Google Docs AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Note-taking Tools

The best Note-taking alternative to Google Docs is CryptPad, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Google Docs and many of them are Note-taking Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Note-taking Tool alternatives to Google Docs are Nuclino, Slite, La Suite Docs and Etherpad.

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Google Docs alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Word Processors or Team Collaboration Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online + Free, Open Source, Android, Online and Self-Hosted. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Google Docs.

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Get a badge for your siteGoogle Docs alternatives page was last updated Jul 21, 2026

CryptPad
193 likes
CryptPad is a private-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. All the content stored on CryptPad is encrypted before being sent, which means nobody can access your data unless you give them the keys.
119 CryptPad alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Word Processor
Team Collaboration
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Self-Hosted
Cloudron
France
EU
+7
Good alternative?Is CryptPad a good alternative to Google Docs?

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7comments
CryptPad vs Google Docs Comments
Top Positive Comment by Guest · Mar 21, 2017
Zero Knowledge collaborative editor. None of the other editors have this feature which is nescesary in today's world!
Top Negative Comment by Guest · Apr 9, 2019
sheets and slides are missing
Positive comment by Douze · May 14, 2022
CryptPad is both secure AND easy to use. What's not to love about that ? Privacy isn't limited to tech savvy people anymore !
3 of 7 comments
CryptPad is Freemium and Open SourceGoogle Docs is Free and Proprietary
CryptPad is Privacy focused and LightweightGoogle Docs is not according to our users
Nuclino
138 likes
Nuclino is a unified workspace where teams can bring all their knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place. It’s a modern, simple, and blazingly fast way to collaborate, without the chaos of files and folders, context switching, or silos.
379 Nuclino alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Note-taking
Team Collaboration
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
iPad
Germany
EU
Good alternative?Is Nuclino a good alternative to Google Docs?

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12comments
Nuclino vs Google Docs Comments
Top Positive Comment by lynjensen · Aug 16, 2018
Like Google Docs, Nuclino allows users to collaborate on documents in real time, but instead of getting lost in folders, in Nuclino these documents are structured in a visual and easy-to-navigate way. It's like if every Trello card had its own Google Doc.
Positive comment by Alan Laiken · Apr 10, 2019
A cleaner and lighter version of Google Docs.
Positive comment by Madelyn Price · Jan 29, 2019
Does the same job, but faster and easier.
3 of 12 comments
Nuclino is Freemium and ProprietaryGoogle Docs is Free and Proprietary
Nuclino is a Note-taking Google Docs is a Word Processor
Nuclino is Lightweight and MinimalisticGoogle Docs is not according to our users
Slite
110 likes
Designed for remote teams, it streamlines workflows by unifying documentation, discussion, and task execution. Features include a powerful editor, video explainers, sketch tools, integrations with Slack, Google Drive, project management tools, and advanced search capabilities.
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Note-taking
Team Collaboration
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Software as a Service (SaaS)
United States
+9
Good alternative?Is Slite a good alternative to Google Docs?

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14comments
Slite vs Google Docs Comments
Top Positive Comment by Laure Albouy · Jan 9, 2019
Slite is a great alternative to Google Docs for teams: it allows real time collaboration and the organization is much more team-friendly so that you don't lose information.
Positive comment by lgonzalez84 · Feb 26, 2019
In Gdocs you loser information -- in Slite you always know where things are
Positive comment by pratt_julian · Feb 26, 2019
Better content discovery for the entire team
3 of 14 comments
Slite is Freemium and ProprietaryGoogle Docs is Free and Proprietary
Slite is a Note-taking Google Docs is a Word Processor
Slite is LightweightGoogle Docs is not according to our users
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Slite
Designed for remote teams, it streamlines workflows by unifying documentation, discussion, and task execution. Features include a powerful editor, video explainers, sketch tools, integrations with Slack, Google Drive, project man...

https://slite.com
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La Suite Docs
25 likes
Collaborative platform for real-time note-taking, documentation, and wikis, featuring offline editing, granular permissions, AI-assisted writing, multiple export formats, user-friendly formatting, scalable team support, customizable templates, and open-source licensing.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application typeApplication types
Note-taking
Team Collaboration
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
Docker
Python
Typescript
JavaScript
React
Django
Next.js
France
EU
+2
Good alternative?Is La Suite Docs a good alternative to Google Docs?
Etherpad
98 likes
Etherpad is a highly customizable Open Source online editor providing collaborative editing in really real-time.
61 Etherpad alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Team Collaboration
Word Processor
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
Sandstorm
Cloudron
Germany
EU
Good alternative?Is Etherpad a good alternative to Google Docs?
Foam
55 likes
Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system inspired by Roam Research, built on Visual Studio Code and GitHub.
268 Foam alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Note-taking
Platforms
Self-Hosted
Visual Studio Code
Good alternative?Is Foam a good alternative to Google Docs?
OpenKnowledge
10 likes
Markdown editor with WYSIWYG interface, AI-powered wiki tools, LLM integrations, and collaboration features. Supports team sharing, GitHub sync, graph link navigation, TUI access, and embeddable components for specs or reports, all in a private environment.
55 OpenKnowledge alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Note-taking
Team Collaboration
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Node.JS
United States
Good alternative?Is OpenKnowledge a good alternative to Google Docs?
Dropbox Paper
51 likes
Dropbox Paper is more than a doc—it’s a workspace that brings creation and coordination together in one place.
191 Dropbox Paper alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Note-taking
Team Collaboration
Origin
United States
Platforms
Online
United States
+2
Good alternative?Is Dropbox Paper a good alternative to Google Docs?

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2comments
Dropbox Paper vs Google Docs Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Aug 11, 2018
Paper is faster and easier to use than Google docs. Docs becomes very slow to load when dealing with long documents, and that's where Paper really outshines it. Paper does have a comparatively limited feature set, but I think it does include the real necessities and the things it leaves are not really missed for me.
Positive comment by chloekavanaugh · Apr 2, 2019
It's quite well designed, a more modern and lightweight alternative to Google Docs.
2 of 2 comments
Dropbox Paper is Free and ProprietaryGoogle Docs is also Free and Proprietary
Dropbox Paper is a Note-taking Google Docs is a Word Processor
Lumen AI
10 likes
Minimalist productivity platform offers centralized notes, task management, meeting capture with audio summaries, inbox processing, and Markdown editing, all enhanced by AI prioritization, custom prompts, backlinks, and flexible workflows, supporting multiple methodologies.
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Note-taking
Task Management
Platforms
Mac
+1
Good alternative?Is Lumen AI a good alternative to Google Docs?
HackMD
39 likes
HackMD is a browser-based, real-time collaborative markdown editor. It was inspired by hackpad but focuses more on speed and flexibility.
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Note-taking
Text Editor
Origin
Taiwan
Platforms
Online
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Heroku
Docker
Taiwan
Good alternative?Is HackMD a good alternative to Google Docs?

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1comment
HackMD vs Google Docs Comments
Positive comment by Guest · Oct 26, 2020
HackMD is free, you can make 3 private teams and unlimited public teams as well as being able to make unlimited documents
1 of 1 comments
HackMD is Freemium and ProprietaryGoogle Docs is Free and Proprietary
HackMD is a Note-taking Google Docs is a Word Processor
Fortelling
10 likes
Fortelling provides the tools you need to plot & write your book.
89 Fortelling alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Novel Authoring
Word Processor
Origin
Netherlands
EU
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Netherlands
EU
+3
Good alternative?Is Fortelling a good alternative to Google Docs?
NoteLoom
3 likes
A local-first Markdown workspace that opens real folders in your browser and saves changes directly to .md files on disk.
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application type
Note-taking
Platforms
Online
Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge
+1
Good alternative?Is NoteLoom a good alternative to Google Docs?

12 of 46 Google Docs alternatives

Google Docs AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Note-taking Tools

Alternatives list

CryptPad

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CryptPad vs Google Docs Comments

Nuclino

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Nuclino vs Google Docs Comments

Slite

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Slite vs Google Docs Comments

La Suite Docs

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Etherpad

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Foam

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OpenKnowledge

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Dropbox Paper

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Dropbox Paper vs Google Docs Comments

Lumen AI

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HackMD

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Fortelling

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NoteLoom

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