laurent22/joplin

Joplin — a privacy-focused, open-source note-taking app with sync across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. Markdown-first; encrypted sync via your chosen backend.

What it is

A note + to-do app with end-to-end encrypted sync. Notes live in Markdown; sync targets are user-chosen (Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or self-hosted). Desktop apps via Electron; mobile via React Native; CLI version available. Distinguishes itself from Notion / Evernote by being self-hostable and not gating features behind subscriptions.

Key features

Markdown-first notes with rich-text fallback.
End-to-end encrypted sync via user-chosen backend (Joplin Cloud / Dropbox / OneDrive / Nextcloud / WebDAV / S3).
Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, CLI.
Plugin ecosystem.
Web Clipper browser extension.
Note tagging, search, attachments, drawings (Excalidraw integration).
License is NOASSERTION per SPDX — verify the LICENSE file in the repo before commercial redistribution; the core has been AGPL-ish historically.

Tech stack

TypeScript primary across the codebase.
Electron for desktop.
React Native for mobile.

When to reach for it

You want self-hostable, sync-friendly note-taking without Notion's lock-in.
You're privacy-sensitive and need E2EE on notes.
You want Markdown as the canonical format.

When not to reach for it

You want collaborative real-time editing — Joplin's sync is async / file-based.
You want a polished, hosted UX without setup — Joplin Cloud exists but the appeal is self-hosting.

Maturity signal

55k stars, 6k forks, actively maintained. The 571 open-issues count tracks the breadth of supported platforms + sync backends.

Alternatives

Obsidian — local-first Markdown notes; closed source but free for personal use.
Logseq — OSS local-first outliner-style.
Notion — managed SaaS, more powerful but cloud-locked.

Wiki: laurent22/joplin