Writing & notes

notesnook

An end-to-end encrypted alternative to Evernote

Visit official page 日本語で詳しく見る

Popularity

★ 14k

Last update

August 2026

License / pricing

GPL-3.0

What it does

Notes are encrypted on your device before they are stored or synced, using XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2, so not even the people running the service can read them. Available on web, desktop and mobile, and built as a migration target for people leaving Evernote. The trade-off of true zero-knowledge encryption is that losing your password means losing access - nobody can recover it for you.

Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.

Screenshots & visuals

Before you start

Setup difficultyEasy to start
Command lineNot required
API keyNot required
Sends data onlineYes

Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.

notesnook FAQ

Is notesnook free?: The source is open, but the build distributed through the app store may be a paid download. Check the store listing before installing.
Do I need to install anything or write code to use notesnook?: You install it like a normal desktop app. No command line involved.
Does notesnook work on a phone?: No. It needs a computer.
Can I use notesnook commercially?: The licence is GPL-3.0. Using it commercially is fine, but if you distribute something built on it you may be required to release that under the same licence. Keep it internal, or check before distributing.

How it compares

The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.

Tool	Command line	API key	Sends data out	Phone	Commercial use
notesnook (this page)	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	Yes
AppFlowy	Not needed	Not needed	No	No	Yes
joplin	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	Not verified
note-gen	Not needed	Required	Yes	No	Yes

"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.

Other writing & notes tools

AppFlowy

An open-source Notion alternative that keeps your data yours

joplin

A free, open-source Markdown notebook with to-dos

note-gen

Dump fragments now, let AI organise them into notes later

Lumina-Note

A Markdown workspace where an agent can work across the whole vault

Browse all tools Home

What it does

Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.

notesnook FAQ

Is notesnook free?

The source is open, but the build distributed through the app store may be a paid download. Check the store listing before installing.

Do I need to install anything or write code to use notesnook?

You install it like a normal desktop app. No command line involved.

Does notesnook work on a phone?

No. It needs a computer.

Can I use notesnook commercially?

The licence is GPL-3.0. Using it commercially is fine, but if you distribute something built on it you may be required to release that under the same licence. Keep it internal, or check before distributing.

How it compares

The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.

Tool	Command line	API key	Sends data out	Phone	Commercial use
notesnook (this page)	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	Yes
AppFlowy	Not needed	Not needed	No	No	Yes
joplin	Not needed	Not needed	Yes	No	Not verified
note-gen	Not needed	Required	Yes	No	Yes

"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.