Open Source Obsidian Alternatives

The best open source alternative to Obsidian is Logseq. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Obsidian and loads of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Obsidian are Zettlr, Joplin, Notesnook and Standard Notes.

filter to find the best alternatives

Obsidian 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 Open Source, Windows, Self-Hosted, Linux, Note-taking, Linux + Open Source and Windows + Open Source. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Obsidian.
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Alternatives list

  1. SiYuan icon

    SiYuan

     80 likes

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

    95 SiYuan alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Docker
    • Docker Hub
    • F-Droid
    SiYuan screenshot 1
     
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    4
    SiYuan vs Obsidian Comments
    Mark
    Positive
    3

    I honestly think SiYuan is the closest to Obisdian as an alternative compared to all other apps.

    Guest
    Positive
    2

    WYSIWYG is far more important than I thought. Besides, the data in SiYuan is .json, which allows better redering-performance and Notion-like typesetting.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Randir
    Positive
    0

    WYSIWYG, better rendering performance

    3 of 4 comments
    • SiYuan is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • SiYuan is CustomizableObsidian is not according to our users
  2. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     387 likes

    GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:

    184 GNU Emacs alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Debian
    • MacPorts
    • Homebrew
    The GNU Emacs Manual calls Emacs the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor
     
  4. QOwnNotes icon

    QOwnNotes

     98 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.

    289 QOwnNotes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Qt
    QOwnNotes main screen
     
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    1
    QOwnNotes vs Obsidian Comments
    riveravaldez
    Positive
    5

    Pretty similar concept, both deal with plain .md files, both render in real time, both have automatically-generated TOCs, etc., but QOwnNotes is Free Software, no EULA non-sense, you have a tool without restrictions.

    • QOwnNotes is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
  5. Docmost icon

    Docmost

     47 likes

    Docmost is an open-source collaborative wiki and documentation software. It is an open-source alternative to Confluence and Notion.

    115 Docmost alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Docker
    Docmost screenshot 1
     
  6. Dendron icon

    Dendron

     71 likes

    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.

    214 Dendron alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Visual Studio Code
    Dendron screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Dendron vs Obsidian Comments
    kpathakota
    Positive
    3

    Still local notes, but way more full-featured since it uses VS Code as the editor and embraces heirarchies so your notes don't get so unwieldly.

    • Dendron is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
  7. Trudido icon

    Trudido

     19 likes

    Offline in-device task manager and note app featuring smart creation, advanced organization, calendar and list views, Markdown notes, secure SHA-256 encryption, Material You theming, multiple color themes, no tracking or ads, and import/export for total ownership.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    Trudido screenshot 1
     
  9. Beaver Notes icon

    Beaver Notes

     61 likes

    Your personal note-taking haven for privacy and efficiency.

    85 Beaver Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    Beaver Notes screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Beaver Notes vs Obsidian Comments
    Power User
    Negative
    2

    A note taking application isn't the same as a knowledge management application, even if both allow you to take notes.

    Ulausear
    Negative
    2

    OpenSnitch says it connects to a google owned website.

    • Beaver Notes is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
  10. Foam icon

    Foam

     52 likes

    Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system inspired by Roam Research, built on Visual Studio Code and GitHub.

    254 Foam alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Visual Studio Code
    Foam screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Foam vs Obsidian Comments
    Benjamin Lupton
    Positive
    2

    Org mode came first (open standard), then Roam (open standard), then Obisdian (propretiary app on the open standard). So anything built on Roam is a good Obsidian alternative.

    • Foam is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
  11. jotty·page icon

    jotty·page

     13 likes

    Lightweight, self-hosted app for managing personal checklists and notes with drag and drop, progress bars, Kanban boards, Markdown WYSIWYG editor, file-based data, user management, sharing options, themes, open source, and API access.

    124 jotty·page alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    jotty·page screenshot 1
     
  12. La Suite Docs icon

    La Suite Docs

     22 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.

    87 La Suite Docs alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    La Suite Docs screenshot 1
     
  13. DeepNotes icon

    DeepNotes

     49 likes

    DeepNotes is an open source, end-to-end encrypted visual note-taking app with deep page navigation and live collaboration. Create mind maps, diagrams, kanban boards, among others. Infinite nesting of infinite canvases.

    105 DeepNotes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Family tree
     
  14. Marknote icon

    Marknote

     25 likes

    Marknote lets you create rich text notes and easily organise them into notebooks. You can personalise your notebooks by choosing an icon and accent color for each one, making it easy to distinguish between them and keep your notes at your fingertips.

    107 Marknote alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Marknote screenshot 1
     
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