Docs and wikis
Free and open-source Evernote alternatives
Evernote (Note-taking and organization app) is a commercial product. These 2 tools do the same job and are free to use or to self-host.
Short answer: the best free alternatives to Evernote are Joplin and Obsidian. Self-hosting is free; you pay only for the server (a small VPS is about $4–6/mo). Licenses and prices checked 2026-10-01.
Open-source notes with end-to-end encryption; sync via your own cloud.
Open source (AGPL-3.0) ·★ 57k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details
Markdown notes on local files; closed source, sync and publish are paid.
Source-available (Proprietary, free to use) ·details
Want paid options too? See all Evernote alternatives or the full free alternatives list.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to Evernote?+
Yes. Joplin and Obsidian do the same job for free; Joplin is open source.
What is the best open-source alternative to Evernote?+
Joplin is the most starred on GitHub (57k stars). Open-source notes with end-to-end encryption; sync via your own cloud.
Open source: OSI-approved license. Free to self-host: the code is public and free to run yourself, with limits in the license.