690 | 285 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Memos | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 64,135 | 1,007 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| TriliumNext Notes | the most commits in the last 12 months (20,724) | AGPL-3.0 | 38,600 | 20,724 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| AFFiNE | the newest codebase (created July 2022) | source-available, MIT (client) and AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license (server) | 73,923 | 761 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
| Joplin | the longest track record (since 2017) | AGPL-3.0 | 56,910 | 2,164 | Oct 27, 2026 | No |
| Logseq | – | AGPL-3.0 | 45,404 | 4,093 | Oct 28, 2026 | No |
| Overleaf | – | AGPL-3.0 | 18,287 | 2,181 | Sep 17, 2026 | No |
| Docs | – | MIT | 16,953 | 1,171 | Oct 27, 2026 | No |
| Blinko | – | GPL-3.0 | 11,124 | 197 | Aug 27, 2026 | Yes |
| SilverBullet | – | MIT | 6,406 | 1,462 | Oct 27, 2026 | Yes |
1 of 3 · 10 picks
Top picks
10 of the 25 apps in the note-taking & editors category.
- 1
Excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Excalidraw has 134,690 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 285 commits in the last year.
- 2
Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. Memos has 64,135 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,007 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Google Keep.
- 3
TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
Note-taking & EditorsDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (20,724). TriliumNext Notes has 38,600 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 20,724 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Obsidian.
- 4
AFFiNE
Privacy-first workspace that combines docs, whiteboards and databases, an open-source Notion alternative.
Source-availableNote-taking & EditorsDockerStands out for the newest codebase (created July 2022). AFFiNE has 73,923 GitHub stars, is source-available under the MIT (client) and AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license (server) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 761 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper.
- 5
Joplin
Note taking application with markdown editor and encryption support for mobile and desktop platforms. Runs client-side and syncs through a self hosted Nextcloud instance or similar (alternative to…
Note-taking & EditorsStands out for the longest track record (since 2017). Joplin has 56,910 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,164 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Obsidian.
- 6
Logseq
Privacy-first, local-first outliner and knowledge graph.
Note-taking & EditorsLogseq has 45,404 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 4,093 commits in the last year; it replaces Obsidian.
- 7
Overleaf
Web-based collaborative LaTeX editor.
Note-taking & EditorsOverleaf has 18,287 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,181 commits in the last year.
- 8
Docs
Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales.
Note-taking & EditorsDocs has 16,953 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,171 commits in the last year; it replaces Dropbox Paper.
- 9
Blinko
A personal note tool with AI features.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerAI-nativeBlinko has 11,124 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 197 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Google Keep.
- 10
SilverBullet
Note-taking application optimized for people with a hacker mindset.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerSilverBullet has 6,406 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,462 commits in the last year; it replaces Obsidian.
2 of 3 · 5 picks
Which open source note-taking app is best for startups, small business, freelancers and solo developers?
For startups, small business, freelancers and solo developers, Excalidraw ranks first (MIT, 134,690 GitHub stars), followed by Memos and TriliumNext Notes. Ranked for startups, small business, freelancers and solo developers (the same order for each) on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.
- 1
Excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesDockerExcalidraw has 134,690 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 285 commits in the last year. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 2
Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerMemos has 64,135 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,007 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Google Keep. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 3
TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
Note-taking & EditorsDockerTriliumNext Notes has 38,600 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 20,724 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Obsidian. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 4
AFFiNE
Privacy-first workspace that combines docs, whiteboards and databases, an open-source Notion alternative.
Source-availableNote-taking & EditorsDockerAFFiNE has 73,923 GitHub stars, is source-available under the MIT (client) and AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license (server) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 761 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 5
Joplin
Note taking application with markdown editor and encryption support for mobile and desktop platforms. Runs client-side and syncs through a self hosted Nextcloud instance or similar (alternative to…
Note-taking & EditorsJoplin has 56,910 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,164 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Obsidian. For startups it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.
3 of 3 · 5 picks
Which open source note-taking app is best for home use?
For home use, Excalidraw ranks first (MIT, 134,690 GitHub stars), followed by Memos and AFFiNE (source-available). Ranked for home use on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.
- 1
Excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesDockerExcalidraw has 134,690 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 285 commits in the last year. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 2
Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerMemos has 64,135 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,007 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Google Keep. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 3
AFFiNE
Privacy-first workspace that combines docs, whiteboards and databases, an open-source Notion alternative.
Source-availableNote-taking & EditorsDockerAFFiNE has 73,923 GitHub stars, is source-available under the MIT (client) and AFFiNE Enterprise Edition license (server) (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image and had 761 commits in the last year; it replaces Notion and Dropbox Paper. For home use it also scores on a Docker image and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 4
TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
Note-taking & EditorsDockerTriliumNext Notes has 38,600 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 20,724 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Obsidian. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 5
Joplin
Note taking application with markdown editor and encryption support for mobile and desktop platforms. Runs client-side and syncs through a self hosted Nextcloud instance or similar (alternative to…
Note-taking & EditorsJoplin has 56,910 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,164 commits in the last year; it replaces Evernote and Obsidian. For home use it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
Is Excalidraw free?
Yes. Excalidraw is open-source software released under the MIT 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 self-host these note-taking apps with Docker?
Yes, 6 of the 10 picks. Excalidraw, Memos and TriliumNext Notes publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.
Are all of these note-taking apps open source?
9 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 1 is source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.
Which of these note-taking apps is the most actively developed?
TriliumNext Notes, with 20,724 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, v0.106.1, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 25 apps in the note-taking & editors category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.
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