Open-source alternatives to Joplin

This project is a comprehensive zero-knowledge security suite designed for enterprise credential management, secrets orchestration, and password management. It provides a secure, end-to-end encrypted vault that allows users to store, synchronize, and manage sensitive information, including passwords, passkeys, and infrastructure secrets, across desktop, mobile, and browser environments. The platform distinguishes itself through a strict zero-knowledge architecture where all encryption and decryption occur locally on the client, ensuring that plaintext data remains inaccessible to the server.

Saber is a cross-platform handwriting application and digital ink organizer designed for creating, storing, and managing handwritten notes. It functions as an encrypted note synchronization tool that keeps private content consistent across phones, tablets, and computers. The application features a handwriting interface framework that supports digital document annotation and a hierarchical file system for arranging notes into nested folders. It utilizes client-side end-to-end encryption to secure data before transmission and synchronizes state across devices via a cloud relay. The system incl

QOwnNotes is a desktop note editor that stores each note as a plain-text Markdown file on the local filesystem, avoiding proprietary formats and enabling direct file access. It functions as a Nextcloud Notes client, syncing notes and metadata with Nextcloud or ownCloud servers through a companion API service for versioning and sharing. The application also integrates with AI providers and exposes a local MCP server for external agents to search and fetch notes, and includes a companion browser extension for capturing web content, bookmarks, and screenshots. The editor distinguishes itself thr

AFFiNE is a collaborative knowledge base and productivity suite designed as a private-first, local-first platform. It provides an integrated workspace that combines structured documents with an infinite digital canvas, allowing users to organize complex information through a block-based model. By prioritizing local data persistence, the platform ensures immediate responsiveness and data sovereignty while maintaining a distributed state for real-time synchronization across multiple devices. The platform distinguishes itself through a canvas-integrated database engine that enables transitions b

AppFlowy is a local-first knowledge base and collaborative workspace platform designed for structured information management. It functions as a modular productivity suite where users organize content through a block-based document model, allowing for flexible nesting and granular manipulation of data. The system prioritizes data sovereignty by enabling self-hosted storage, ensuring that sensitive information remains under user control while maintaining offline accessibility. The platform distinguishes itself through a decoupled architecture that separates its high-performance, memory-safe cor

CryptPad is a self-hosted, zero-knowledge office suite designed for real-time collaborative editing and content management. It provides a privacy-centric infrastructure where documents, files, and notes are encrypted in the browser before transmission, ensuring that the server administrator cannot access the underlying data. The platform implements zero-knowledge user authentication, utilizing cryptographic keys to verify identities so that plain text passwords are never stored on the server. To further isolate sensitive operations, the system employs a security architecture that separates th

This project is a community-curated directory of open-source software designed for deployment in private server environments and home labs. It serves as a comprehensive resource for discovering independent, self-hosted alternatives to mainstream cloud services, enabling users to maintain full data ownership and control over their digital infrastructure. The directory is structured through a hierarchical taxonomy that organizes a vast collection of applications into logical categories, ranging from media management and data analytics to private communication and team productivity tools. It dis

This project is a reactive, offline-first NoSQL database engine designed for JavaScript applications. It provides a robust framework for managing application state by synchronizing data across browsers, mobile devices, and server-side runtimes. By treating local storage as the primary source of truth, it enables applications to remain functional without network connectivity, automatically reconciling changes with remote backends once a connection is restored. The database distinguishes itself through a modular architecture that supports cross-environment synchronization and high-performance d

Etherpad-lite is a web-based platform designed for real-time collaborative text editing. It enables multiple users to view and modify the same document simultaneously, utilizing an operational transformation engine to synchronize content across all connected client sessions. The platform distinguishes itself through a modular, plugin-based architecture that allows for the integration of third-party extensions to introduce custom functionality. It provides a comprehensive programmatic interface for document management, allowing users to automate the creation, update, and retrieval of text docu

Omni-Notes is a mobile note-taking application and personal knowledge management tool used for creating and organizing text notes, checklists, and sketches. It functions as a multimedia knowledge base that integrates voice input, images, and audio files to maintain a searchable digital archive. The application utilizes a tag-based filtering system to group and search for stored information using metadata and categories. It further extends productivity by providing home and lock screen widgets that expose note snapshots and shortcuts for rapid access. The system supports the creation of struc

Docmost is an open-source knowledge management system designed as a collaborative documentation platform for teams. It functions as an enterprise wiki that centralizes organizational information into structured, searchable workspaces, enabling users to create, organize, and share content through a hierarchical system of spaces and pages. The platform distinguishes itself by integrating artificial intelligence directly into the documentation lifecycle. It utilizes vector-based semantic search to allow for natural language queries across stored content and provides AI-assisted tools for draftin

anytype-ts is a TypeScript client library and offline-first knowledge base client designed for managing structured layouts and modular blocks within a private distributed database. It functions as a zero-knowledge data synchronizer and schema-driven API wrapper that enables the secure replication of encrypted data across devices. The library utilizes peer-to-peer connectivity and zero-knowledge encryption to ensure data remains private and unreadable to hosting infrastructure. It employs a schema-driven approach to compile data definitions into typed language bindings, ensuring consistent com

This project is a native C++ desktop application for personal knowledge management. It functions as a local-first markdown note-taking tool and knowledge base, ensuring data is stored directly on the local device for offline access and user ownership. The application distinguishes itself by transforming markdown task lists into interactive kanban boards for visual workflow tracking. It also emphasizes keyboard-driven productivity, utilizing system-wide hotkeys to summon the application to the foreground and navigate its interface without a mouse. The software provides hierarchical content or

Butterfly is a note-taking app where your ideas come first. You can paint, add texts, and export them easily on every device. This app works on Android, Windows, Linux, and in the web.

Memos is a self-hosted, container-native knowledge management platform designed for capturing and organizing personal notes. It functions as a private workspace where users can create content using markdown, tags, and media embeds to streamline daily productivity. The system is built to be deployed as a portable service, allowing individuals to maintain full control over their data and hosting environment. Beyond its core note-taking capabilities, the platform operates as a headless content service that exposes a structured RESTful API. This interface allows for programmatic interaction, enab

BookStack is a self-hosted knowledge base platform designed for organizing, storing, and managing structured documentation. It utilizes a hierarchical content model that arranges information into nested trees of books, chapters, and pages, supported by a dedicated search index for rapid retrieval across the entire knowledge base. The platform distinguishes itself through deep integration with enterprise identity providers, allowing organizations to centralize authentication and access control via LDAP, SAML, or OIDC. It provides extensive administrative control over the content lifecycle, inc

Upspin is a decentralized naming and storage system that provides an end-to-end encrypted file system. It assigns every user a unique identity and organizes files within a global, permissioned namespace where data is encrypted on the client before transmission. The system separates identity resolution from data storage using a public-key identity provider and a key-server architecture. This allows for decentralized identity management and the resolution of usernames to specific directory and storage server addresses. The project includes a hierarchical access control system that manages read

Remotely Save is a cloud storage synchronization tool and backup manager designed to keep local files and application data consistent across desktop and mobile devices. It functions as a cross-platform synchronizer that mirrors local data to remote servers using S3 and other cloud protocols. The project focuses on privacy and security through end-to-end encryption, which secures files with a user-defined password before they are uploaded to remote cloud services. It ensures data remains private on third-party servers by applying symmetric client-side encryption. The system includes capabilit

Linsa.io is an end-to-end encrypted cloud storage service and zero-knowledge data vault. It functions as a private content sharing platform that encrypts files and data on the client side, ensuring only the owner can access the stored content. The project employs a local-first approach, processing data updates and encryption on the local device before syncing encrypted blobs to a remote persistence layer. It uses a zero-knowledge architecture where the service provider cannot access decryption keys or view the plaintext content of stored files. The platform provides capabilities for private

Croc is a command-line utility for sending files and folders between computers using end-to-end encrypted peer-to-peer connections. It employs elliptic curve encryption and key agreement to secure data transmission between remote endpoints. The tool allows users to coordinate transfers using a shared code phrase and supports the operation of custom relay servers to facilitate connections without relying on public infrastructure. It also includes a proxy client to route encrypted traffic through SOCKS5 proxies. Additional capabilities include resumable data transmission for unstable connectio

Send is an end-to-end encrypted file sharing service that encrypts files on the sender's device before upload, ensuring the server never sees plaintext content. It generates secure download links that are designed for single use, automatically removing access after the first successful download, and associates each share with a time-limited access token that expires after a set duration. The service operates without requiring user accounts, lowering friction for ephemeral sharing, and uses cryptographic key derivation to generate decryption keys from the download URL, eliminating server-side

Ockam is a zero-trust networking framework designed to secure data transit between distributed applications using an identity-based network overlay. It provides the primitives necessary to establish mutually authenticated and end-to-end encrypted connections, removing the reliance on traditional network-layer security. The project is distinguished by its use of attribute-based access control and verifiable credentials to manage trust at scale. It implements cryptographic identity rotation to maintain identity continuity and integrates with hardware-backed key management systems to secure priv

Microbin is a self-hosted file sharing application and encrypted pastebin written in Rust. It provides a platform for hosting text snippets and binary files via unique links, functioning as both a secure file drop and a URL shortener. The system features client-side end-to-end encryption, ensuring the server does not see plaintext data before it is transmitted. It includes secure postbox portals for collecting documents from external clients and supports password-protected access control to restrict content visibility. The platform manages the upload lifecycle through time and view-based exp

Hoodie is a data synchronization framework and offline-first JavaScript backend designed to keep client-side data stores in sync with a remote backend. It provides a local-first persistence layer that allows applications to remain functional while offline by abstracting the client-side database. The system features a NoSQL backend interface that enables interaction with remote data stores without requiring custom server-side boilerplate code. This is supported by a modular driver system of pluggable backend adapters that connect the synchronization layer to various remote database providers.

Deskreen is a wireless screen mirroring and virtual display tool that streams a computer screen or specific application windows to any device with a web browser. It functions as a virtual display streamer and a web-based secondary monitor, allowing users to extend their desktop workspace to remote devices over a local network. The system supports end-to-end encrypted screen sharing to protect display data and utilizes virtual display adapters to treat remote browsers as extended screens. It includes capabilities for multi-device broadcasting, enabling a single video source to be mirrored acro

This project is a virtual whiteboard component and vector graphics editor designed for creating diagrams with a hand-drawn aesthetic. It provides a canvas-based drawing engine that can be embedded directly into web applications, allowing users to manipulate shapes, upload images, and export visual data into standard formats like PNG, SVG, or JSON. The platform distinguishes itself through a real-time synchronization layer that supports multi-user collaboration across distributed environments. This engine utilizes end-to-end encryption to secure shared sessions and employs a local-first data p