Joplin vs Standard Notes vs Notesnook 2026

TL;DR

All three are open-source note apps with end-to-end encryption — but they prioritize different things. Joplin (53K GitHub stars) is the most mature and self-hosting-friendly, with flexible sync via Nextcloud/WebDAV/Dropbox and a rich plugin ecosystem. Standard Notes pioneered privacy-first notes with zero-knowledge E2EE from day one, but its acquisition by Automattic raised pricing concerns. Notesnook is the newest and most polished — it has a better mobile UX than Joplin, stronger free tier than Standard Notes, and offers self-hosting from v3 onward. For most users escaping Evernote or Notion who want private, encrypted notes, Notesnook is the best starting point in 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Joplin: Free, OSS (MIT), 53K GitHub stars, flexible sync (Nextcloud/WebDAV/Dropbox/S3), rich plugin ecosystem
• Standard Notes: OSS (AGPL), acquired by Automattic, paid Pro plan required for most features; basic free tier
• Notesnook: OSS (GPL-3.0), best free tier, most polished mobile UX, self-hosting from v3; Pro at $4.49/month
• E2EE: All three are zero-knowledge — the server never sees your plaintext notes
• Joplin self-hosting: Full self-hosting with Joplin Server (Docker); sync with any WebDAV server
• Notesnook self-hosting: Available since v3 (2025); requires running the Notesnook Server stack

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Why Choose a Private Notes App in 2026?

Mainstream note apps (Notion, Evernote, Apple Notes, Google Keep) store your notes in plaintext on their servers. They can read your notes. They train AI models on your data. They can be subpoenaed.

For journalists, lawyers, therapists, researchers, and privacy-conscious individuals, this is unacceptable. The three apps compared here all encrypt your notes on-device before syncing — meaning even if their servers are breached, your content is unreadable.

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Joplin

Overview

Joplin launched in 2017 and has become the most established privacy-first note app. Its key design principle: notes are Markdown files, sync is external (you bring your own cloud storage), and the app is entirely open source.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web (limited), terminal

GitHub stars: 53,455 (March 2026) — dwarfs competitors by 3–10×

Sync Options

Joplin's sync flexibility is its biggest differentiator:

Sync Method	Cost	Notes
Nextcloud	Free (self-hosted)	WebDAV-based; most popular self-host option
WebDAV	Free (self-hosted)	Works with any WebDAV server
Dropbox	Free (2GB)	Simple setup; popular for non-technical users
OneDrive	Free (5GB)	Good for Microsoft ecosystem
S3/Backblaze B2	~$0.006/GB/mo	Cheapest long-term storage
Joplin Cloud	$2.99–7.99/month	Official sync; includes collaboration

You can run your own WebDAV or Nextcloud server and pay nothing for sync — a unique advantage among privacy-focused note apps.

Self-Hosting with Joplin Server

Joplin Server is a Docker-based server that provides an enhanced sync experience:

• Faster sync than WebDAV (native API)
• Note sharing via public links
• Optional collaboration features

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  joplin:
    image: joplin/server:latest
    environment:
      - APP_BASE_URL=https://joplin.yourdomain.com
      - DB_CLIENT=pg
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=yourpassword
    ports:
      - "22300:22300"

Setup requires a PostgreSQL database and is documented clearly. Most self-hosters run this on a $5/month VPS.

Plugin Ecosystem

Joplin has the most mature plugin ecosystem of the three:

• 200+ community plugins
• Plugins for: Kanban boards, table editing, rich markdown shortcuts, quick notes, daily journal templates
• Plugin manager built into the desktop app

Notable plugins:

• Joplin Enhancement: Rich text editor improvements
• Simple Backup: Automatic encrypted export
• Quick Links: WikiLink-style note linking
• Outline: Document structure sidebar

Limitations

• Mobile apps are functional but dated — UI hasn't received significant redesign in several years
• No collaborative editing — even Joplin Cloud doesn't support real-time co-editing
• Setup complexity — choosing between sync methods confuses non-technical users
• No WYSIWYG — primary editor is Markdown; rich text mode is limited

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Standard Notes

Overview

Standard Notes launched in 2017 with a singular focus: encrypted notes that outlast any company. The app was designed to be simple, standards-based (JSON + E2EE), and "one-unyielding promise" of privacy. It was acquired by Automattic (WordPress parent company) in 2022.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web

GitHub stars: ~6,282

Pricing

The Automattic acquisition introduced pricing changes that have frustrated long-time users:

Plan	Price	Included
Free	$0	100MB storage, basic text editor only, limited history
Professional	$9.99/month or $95.88/year	Unlimited editors, 25GB storage, 365-day history

The problem: The free tier is genuinely limited. Rich editors (code syntax, markdown wysiwyg, tables, spreadsheets, task lists) are locked behind the Professional plan. In 2021, these editors were free; the 2022 acquisition changed the tier structure.

For users who switched to Standard Notes to escape paid note apps, paying $9.99/month is frustrating when Notesnook offers similar features at $4.49/month or Joplin at zero cost.

Where Standard Notes Still Wins

• Longest track record of zero-knowledge encryption in production (2017–2026)
• Passphrase-based account recovery — well-designed recovery flow
• File attachments with E2EE on Professional plan
• Self-hosting: Official self-hosted server available; Standard File protocol is documented
• Simplicity: The basic editor is intentionally distraction-free — some users prefer this

The Automattic Question

Automattic's acquisition of Standard Notes raised community concerns about long-term pricing independence. Automattic also owns Tumblr, Pocket Casts, Day One, and WordPress.com — all previously independent tools with pricing changes post-acquisition. The team maintains that the encryption design means Automattic can't read notes even if they wanted to, but pricing direction remains a concern.

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Notesnook

Overview

Notesnook launched in 2021 (open-sourced in 2023) as a direct competitor to Evernote and Standard Notes. In 2026, it's the most actively developed of the three, with a fresh UI, strong mobile apps, and a Pro plan priced competitively.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web

GitHub stars: ~13,824

Pricing

Plan	Price	Included
Basic	$0	5GB storage, all editors, 30-day note history, 3 devices
Pro	$4.49/month ($44.99/year)	15GB storage, unlimited devices, unlimited history, notebook sharing
Education	$1.49/month	Same as Pro (student verification required)

The standout: Notesnook's free tier includes all editors — rich text, Markdown, tables, checklists, code blocks. Unlike Standard Notes, you get full editing functionality without paying.

Editors Available (All Plans)

• Rich text (WYSIWYG)
• Markdown with live preview
• Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• Tables
• Checklists / to-do lists
• Embeds (images, attachments)

Mobile App Quality

Notesnook has the best mobile UX of the three:

• Material Design 3 implementation (Android) / native-feeling iOS app
• Biometric lock
• Quick notes from notification tray
• Swipe gestures for notebook navigation
• Monograph: publish a note as a public web page

Self-Hosting (v3+)

Notesnook added self-hosting support with v3 (released 2025):

git clone https://github.com/streetwriters/notesnook-sync-server
docker-compose up -d

The sync server is the feature-complete server that handles auth, notes, attachments, and sync. It requires Docker, a domain, and SSL. The documentation is good but more complex than Joplin's setup.

Limitations

• Younger than competitors — fewer power-user features like Joplin's plugin ecosystem
• No WikiLinks — can't link notes to other notes by title (Joplin supports this via plugins)
• Import quality — Evernote import works well; Notion import is partial
• Self-hosting is newer — expect rough edges compared to Joplin's self-hosting maturity

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Joplin	Standard Notes	Notesnook
Open source	✅ MIT	✅ AGPL	✅ GPL-3.0
E2EE	✅	✅	✅
Self-hosting	✅ (mature)	✅	✅ (v3+)
Free sync	✅ (Nextcloud/WebDAV)	❌ (very limited)	✅ (5GB)
Rich text editor	✅ (limited)	Pro only	✅ (free)
Mobile UX	⚠️ dated	Good	✅ excellent
Plugin ecosystem	✅ 200+	Limited	None
GitHub stars	53K	6K	14K
Monthly cost (paid)	$2.99+ (optional)	$9.99	$4.49
Note linking	✅ (via plugin)	No	No
Note sharing	✅ Joplin Cloud	✅ Pro	✅ Monograph
Import from Evernote	✅	✅	✅

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Which Should You Choose?

Choose Joplin if:

• You want to self-host on your own Nextcloud/WebDAV/S3 (most storage options)
• You're a power user who wants plugins (Kanban, enhanced editors, backup scripts)
• You use Markdown natively and don't need WYSIWYG
• You want the most established, battle-tested privacy notes app
• Cost is important — Joplin is free when syncing to your own storage

Choose Standard Notes if:

• You've used it for years and trust its track record
• You want the simplest possible notes experience (minimal UI)
• You can justify $9.99/month for the professional plan
• You need the longest history of zero-knowledge encryption in production

Choose Notesnook if:

• You're new to privacy notes and want the best onboarding experience
• Mobile notes quality matters most
• You want all editors on the free plan
• You prefer a modern, actively-developed interface
• You're on a budget ($4.49/month Pro vs $9.99 Standard Notes)

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Migration Notes

From Evernote: All three import ENEX files. Joplin's Evernote importer is the most mature (handles embedded images, attachments, formatting).

From Notion: Partial support across all three for Notion's export format. None handles Notion databases. Notesnook has the best Notion import as of 2026.

From Apple Notes: No direct import path for any of the three. Best workaround: export as PDF or text via Apple Notes, then import.

End-to-End Encryption: How the Three Approaches Differ

All three apps claim zero-knowledge encryption, but the implementations have meaningful differences worth understanding before committing your data.

Joplin encrypts notes on-device using AES-256-CBC with a master key derived from your password. Importantly, this encryption only applies when you explicitly enable it — Joplin's E2EE is opt-in, not default. New users syncing via Nextcloud or WebDAV without enabling the E2EE setting will store plaintext notes on their server. The upside is flexibility: you control whether to pay the performance cost of encryption for notes that don't require it.

Standard Notes has had E2EE enabled by default since day one — it was the original design constraint, not a feature retrofitted later. The server has never received plaintext notes from any client. The encryption protocol has undergone formal third-party audits, giving it stronger credibility than either alternative for users with strict security requirements.

Notesnook uses XChaCha20-Poly1305 for note content and Argon2 for key derivation — more modern cryptographic primitives than Joplin's AES-CBC approach. Like Standard Notes, E2EE is on by default with no opt-out. The tradeoff is that Argon2 key derivation is intentionally slow, so initial sync on large note libraries can feel sluggish on older mobile hardware.

For teams evaluating encrypted note apps alongside wiki and knowledge base tools, the best open source note-taking and wiki tools 2026 compares these three apps alongside team-oriented tools like Outline, BookStack, and Obsidian — useful for organizations that need both personal encrypted notes and shared team documentation.

The privacy case for encrypted notes extends beyond personal preference — regulatory trends in the EU and increasingly in the US are pushing organizations toward tools where data sovereignty is structurally guaranteed, not contractually promised. All three of these apps encrypt on-device before transmitting, which means the server operator genuinely cannot read your notes even under a subpoena or a security breach. This structural privacy model — where encryption is architectural rather than policy-based — is the same principle driving adoption of self-hosted tools across the broader software stack, from password managers to team wikis to source code forges. Organizations evaluating these tools as part of a wider move toward data sovereignty will find relevant context in EU digital sovereignty laws driving OSS adoption, which covers the regulatory tailwind that makes self-hosted, open source tools increasingly the default choice for compliance-conscious teams rather than a niche preference.

See related: Best Open Source Alternatives to 1Password and How to Self-Host Forgejo.

Methodology

• GitHub stars from GitHub.com (March 2026)
• Pricing verified on official websites (March 2026)
• Self-hosting instructions tested against official documentation
• Date: March 2026

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Browse all open source Evernote and Notion alternatives at OSSAlt.