DEVONthink AlternativesNote-taking Tools and other similar apps like DEVONthink

DEVONthink is described as 'Organizes and stores documents, notes, emails, and media with AI-powered search, OCR, syncing, encryption, web clipping, and offline access across devices' and is a very popular Note-taking tool in the office & productivity category. There are more than 100 alternatives to DEVONthink for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based and iPhone apps. The best DEVONthink alternative is Obsidian, which is free. Other great apps like DEVONthink are Joplin, Evernote, Notesnook and Zim.

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DEVONthink alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Todo List Managers or Task Management Tools you can filter on that. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to DEVONthink.
DEVONthink iconDEVONthink
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Organizes and stores documents, notes, emails, and media with AI-powered search, OCR, syncing, encryption, web clipping, and offline access across devices.

More about DEVONthink
DEVONthink alternatives page was last updated Jun 13, 2025
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  1. Obsidian icon
     988 likes
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    Privacy-oriented note-taking app for non-linear thinking, blending knowledge graph creation with wiki-style linking. Supports Markdown, end-to-end encryption, and plugins for customization. Offers distraction-free mode, tags, themes, syntax highlighting, and operates offline without tracking.

    114 Obsidian alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Safari
    • Mozilla Firefox

    Top Obsidian Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Local Storage
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Graph view
    5.  Bidirectional links
    6.  Mind Mapping
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Personal Information Manager (PIM)
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  Knowledge Management
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  Backlink

    Obsidian VS DEVONthink

     
    Comments about Obsidian as an Alternative to DEVONthink
    Guest
    Negative May 8, 2025
    0

    Devonthink does a superb job of making many types of content searchable, and supports very flexible means of categorisation.

    In particular, it doesn't lock you into "its" way of doing things.

    Guest
    Negative Dec 22, 2024
    0

    Devonthink is for storing large numbers of different kinds of files, categorizing them, retrieving them, and finding connections between them. Obsidian does some of this, but in a much more limited way, and mostly only for text files.

    DEVONthink Icon
    Obsidian icon
    • Obsidian is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to DEVONthink.

    • Obsidian is the most popular free alternative to DEVONthink.

    • Obsidian is Freemium and ProprietaryDEVONthink is Paid and Proprietary
  2. Joplin icon
     826 likes
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    Open source app for managing notes and to-dos with Markdown support. Syncs seamlessly across devices using services like Dropbox and OneDrive. Offers end-to-end encrypted synchronicity, offline access, rich import/export options, and a Web Clipper for browsers.

    80 Joplin alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Termux
    • Mozilla Firefox

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Cloud Sync
    3.  End-to-End Encryption
    4.  Web Clipper
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Local Storage
    7.  File Sync
    8.  Tagging
    9.  Ad-free
    10. Android icon  Android Sync
    11.  Encrypted Notes
    12.  WebDAV Support

    Joplin VS DEVONthink

     
    • Joplin is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to DEVONthink.

    • Joplin is the most popular Open Source alternative to DEVONthink.

    • Joplin is Freemium and Open SourceDEVONthink is Paid and Proprietary
    • Joplin is Privacy focusedDEVONthink is not according to our users
  3. Evernote icon
     2481 likes
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    App designed for cross-platform note-taking and organizing. Create notes with text, images, and audio, tag and search them. Features offline access, business card scanning, and presentation modes. Integrate with LinkedIn and secure with a passcode lock.

    66 Evernote alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • IT flagItaly
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Blackberry
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Kindle Fire

    Top Evernote Features

    1.  Cloud Sync
    2.  Text formatting
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Hyperlinks
    5.  Folders
    6.  Tagging
    7.  Note organization
    8.  Screenshot OCR
    9.  OCR
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Handwritten Notes
    12.  Support for MarkDown

    Evernote VS DEVONthink

     
    Comments about Evernote as an Alternative to DEVONthink
    Guest
    Negative Jul 27, 2015
    0

    Devon Think is also a file organizer, RSS feeder, and all purpose content documentation software with tagging. Devon Note is a lot more closer to Evernote in functionality.

    DEVONthink Icon
    Evernote icon
    • Evernote is the most popular Web-based alternative to DEVONthink.

    • Evernote is Freemium and ProprietaryDEVONthink is Paid and Proprietary
  4. Notesnook icon
     144 likes
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    Notesnook is a simple and cross-platform private notes app that keeps your notes organized and synced on your phone, tablet and computer. Take notes, capture ideas, create to-do lists, keep a journal, write your assignments and manage projects, we have got you covered.

    261 Notesnook alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • PK flagPakistan

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Encrypted Notes
    2.  Private notes
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Note organization
    5.  End-to-End Encryption
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Support for MarkDown
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Cloud Sync
    11.  Web Clipper
    12.  Reminders

    Notesnook VS DEVONthink

     
    • Notesnook is the most popular SaaS alternative to DEVONthink.

    • Notesnook is Freemium and Open SourceDEVONthink is Paid and Proprietary
    • Notesnook is Privacy focusedDEVONthink is not according to our users
  5. Zim icon
     500 likes
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    Zim brings the concept of a wiki to your desktop. Store information, link pages and edit with WYSISYG markup or directly typing some lightweight markup syntax and see it previewed as-you-type. Creating a new page is easy by either clicking on the "Create new note"...

    299 Zim alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Plain text file
    3.  Wiki-like interface
    4.  Hierarchical Structure
    5.  Cross-Platform
    6.  Note organization
    7.  WYSIWYG Support
    8.  Outliner
    9.  Text formatting
    10.  Portable
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Notebook

    Zim VS DEVONthink

     
    Comments about Zim as an Alternative to DEVONthink
    Guest
    Positive Apr 22, 2024
    0

    Not tied to the Apple ecosystem, free and open source, but still very powerful. I use it for note taking and stuff. You can not do document management things with Zim. I'm an academian, so I use Zotero for that.

    DEVONthink Icon
    Zim icon
    • Some users think Zim is a great DEVONthink alternative, some don't.

    • Zim is Free and Open SourceDEVONthink is Paid and Proprietary
    • Zim is LightweightDEVONthink is not according to our users
  6. Trilium Notes icon
     95 likes
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    Trilium Notes is a hierarchical note taking application.

    350 Trilium Notes alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • Google Chrome
    • Cloudron
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Discontinued

    Trilium transitions into maintenance mode and don't plan adding any new major functionality. You can take a look at this community fork: https://github.com/TriliumNext

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Distraction-free
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Tree of notes
    2.  Knowledge base
    3.  Note organization
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  No Tracking
    6.  Encrypted Notes
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  End-to-End Encryption
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Cloud Sync
    11.  REST API
    12.  Web Clipper

    Trilium Notes VS DEVONthink

     
  7. SiYuan icon
     67 likes
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    SiYuan is a desktop Markdown Block-Reference and Bidirectional-Link note-taking application. Support fine-grained block-level reference and Markdown WYSIWYG.

    57 SiYuan alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • CN flagChina

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Docker
    • Docker Hub
    • F-Droid

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Local Storage
    2.  Block reference
    3.  Bidirectional links
    4.  WYSIWYG Support
    5.  Graph view
    6.  Web Clipper
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  End-to-End Encryption
    9.  Support for MarkDown
    10. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Cloud Sync

    SiYuan VS DEVONthink

     
  8. Dendron icon
     68 likes
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    Dendron is an open-source, local-first, markdown-based, note-taking tool built on top of VSCode. It supports all the usual features you would expect like tagging, backlinks, a graph view, split panes, and so forth.

    192 Dendron alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Local Storage
    2.  Support for MarkDown
    3.  Hierarchical Structure
    4.  Block reference
    5.  Graph view
    6.  VSCode
    7.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    8.  Backlinks
    9.  Quick reference lookup
    10.  Publishing
    11.  Tagging
    12.  Bidirectional links

    Dendron VS DEVONthink

     
  9. Qiqqa icon
     418 likes
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    Qiqqa is a free research and reference manager. Search for, read and annotate your PDFs. Then review your work, write up and create bibliographies instantly.

    54 Qiqqa alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Top Qiqqa Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Bib Tex Sniffer
    3.  Full-Text Search
    4.  Cross-references
    5.  Tagging
    6.  Citations
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  File Tagging
    10. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    11.  Real time collaboration
    12.  Portable

    Qiqqa VS DEVONthink

     
  10. Heynote icon
     16 likes
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    Heynote is a dedicated scratchpad for developers. It functions as a large persistent text buffer where you can write down anything you like. Works great for that Slack message you don't want to accidentally send, a JSON response from an API you're working with, notes...

    52 Heynote alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • SE flagSweden
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Currency Conversion
    2.  Support for MarkDown
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Auto Formatting
    8.  Multiple Cursors

    Heynote VS DEVONthink

     
  11. Bear icon
     93 likes
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    Bear is a beautiful and flexible writing app for note-taking and prose, both on the go for iOS devices and for the Mac OS desktop.

    232 Bear alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • IT flagItaly
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Cloud Sync
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Distraction-free Writing
    5.  Nested tags
    6.  Search by tags
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Web Clipper
    11.  No registration required
    12.  WYSIWYG Support

    Bear VS DEVONthink

     
  12. Zoho Notebook icon
     90 likes
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    Online Notebook application: Zoho Notebook lets you combine text, images, audio, video, RSS feeds, documents and much more. Online Collaboration: You can share a single image or selection of text from a page rather than the whole document, giving the author absolute control over...

    314 Zoho Notebook alternatives

    License model

    • Free PersonalProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • IN flagIndia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Apple Watch

    Zoho Notebook Features

    1.  Cloud Sync
    2.  Web Clipper
    3.  Audio with notes
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  Two-factor Authentication
    7.  Handwriting recognition
    8.  Outline organization
    9.  Notebook

    Zoho Notebook VS DEVONthink

     
12 of 151 DEVONthink alternatives