Open Source Evernote Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to Evernote for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Mac alternative is Joplin. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Evernote and 17 are open source and available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Mac alternatives to Evernote are Standard Notes, Simplenote, Turtl and Logseq.

filter to find the best alternatives

Evernote alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Todo List Managers or Task Management Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows, iPad, Self-Hosted, Open Source, Linux, Android and Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Evernote.
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Alternatives list

  1. Joplin icon

    Joplin

     890 likes

    Joplin is a free, open-source alternative to Evernote, known for its Markdown support, encryption, and cross-platform compatibility. While Evernote offers seamless cloud syncing and text formatting, Joplin excels in privacy and customization. Choose Joplin for technical expertise and security.

    133 Joplin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Termux
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Joplin screenshot 1
     
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    25
    Joplin vs Evernote Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    14

    PRO:

    • markdown ?
    • let you encrypt your notes
    • save them on your computer(backup with thirdparty backupsoftware)
    • free, Open Source
    • crossplatform

    CON:

    • no OCR
    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    mandrael
    6

    Joplin is a quite okay alternative to Evernote, but it has its issues. 1) the mobile sync doesn't work in the background, so it doesn't work sufficiently. Issue on Android and iOS. It only syncs if you watch it. No background-sync (!!). 2) It's not WYSIWYG and you can't do several common things you can do with Evernote or Nimbus. Joplin has to improve in sync and user-friendlyness. Then it can really compete. But: it has the best Evernote import feature on the market. This worked flawlessly!

    Eduardo3382
    Positive
    1

    There is a large community behind this app that can assist you if you find some problem.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 25 comments
    • Joplin is Freemium and Open SourceEvernote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Joplin is Privacy focused, Lightweight and MinimalisticEvernote is not according to our users
  2. Standard Notes icon

    Standard Notes

     693 likes

    Though Standard Notes only supports text entry out of the box, it has its own advantages compared to Evernote. Its features can also be expanded with extensions. It's end-to-end encrypted, open source (but freemium), and has no device limit. It can synchronize your notes to as many supported devices as you want. Our users find that it does not feature multilingual support, however.

    148 Standard Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Standard Notes homepage.
     
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    12
    Standard Notes vs Evernote Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    a a
    3

    Not good as joplin because almost all features are paid

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    15

    Does not support images or attachments, only text.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    RemovedUser
    Positive
    2

    Standard Notes is the service that I can trust to not share and read my notes.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 12 comments
    • Standard Notes is Freemium and Open SourceEvernote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Standard Notes is Privacy focused, Minimalistic, Security-focused and CustomizableEvernote is not according to our users
  4. Simplenote icon

    Simplenote

     605 likes

    As its name suggests, Simplenote is a simplified note-taking app for Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, and the web. It only supports text-based entry and doesn't really support media clipping or any of the more advanced or elaborate features found in other Evernote alternatives. However, for text-based notes, this is truly accessible and simple to use.

    134 Simplenote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Simplenote screenshot 1
     
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    11
    Simplenote vs Evernote Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    John Fastman
    5

    Simplenote is a cross-platform app that allows you to take simple (as the name implies) text-based notes and sync them across your devices. There is markdown support, but little else. It's Evernote with almost everything but the note taking feature taken out. If that appeals to you, it's great. Also, thumbs up for open source and Linux support!

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    23

    Not an archiver. Simplenote is for just that: simple markdown notes.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ghigotrieste
    Negative
    1

    Notes in Simplenote are just text, whereas with Evernote notes can also contain images

    3 of 11 comments
    • Simplenote is Free and Open SourceEvernote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Simplenote is Lightweight and MinimalisticEvernote is not according to our users
  5. Turtl icon

    Turtl

     179 likes

    Turtl is open source and encrypted end-to-end, so it's desirable as an Evernote alternative from a privacy standpoint. However, its development has ceased since 2019. It also lacks some of the more intricate features of Evernote and some of its highest rated alternatives, such as the ability to import notes from other programs.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Google Chrome
    • Firefox
    Turtl screenshot 1
     
    |
    6
    Turtl vs Evernote Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    10

    Turtl stores your info encrypted, unlike Evernote. Much more private.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    AnonAT
    6

    Windows versions do not work properly. There is very little documentation and a poor forum.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Client-side AES encryption (private), open-source and free syncing. Markdown support, attachments, bookmarks, browser plugins and apps for Win, OsX, Linux and Android. Best used for simple notes, but it's infinitely better than, say Simplenote and much more private than Evernote.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 6 comments
    • Turtl is Freemium and Open SourceEvernote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Turtl is Privacy focusedEvernote is not according to our users
  6. Logseq icon

    Logseq

     328 likes

    Local-first, privacy-focused notebook supporting Markdown and Emacs Org mode. Offers offline use, encrypted backups, plugin extensibility, LaTeX support, real-time collaboration, and hierarchical organization for personal knowledge management.

    190 Logseq alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Flathub
    Logseq screenshot 1
     
  7. Notesnook icon

    Notesnook

     185 likes

    Offers open-source, end-to-end encrypted notes with device-based privacy, cross-platform support, private vault, secure sync, offline access, markdown editor, exports to multiple formats, automatic backups, organizational tools, and strong encryption.

    329 Notesnook alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
    Notesnook screenshot 1
     
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    3
    Notesnook vs Evernote Comments
    candroid_man
    Positive
    1

    Notesnook is implementing features from every mainstream notes app, and improving them. While the app is not open source yet (hopefully by July!), I trust the privacy practices after talking to the developers personally (they are great people). They are always adding really cool features, such as the ability to disable syncing on specific notes, a customizable editor, etc. Don't let Evernote use your personal notes, switch to Notesnook it works great!

    GruvPuddles
    Positive
    1

    Developers who really care about privacy, listen to their community (their telegram group is one of the most active I've seen) and are proactive about implementing requested-features. Cloud-Sync, encrypted, and a VERY generous free plan. Notesnook is the way to go!

    uhhmylife94
    Positive
    1

    It's a simple and private alternative that works on every device and syncs seemlessly. Also I love the note editor.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Notesnook is Freemium and Open SourceEvernote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Notesnook is Privacy focused and LightweightEvernote is not according to our users
  9. TiddlyWiki icon

    TiddlyWiki

     310 likes

    TiddlyWiki is a single html file with all the characteristics of a wiki - including all of the functionality (including editing, saving, tagging and searching) and the style sheet. Because its a single file, its very portable - you can email it, put it on a web server or share...

    186 TiddlyWiki alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • Xfce
    • RemoteStorage
    TiddlyWiki screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    TiddlyWiki vs Evernote Comments
    Tarcilio Neto
    Positive
    0

    Although the approach is different, it is an alternative for other platforms in regards to note-taking in which Evernote does not cover (self-hosting mostly).

    • TiddlyWiki is Free and Open SourceEvernote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • TiddlyWiki is Customizable and LightweightEvernote is not according to our users
  11. QOwnNotes icon

    QOwnNotes

     96 likes

    Plain text notepad with markdown support and todo list manager for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows, that works together with the notes application of ownCloud.

    281 QOwnNotes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Qt
    QOwnNotes main screen
     
  12. Lockbook icon

    Lockbook

     19 likes

    Provides end-to-end encrypted note-taking, file storage, and sketching with syncing across platforms, zero data collection, no personal info or passwords required, open-source code for transparency, and optional premium storage, all via native and CLI tools.

    66 Lockbook alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Self-Hosted
    Lockbook screenshot 1
     
  13. Mimiri Notes icon

    Mimiri Notes

     19 likes

    Secure device-synced notepad using AES-GCM-256 encryption to protect confidential data. Features include a tree-structure for note organization, historical changes tracking, and collaboration options. Supports all major platforms with cloud sync and offline access.

    87 Mimiri Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Main app window - Dark mode
     
  14. acreom icon

    acreom

     27 likes

    acreom is an actionable personal knowledge base for developers. It helps developers ship faster by centralizing personal and team context in one place.

    101 acreom alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    acreom screenshot 1
     
12 of 17 Evernote alternatives