Self-hosted alternatives to Evernote
Want note taking and web clipping without handing your data to Evernote? These 23 open-source apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $3.5/month.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joplin direct | Actively maintained | 57k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Memos | Actively maintained | 64.3k | MIT | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| TriliumNext Notes | Actively maintained | 38.7k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Docs | Actively maintained | 17k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Blinko | Actively maintained | 11.2k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| draw.io | Actively maintained | 9.1k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| HedgeDoc | Actively maintained | 7.5k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Standard Notes | Actively maintained | 6.7k | GPL-3.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| SilverBullet | Actively maintained | 6.4k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| flatnotes | Actively maintained | 3.3k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| NoteDiscovery | Actively maintained | 2.9k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Overleaf | Maintained | 18.3k | AGPL-3.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Jotty | Actively maintained | 2k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| bewCloud | Actively maintained | 1.2k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| Many Notes | Actively maintained | 1.1k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Livebook | Maintained | 5.9k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Note Mark | Actively maintained | 776 | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| DailyTxT | Actively maintained | 510 | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Plainpad | Actively maintained | 452 | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| plumio | Actively maintained | 142 | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Neverkin | Actively maintained | 21 | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Writing | Possibly unmaintained | 1.1k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Turtl | Health unknown | – | GPL-3.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
The options in detail
1. Joplin
Note taking application with markdown editor and encryption support for mobile and desktop platforms. Runs client-side and syncs through your own Nextcloud instance or similar (alternative to Evernote).
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-03. Latest release v3.7.22 (2026-10-28). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
2. Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release 26.11.0 (2026-11-01). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
3. TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-04. Latest release v0.106.1 (2026-10-23). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. Docs
Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release v6.0.4 (2026-10-26). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
5. Blinko
Personal note tool with AI features.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-08-27. Latest release 1.8.8 (2026-06-20). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
6. draw.io
Diagram software for making flowcharts, process diagrams, org charts, UML, ER and network diagrams.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-30. Latest release v32.6.9 (2026-10-30). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
7. HedgeDoc
Realtime collaborative markdown notes on all platforms, formerly known as CodiMD and HackMD CE.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release 1.12.0 (2026-08-21). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
8. Standard Notes
Simple and private notes app. Protect your privacy while getting more done. That's Standard Notes.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release @standardnotes/mobile@3.203.0 (2026-11-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
9. SilverBullet
Note-taking application optimized for people with a hacker mindset.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release 2.12.1 (2026-10-12). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
10. flatnotes
Database-less note-taking web app that utilises a flat folder of markdown files for storage.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-08-29. Latest release v5.5.5 (2026-08-29). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
11. NoteDiscovery
Markdown note-taking app with plain-file storage, graph view, and MCP integration (alternative to Obsidian, Notion).
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-02. Latest release v0.34.0 (2026-11-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
12. Overleaf
Web-based collaborative LaTeX editor.
Maintained Last activity 2026-09-17. Latest release v0.1.3 (2015-02-26). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
13. Jotty
Lightweight but powerful alternative for managing your personal, file based, notes and checklists.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-25. Latest release 1.29.2 (2026-10-25). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
14. bewCloud
File sharing + sync, notes, and photos (alternative to Nextcloud and ownCloud's RSS reader).
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-18. Latest release v4.21.0 (2026-10-18). Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
15. Many Notes
Markdown note-taking web application designed for simplicity.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-22. Latest release v0.18.1 (2026-10-22). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
16. Livebook
Realtime collaborative notebook app based on Markdown that supports running Elixir code snippets, TeX and Mermaid Diagrams. Easily deployed using Docker or Elixir.
Maintained Last activity 2026-10-26. Latest release nightly (2024-10-25). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
17. Note Mark
Minimal web-based Markdown notes app.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-02. Latest release v1.1.1 (2026-10-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
18. DailyTxT
Encrypted diary Web application to save your personal memories of each day. Includes a search function and encrypted file upload.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-10. Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
19. Plainpad
Modern note taking application for the cloud, utilizing the best features of progressive web apps technology.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-26. Latest release 1.2.0 (2026-10-26). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
20. plumio
Markdown notes taking app with live preview, document encryption, multi-user support, multi-organization capabilities and more.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-21. Latest release v2.11.0 (2026-08-11). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
21. Neverkin
Collaborative writing, worldbuilding and D&D-session-planning app. Tools for organizing your notes and stories.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-10-28. Latest release v2.68.3 (2026-10-28). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
22. Writing
Lightweight distraction-free text editor, in the browser (Markdown and LaTeX supported). No lag when writing.
Possibly unmaintained Last activity 2022-08-10. Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
23. Turtl
Totally private personal database and note taking app.
Health unknown Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Evernote?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Actively maintained and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
Browse related categories
Other alternatives guides
Evernote is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.