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Joplin

Free Private Notes App With Encryption — Joplin

Keep unlimited notes offline with encryption — free Evernote alternative with Markdown support.

v3.6.13
May 2026
WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSFreeOpen Source

Evernote's free tier now limits users to just three devices and fifty notes — a fraction of what once made it useful. Microsoft OneNote is free but requires a Microsoft account and stores everything on OneDrive. Notion is powerful but processes your content on US servers with no end-to-end encryption, making it unsuitable for sensitive journals or private research.

Joplin is an open-source note-taking app that stores everything as plain Markdown files on your own device, with no account required for local use. You own your data in a format that will remain readable decades from now — not a proprietary binary format that becomes inaccessible if the company shuts down or changes direction.

Synchronization is optional and works with cloud storage you already have: Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or a self-hosted Joplin Server. Crucially, end-to-end encryption ensures that even if your sync provider is compromised, your notes remain unreadable to anyone without your encryption key. The server only ever receives ciphertext.

The editor supports full Markdown with a rendered preview, tables, code blocks, task checkboxes, and embedded images. A browser extension for Firefox and Chrome clips web pages directly into your notebooks. External editor integration lets you write in Vim, VS Code, or any text editor you prefer, with changes synced back to Joplin automatically.

Joplin runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, plus a terminal CLI version for power users. Compared to Obsidian, Joplin is fully open source under AGPL-3.0 with no paid tiers — Obsidian Sync costs $4 per month and the application code is proprietary. Compared to Standard Notes, Joplin's free tier includes a full rich editor rather than plain text only.

Related Tools

  • Notesnook — End-to-end encrypted notes with a polished mobile app if you want zero-knowledge sync without managing your own server
  • Super Productivity — Pair with Joplin for task and time tracking alongside your notes

FAQ

Is Joplin free?+
Yes, Joplin is completely free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. There are no paid tiers, no subscription fees, and no note limits. All features including end-to-end encryption and cross-device sync are available at no cost. A paid Joplin Cloud service exists for those who want managed hosting, but using your own cloud storage is entirely free.
How to keep notes private for free?+
Install Joplin on your device and set up synchronization with any cloud storage you already use (Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud). Enable end-to-end encryption in the settings, and all notes will be encrypted before leaving your device. The sync provider only receives ciphertext. For fully offline use, no cloud connection is needed at all.
Best free alternative to Evernote?+
Joplin is one of the best free alternatives to Evernote. It offers unlimited notes, Markdown editing, tags, notebooks, cross-device sync, and optional end-to-end encryption — all free. Unlike Evernote, your notes are stored as plain Markdown files you can read and edit with any text editor, giving you complete ownership of your data.
Joplin vs Obsidian — which is better?+
Both store notes as Markdown files locally, but Joplin is fully open source and includes built-in encrypted sync at no cost. Obsidian has a richer plugin ecosystem and better graph view, but its sync service costs $4/month and the app itself is proprietary (source not public). If privacy and zero cost matter most, Joplin is the stronger choice.