Joplin is a free, open-source note-taking app that syncs your notes to your own cloud storage. It supports markdown, to-do lists, web clipper, and end-to-end encryption, all without locking you into a proprietary platform.
What Is Joplin?
Started in 2017 by Laurent Cozic, Joplin was designed as an Evernote alternative that respects privacy. Your notes are stored locally as markdown files and can be synced via Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or the file system. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Key Features
- End-to-end encryption: Encrypt all notes and notebooks with a password before syncing.
- Markdown support: Write notes with markdown formatting and attach images and PDFs.
- Web clipper: Save articles and web pages directly into Joplin from your browser.
- Tags and notebooks: Organize notes with both folders and tags.
- Offline first: All notes are available locally; sync happens in the background.
Pricing
Joplin is completely free. The official Joplin Cloud sync service is optional and costs around $2 per month. You can use your own cloud storage at no cost.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Free, open source, E2EE, choose your own sync backend, cross-platform, web clipper included.
Cons: UI is less polished than Notion, no real-time collaboration, no database views, mobile apps can feel clunky.
Who Should Use It?
Joplin is for privacy-conscious users who want notes they own. It is a strong choice for people migrating out of Evernote, students who want markdown notes, and anyone who refuses to store personal data on someone else’s server.
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