CherryTree
Hierarchical note-taking software that is free, open-source, cross-platform. Features include rich text, syntax highlighting, multi-level lists, embedded files, customizable interface, code execution, PDF export, spell check, images & tables, and comprehensive project management support.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
- PortableApps.com
- Flatpak
Features
Properties
- Privacy focused
- Customizable
Features
- Hierarchical Structure
- Tree structure
- Infinite hierarchical depth
- Outliner
- Includes images in notes
- Tree view
- Rich text editing
- Active Development
- Internal linking
- Text-manipulation
- Tagging
- Tree Style Tabs
- Export to HTML
- Syntax Highlighting
- Outline folding
- Outline organization
- Outline mode
- Protected by Password
- Notebook
- Works Offline
- Ad-free
- Portable
- Code Formatting
- Support for MarkDown
- No registration required
- Export to PDF
- Multiple languages
- Password encryption
- Support for Android Things
- Folder Tree
- Integrated Search
- Data portability
- Tablet support
Tags
- Encryption
- german
- rich-text
- tree
CherryTree News & Activities
Recent News
Recent activities
- pastel_p1xel_punK added AddedAsAlternative
yousef-mohamad added CherryTree as alternative to myfreelancermate
sanchaitadey07 added CherryTree as alternative to Daily Journal- vantapink liked CherryTree
jkanev added CherryTree as alternative to TreeTime
eluzja added CherryTree as alternative to TreeProjects- KonsD reviewed CherryTree
Very convenient program for local notes
- aramg267 reviewed CherryTree
I have tried Zim then CherryTree. It has more useful features for programmers and also more formatting options. Tables and code blocks are really game changers here. Also it can import almost from anything so migration to it is very easy.
- aramg267 added Privacy focused as a feature to CherryTree
- aramg267 liked CherryTree
Featured in Lists
I spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for a PKM tool that fits my organizational needs. Everything falls …
A list with 43 apps by BlueThrasher22 without a description.
A list with 570 apps by AmileyaRyver without a description.
What is CherryTree?
A hierarchical note taking application, featuring rich text and syntax highlighting, storing data in a single xml or sqlite file.
- Rich text
- Syntax highlighting
- Images handling
- Embedded files handling
- Multi-level lists handling
- Simple tables handling
- Codeboxes handling
- Execution of the code for code nodes and codeboxes
- Alignment of text, images, tables and codeboxes
- Hyperlinks associated to text and images
- Spell check
- Intra application copy/paste
- Cross application copy/paste
- Copying a list of files from the file manager and pasting in cherrytree will create a list of links to files, images are recognized and inserted in the text
- Print & save as pdf file of a selection / node / node and subnodes / the whole tree
- Export to html of a selection / node / node and subnodes / the whole tree
- Export to plain text of a selection / node / node and subnodes / the whole tree
- TOC generation for a node / node and subnodes / the whole tree, based on headers h1, h2 and h3
- Find a node, find in selected node, find in selected node and subnodes, find in all nodes
- Replace in nodes names, replace in selected node, replace in selected node and subnodes, replace in all nodes
- Iteration of the latest find, iteration of the latest replace, iteration of the latest applied text formatting
- Import from html file, import from folder of html files
- Import from plain text file, import from folder of plain text files
- Import from basket, cherrytree, epim html, gnote, keepnote, keynote, knowit, mempad, notecase, rednotebook, tomboy, treepad lite, tuxcards, zim
- Export to cherrytree file of a selection / node / node and subnodes / the whole tree
- Password protection
- Tree nodes drag and drop
- Automatic link to web page if writing the URL
- Automatic link to node if writing node name either with no spaces and camelcase or surrounded by [[node name]]
CherryTree information
Developed by
Giuseppe PenoneLicensing
Open Source and Free product.Written in
Rating
Average rating of 3.8Alternatives
97 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
AlternativeTo Categories
Office & Productivity, DevelopmentGitHub repository
- 3,766 Stars
- 499 Forks
- 905 Open Issues
- Updated
Comments and Reviews
I have a hobby of making huge archives of data and stuff that I come across while I crawl through the internet, reading and learning. This archive, as of writing this, is about 5 GB in size, 2000 files filled with information, images, videos, and whatnot, hand processed in LibreOffice, GIMP, and other stuff. This archive is just a whole bunch of folder and files on my local disk. I spent a long time finding something that could potentially hold all this data in just one space, in one file. No, a simple tar.gz file wasn't going to cut it, and that is because I also wanted to be able to search each of these files' contents for certain words in the future. Just having them as folders and files wasn't good enough. Sure, I could search the file names themselves using FSearch, but what if I wanted to search for a certain idea within one of my odt files, not just searching for the names of the files? FSearch couldn't do that.
Enter CherryTree. Its hierarchical approach to note-taking is similar enough to my current archive's structure. It has a serviceable text editor, with highlighting, lists, and headings. It can attach files to the database you are working on. Most important of all to me, it can search through the contents of each "node" in the hierarchical structure. All I have to do now is to copy and paste all the contents of each file I've created into CherryTree. Voila! I can now search to find whatever key phrase I want! (Well...that's the plan. It's going to take time to make this goal a reality. That I know it is possible with this software, however, makes me glad.)
That's enough about my personal usage of it. Users will find that there are quite a few options in the preferences to tinker with to make your note taking experience just how you want it. You can also password-protect your notes in either an SQLite or XML file if you wish.
My only gripe is that dragging and dropping files into CherryTree doesn't really work the way you might want it to. Doing this will give you only the file's path, not embed the file itself into the database. You'll have to attach files the old-fashioned way by navigating to the file when prompted to do so.
Nevertheless, I think if you are the type of person who likes to keep their ideas and notes organized in a single file, then CherryTree is a good...pick.
[Edited by TerrifiedTyphlosion, December 04] (typo)
Used for more than one year and I'm going back to Zim. If you won't use images, than CT is great. If yes, you'll use images, then use anything else. CherryTree unfortunately lacks image resize on its interface. So if you are working with many text and images and just need the thumb view it will resize the file itself, not the shown picture. I opened a feature request on its page almost 2 years ago but didn't got any reply either.
Only text = Go with CherryTree Using images on your notes = Go for Zim, OneNote and many others.
[Edited by joelfabiani, October 28]
Resizing images is very easy now
I have tried Zim then CherryTree. It has more useful features for programmers and also more formatting options. Tables and code blocks are really game changers here. Also it can import almost from anything so migration to it is very easy.
Very convenient program for local notes
I like CherryTree because I can create a huge encyclopedia in a single file. I appreciate the ability to use special symbols in node names (nodes are like pages within CherryTree file).
When CherryTree is working right, it is my favorite Note-taking app. I use numbers of note-taking apps and CherryTree, Obsidian, and AllMyNotes are the only ones I've seen import URL/hyperlink links smoothly. On the downside, the file system is proprietary and if anything goes wrong, it can be impossible to rebuild, and it doesn't export to .rtf. CherryTree offers starting file format choices. Sqlite may be the most reliable/easiest to reassemble. Like most other programs, CherryTree has quirks.. for one, ambiguous icons. I notice that extra .ctb files get tilde marks at the end that can be removed to make the file usable. I'm trying other programs now which DO export to .rtf.
I'm slowly migrating from Windows and onto Linux, so I'm replacing Windows specific apps with ones that have both Windows and Linux versions where possible.
In looking for a OneNote replacement, the top recommendation was Joplin, and Obsidian, and Simplenote, but they all had problems with images, or URL links, or setting up a hierarchical tree structure to match my OneNotes.
There is no OneNote to CherryTree migration utility, but I could define the same tree structure, and copy and paste each page individually to CherryTree. I had 75 pages, but it only took about 15 minutes, and most importantly, all links, formatting, bitmaps and the like were retained. There were a few font changes, but that's minor.
I'm sure that there are lots of OneNote features that aren't in CherryTree, but if I've used OneNote for more than 5 years and haven't used them yet, I'm not likely to need them in the future.
I'm sure that Obsidian and the others may have more features that make it more compelling for others, but as a platform agnostic OneNote replacement, it does the job for me.