25 open-source apps
Best self-hosted Note-taking & Editors apps
Note apps, Markdown editors and collaborative writing tools. A private alternative to Notion, Evernote and Google Docs.
The most popular self-hosted apps for note-taking & editors on GitHub are Excalidraw, AFFiNE and Memos, ranked by stars below.
Ranked by GitHub stars
All 25 Note-taking & Editors apps
Excalidraw
excalidraw/excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesTypeScriptDockerAFFiNE
toeverything/AFFiNE
Privacy-first workspace that combines docs, whiteboards and databases, an open-source Notion alternative.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerMemos
usememos/memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Note-taking & EditorsGoDockerJoplin
laurent22/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 & EditorsTypeScriptLogseq
logseq/logseq
Privacy-first, local-first outliner and knowledge graph.
Note-taking & EditorsClojureTriliumNext Notes
TriliumNext/Trilium
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerOverleaf
overleaf/overleaf
Web-based collaborative LaTeX editor.
Note-taking & EditorsJavaScriptDocs
suitenumerique/docs
Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales.
Note-taking & EditorsPythonBlinko
blinkospace/blinko
A personal note tool with AI features.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerdraw.io
jgraph/drawio
Diagram software for making flowcharts, process diagrams, org charts, UML, ER and network diagrams.
Note-taking & EditorsJavaScriptDockerHedgeDoc
hedgedoc/hedgedoc
Realtime collaborative markdown notes on all platforms, formerly known as CodiMD and HackMD CE.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerStandard Notes
standardnotes/app
Simple and private notes app. Protect your privacy while getting more done. That's Standard Notes.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptSilverBullet
silverbulletmd/silverbullet
Note-taking application optimized for people with a hacker mindset.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerLivebook
livebook-dev/livebook
Realtime collaborative notebook app based on Markdown that supports running Elixir code snippets, TeX and Mermaid Diagrams. Easily deployed using Docker or Elixir.
Note-taking & EditorsElixirDockerflatnotes
dullage/flatnotes
Database-less note-taking web app that utilises a flat folder of markdown files for storage.
Note-taking & EditorsVueDockerNoteDiscovery
gamosoft/NoteDiscovery
Markdown note-taking app with plain-file storage, graph view, and MCP integration (alternative to Obsidian, Notion).
Note-taking & EditorsJavaScriptDockerJotty
fccview/jotty
Lightweight but powerful alternative for managing your personal, file based, notes and checklists.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerbewCloud
bewcloud/bewcloud
File sharing + sync, notes, and photos (alternative to Nextcloud and ownCloud's RSS reader).
File Sync & StorageJavaScriptDockerWriting
josephernest/writing
Lightweight distraction-free text editor, in the browser (Markdown and LaTeX supported). No lag when writing.
Note-taking & EditorsJavaScriptMany Notes
brufdev/many-notes
Markdown note-taking web application designed for simplicity.
Note-taking & EditorsPHPDockerNote Mark
enchant97/note-mark
Minimal web-based Markdown notes app.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerDailyTxT
PhiTux/DailyTxT
Encrypted diary Web application to save your personal memories of each day. Includes a search function and encrypted file upload.
Note-taking & EditorsSvelteDockerPlainpad
alextselegidis/plainpad
Modern note taking application for the cloud, utilizing the best features of progressive web apps technology.
Note-taking & EditorsPHPplumio
albertasaftei/plumio
Markdown notes taking app with live preview, document encryption, multi-user support, multi-organization capabilities and more.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDockerNeverkin
Tenebrie/neverkin
Collaborative writing, worldbuilding and D&D-session-planning app. Tools for organizing your notes and stories.
Note-taking & EditorsTypeScriptDocker
What is the best self-hosted app for note-taking & editors?
By GitHub stars, Excalidraw is the most popular self-hosted app for note-taking & editors with 133,574 stars, followed by AFFiNE and Memos. The best fit depends on your needs, so compare Docker support, license and recent activity on each app page.
Are these Note-taking & Editors apps free?
Yes. All 25 apps in this category are open source and free to run on your own server. A few also offer a paid hosted plan or enterprise add-ons, but self-hosting the open-source edition costs nothing beyond your hardware.
How do I install a self-hosted Note-taking & Editors app?
18 of the 25 apps here ship a Docker image, which is the easiest route: rent a small VPS or use a home server, install Docker, and start the app with its Docker Compose file. Apps without an image list their native install steps in the README.
Which Note-taking & Editors apps are most actively developed?
Measured by commits in the last twelve months, the most active projects are TriliumNext Notes (16,949 commits), Logseq (4,148 commits) and Overleaf (2,137 commits). Active development usually means faster bug fixes and security patches.