Joplin vs TriliumNext Notes
Both are alternatives to Evernote. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Joplin
TOP PICKA free, open-source, Markdown-based note app with end-to-end encrypted sync and native Evernote import.
Joplin stores every note as a plain Markdown file (with attachments alongside), so your notes stay readable and portable outside the app itself. It runs on desktop, mobile, and terminal, supports optional end-to-end encryption, and imports Evernote .enex exports natively — notebooks, tags, and attachments included. Sync works over your own Nextcloud/WebDAV/S3/Dropbox, Joplin Cloud (a paid hosted option), or a self-hosted Joplin Server.
TriliumNext Notes
A self-hosted, tree-structured personal knowledge base built for power users with very large note collections.
TriliumNext Notes (the actively maintained community continuation of the original zadam/Trilium, which was archived) organizes notes as an unlimited-depth tree where a single note can be cloned into multiple places — a strong fit for readers building a large, deeply cross-referenced personal wiki rather than simple flat notebooks. It runs as a desktop app or a self-hosted server (Docker image available) with notes stored in a local SQLite database, plus per-note encryption, scripting, and a REST API for automation.
Side by side
| Joplin | TriliumNext Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 88 | 87 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 (app + CLI); optional Joplin Server sync under a separate personal-use license | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Core app is free forever with no note/device caps. Sync is free if you bring your own WebDAV/Nextcloud/S3/Dropbox target, or self-host Joplin Server for personal use at no cost; Joplin Cloud (managed hosted sync) starts around $2.99/month. | Free and open source, unlimited notes and self-hosting. A third-party paid sync-hosting service exists for readers who don't want to run their own server, but self-hosting the sync server yourself costs nothing. |
Joplin is Macrostack's recommended Evernote alternative, so it's our pick here.
Joplin
Strengths
- +Notes stored as plain local Markdown files — genuinely portable, readable by other tools, and easy to back up outside the app
- +Native .enex importer designed specifically for migrating from Evernote, including notebooks, tags, and attachments
- +No note, notebook, or device caps on the free core app — unlike Evernote's tiered limits
- +Choice of sync backend: your own cloud storage, self-hosted Joplin Server, or paid Joplin Cloud
Trade-offs
- −The official self-hosted Joplin Server component is source-available under a Personal-Use-only license, not a plain OSI license — fine for an individual, but read the license before using it commercially
- −OCR and full-text search across scanned/image attachments is far less capable than Evernote's
- −UI is more utilitarian than Evernote's polish; no built-in Web Clipper-style page capture as refined as Evernote's
TriliumNext Notes
Strengths
- +Handles very large note collections (100,000+ notes) smoothly — a genuine strength over flatter note apps at serious scale
- +Rich structural features (note cloning, relation maps, scripting, kanban/table/geo-map views) well beyond Evernote's flat notebook model
- +Fully free and self-hostable with an official Docker image and active weekly release cadence
- +Per-note AES-128 encryption for sensitive entries
Trade-offs
- −No official mobile app — mobile access is via browser/PWA or an unofficial third-party Android client (TriliumDroid)
- −The steep organizational power (tree + clones + relations) has a real learning curve versus Evernote's simple notebook-and-tag model
- −Notes live in a local SQLite database rather than plain files, so raw-file portability is lower than Joplin's Markdown-file approach
More Evernote head-to-heads
Facts verified 2026-07-12. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.