
notesnook
A fully open source & end-to-end encrypted note taking alternative to Evernote.
The Lens
Notesnook is the note-taking app for people who actually care about privacy. End-to-end encrypted with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2, everything is encrypted on-device before it touches any server. Web app, desktop (Electron), and mobile (React Native) all ship for free.
The encryption isn't bolted on as an afterthought. It's the foundation. Notes, notebooks, tags, attachments, everything gets encrypted client-side. The sync infrastructure handles encrypted blobs only. This makes it a credible Evernote replacement for anyone who's uncomfortable with their notes sitting in plaintext on someone else's server.
Solo users and small teams who value privacy over collaboration features will love this. The editor is solid, markdown support works well, and the apps are polished. Real-time collaboration and deep integrations with other tools are where Notion or Evernote still win. For personal note-taking with actual security, Notesnook is the best option in this space.
The catch: the open source version is the full product, but self-hosting the sync server isn't officially documented. You're trusting their sync infrastructure or going without sync entirely.
Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid
open core## Free Tier Full app with encryption, sync across devices, core note-taking features. Markdown, notebooks, tags, and cross-device sync all included.
## Self-Hosted The apps are open source (GPL-3.0), but the sync server isn't packaged for self-hosting. You can run the apps locally without sync, or trust Notesnook's encrypted sync service.
## Paid Notesnook Pro at ~$4.99/mo adds more storage, rich attachments, custom themes, and notebook-level organization. The free tier covers daily note-taking for most people.
Free tier is generous for personal use. Pro at ~$5/mo for power users who need attachments and storage.
Similar Tools
License: GNU General Public License v3.0
Commercial OK but must share source of modifications.
Commercial use: ✓ Yes
About
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- Streetwriters (Organization)
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