Best / Notes apps
Best open-source Notes apps
The best self-hosted notes split in the c17.io catalog is Memos for MIT capture (the published Evernote/Keep stack), TriliumNext for an AGPL hierarchical notebook, Joplin for AGPL clients you sync yourself, and AppFlowy when you want an AGPL Notion-shaped workspace. Obsidian is listed with a caveat: the app is not open source. A team wiki stays on /best/docs-wiki.
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Ranked picks
1
MemosMIT Markdown timeline — the c17 Evernote/Google Keep stack.
When to pick it: Capture you host. One Go binary plus a volume.
63,897 stars in the catalog
2
TriliumNext NotesAGPL-3.0 hierarchical notebook (TriliumNext/Trilium). Already named on the notes stack.
When to pick it: A tree of notes, not a timeline.
38,388 stars in the catalog
3
JoplinAGPL-3.0-or-later clients. Joplin Server is a personal-use license — not the company vault.
When to pick it: AGPL notes on every device. Sync to a target you choose — /compare/joplin-vs-obsidian.
56,785 stars in the catalog
4
AppFlowyAGPL-3.0 Notion-shaped workspace — /compare/affine-vs-appflowy.
When to pick it: A workspace, not a later-queue. Docmost remains the published wiki.
77,535 stars in the catalog
5
ObsidianMarkdown editor on local files. The app is not open source.
When to pick it: A proprietary editor on a local vault. Official Sync is a vendor product.
How they compare
| Tool | License | Self-host | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memos | MIT License | Easy | Capture you host. One Go binary plus a volume. |
| TriliumNext Notes | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 | Medium | A tree of notes, not a timeline. |
| Joplin | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 | Easy | AGPL notes on every device. Sync to a target you choose — /compare/joplin-vs-obsidian. |
| AppFlowy | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 | Medium | A workspace, not a later-queue. Docmost remains the published wiki. |
| Obsidian | Not listed | Easy | A proprietary editor on a local vault. Official Sync is a vendor product. |
Related pages
FAQ
- Memos or Joplin?
- Memos if you want a small MIT box you host (the published stack). Joplin if you want AGPL clients and a sync target you pick. Do not deploy Joplin Server for a company.
- Is Obsidian open source?
- No. This page says so plainly — /compare/joplin-vs-obsidian.
- Notes or a wiki?
- This page is capture and notebooks. /best/docs-wiki is Docmost / BookStack / Outline.
- Are these free?
- Memos is MIT. TriliumNext and AppFlowy are AGPL-3.0. Joplin clients are AGPL. Obsidian's personal app is a proprietary download. You pay hosting or disk. Template users never pay c17.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open /stacks/memos-notes. Persist a volume. Wikis stay on /stacks/docmost-wiki.
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