Joplin

Simple comparison Evernote vs. Joplin. The same full-site copy created with Evernote's Web Clipper then imported to Joplin. Evernote can't even show it correct in its viewer.

As 100% paranoid I trust only things that stay with me, that's why I write notes and save part of webpages to local storage. A long ago I started to use Evernote, that time it was almost only solution for such kind of task. But Evernote is terrible, really. Well, if we write a note with Evernote WYSIWYG editor then no problem, but if you saved web-page or even its part then problems stars. Evernote is trying to keep original HTML/CSS formatting of page and adopt it for internal editor, but its viewer can't show it identically, moreover it doesn't allow edit raw code of saved elements. It feels like fight against MS Word. For the reason I have a lot of broken and unreadable notes in Evernote postponed to "someday-edit". But I will never fix them, it's impossible except rewriting everything with hands, but I don't want to do it with Evernote, who knows how it will be works tomorrow. :)

A time later I found another organizer Laverna, it allows to solve some problems of Evernote with text notes, and Markdown format guarantees that data could be saved even in worst situation. But Laverna has ton of critical bugs, it’s just dangerous to work with it because next release could brake everything. Here you can read why I hate it.

Finally, I found quite perspective Evernote alternative, at least for desktop, like Laverna with no critical bugs but much better. :) Joplin brings together better of two worlds: Markdown layout with inline HTML code. When features of Markdown not enough for well looking formatting just add HTML code, or even use TeX syntax. Joplin works with extra fast TeX math rendering engine KaTeX what allows to view notes containing hundreds of math notions and symbols just for a second.

UPD1: It's amazing, I found the aspect recently and suddenly for me. You also can use CSS styles to format Markdown! Therefore, you even doesn't need to keep HTML structure for things like "image wall"! See the screenshot below! CSS styles to format Markdown layout

UPD2: WebClipper now supports full HTML clipping as non-editable note with local resources!

UPD3: Some major additions were made:

• Typography plugin support
• Vim and Emacs keyboard modes in internal editor.
• Templates

UPD4: A long-awaited feature is here now. When importing MD files create resources for local linked files! This largely closes the issue of processing attached images. Now you can finally export the note, make batch manipulations with the files, and then import it back. For such a fan of do copy-paste Images to Joplin like me, this is great news.

PROS:

• Live-editing with third-party software. Finally, you can fix and organize note with Vim (for example) and all changes will transfer to Joplin note immediately on save.
• Fast processed math notations with KaTeX.
• Batch import/export MD files.
• Multiple syncing options: local disk, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or Dropbox.
• Web Clipper. Not so universal with Markdown like Evernote analogue, but personally, better then Evernote's, because reduces unusual HTML, convert common elements to correct Markdown code and allows to edit a note deeply. Clipper can save part of web-page as image file, reduce image size and add link to full version.
• Evernote's backup file format support for import (only notes and tags, not notebooks).
• Local resources, images and any other file format as links. Inserting images from the clipboard also supported (but it can increase storage size, because uncompressed PNG).
• Cross-note links in body.
• Quick response for issue reports.
• Inline HTML code rendering.
• Automatic code and its syntax detection. But on other hand, Web Clipper just save a code with tabs, looks good in Joplin, but incompatible with another Markdown readers. Manual correction needed.
• Terminal mode.
• ToDo mode for notes.

CONS:

• SQL database is not encrypted, so anyone who will be able to get the file on your device will get full access to your data. Seems the developer doesn't want to change it, offers use scripts to encrypt/decrypt database file before/after software running. Sounds like a mad, especially for mobile devices.
• ABC scores notions unsupported.
• At the moment no easy way to clear unused resources manually.
• Common design looks unpolished. For example: in desktop version user have option to define source URL for a note, but with Android version user can only read it on metadata slide.
• No line numbering for edit or even code blocks.
• Not optimized at the moment. Android version has too laggy interface, sometimes top panel invisible 'til you tap it. Search across all notes works faster than opening left tab with huge amount of tags. So, I recommend use mobile App for Find-and-Read, it will be inconvenient to write and organize there.
• Portable version unpacks full app to OS user dir each time then delete it. Not that thing we expects from portable software, isn't :(
• Too small default font size for KaTeX notions, you're always should use size from \large to \Huge

Some exposition

Inline HTML table inside Markdown table, KaTeX math notations and live-editing with Gvim

Auto-detection of code blocks

Local image resources (imported from Evernote backup)

Inline iframe with embeded OpenStreetMap. Link outside main code, styled and added link to local image resource for offline view.

Reduce storage size with replacing extra images with HTML code.

Reduce storage size with replacing extra images with HTML code.

To-Do mode of notes

Web Clipper chrome widget

[Edited by M_O_Z_G, January 21]

This is an absolute gem. Replacing Evernote is a holy grail of privacy-oriented people who want to stay productive. Joplin does this better and more simply than any other program I've found to date. It's genuinely difficult to describe how relieved I am to have found it and given it a chance.

It's biggest advantages are:

• it's cross platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone). Evernote has for a long time treated Linux users as second-class citizens.
• unlike in Endnote, you can enrypt your notes and transfer them encrypted. Excellent!
• it's not tied to any specific syncing service/cloud, which means you can just get it to save in the folder of your choice and sync that however you like.
• it's open source!
• it has a simple but capable search and a tagging system (admittedly not as sophisticated as Evernote's but I'm sure it will be good enough for 90% of users)
• unlike other open-source programs aiming to replace Evernote, Joplin allows you to:
• attach (not just link to) any kind of file type to a note. And multiple files (your move, Turtl). This includes embedding images. Eat your heart, Laverna.
• import notes from Evernote
• work on mobile
• Set reminders and todo lists!
• it's free!

Disadvantages:

• To get formatting in your notes, you'll need to learn markdown. This is a simple set of symbol sequences to get bold, italics, bullet points and titles, subtitles, etc. It sound inconvenient, but after about 30 minutes of practice, you'll have it licked. I promise. It's really a very small thing to learn.
• At the time of writing, images embedded in the note cannot be resized.
• pdf files are not previewed
• no links between notes (cannot share/cross link between notes)
• can't narrow searches by multiple tags

Note that Joplin is new. Its stated intention is to replace Evernote. It's likely some of its shortcomings are going to be addressed in the future.

Very nice note manager with tons of features.

Not as easy or quick knowledge management tool or brainstorming app to use as CintaNotes.

Another issue is that there is ABSOLUTELY NO PASSWORD PROTECTION OR ENCRYPTION out of the box. Anyone with admin access to your computer can get the contents of your notes and anyone with access to your computer account just needs to start the program to open all the notes.

There's encryption for syncing notes but not for local storage.

There's also no easy way to backup or restore data and there's no way to have multiple profiles, "files" or databases like with CintaNotes or CherryTree; or change users like in Standard Notes.

In Windows for instance you'd have to create whole new Windows User Accounts for each separate profile, database or user that you'd like to use Joplin with and log in and out of accounts to do this which needless to say is very impractical.

Besides those issues the software has lots of features and is a very good knowledge management tool but I wouldn’t use it for important stuff.

Joplin is very good. It is independent and not tied to certain companies, e.g. OneNote to Microsoft, or Google Keep to Google. So, we can effectively sync stuff using apps that's available on desktop and mobile. By the time I am writing this review, I am trying my best to move from Google Keep to Joplin because of Google Keep desktop app that didn't even exist.

free to sync use microsoft onebox cloud

Lightweight and idiot-proof, which is what I needed.

Great software, very similar to Evernote, except it is open source and more privacy-oriented.

Two things that I don't like about it:

1. I normally use ZIM Wiki, because it saves everything in folders with .txt files and their attachments, so I do not have to do anything except copy and past the directory to any device I use, including my Android phone.

It is also slower than ZIM Wiki (about the same as Evernote).

2. No local password protection. It only encrypts it on the cloud, and so if you use a shared computer, you have to protect yourself another way.