Simplenote is a note-taking application with a clean and minimalistic interface, available on multiple platforms.
Best Trilium Notes Alternatives ranked by AI · updated Sep 2026
Trilium Notes is an open-source hierarchical note-taking application for users building detailed personal knowledge bases. It offers nested trees, rich-text editing, attributes, scripting, and self-hosted synchronization through its server edition.
Top 6 Trilium Notes alternatives
Encrypted note-taking app with a focus on privacy and security.
Free with optional premium features
Joplin is an open-source note-taking app with end-to-end encryption support.
Turtle is an open-source, privacy-focused note-taking application for individuals who want encrypted notes and organized personal knowledge. It supports structured notebooks, Markdown-style...
Pros
- End-to-end encryption is more central than in mainstream note apps
- Open-source code enables community review and self-hosting options
- Notebook and tag organization suits structured personal knowledge
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem and community than Joplin or Obsidian
- Fewer integrations and extensions than leading knowledge-management apps
- Less polished cross-platform experience than commercial competitors
Free, open source
5
Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.
Pros
- Bi-directional linking
- Graph view for connections
Cons
- Learning curve for advanced features
- Some features are behind a paywall
Freemium
6
Notesnook
Streetwriters
Notesnook is an encrypted note-taking application for users who want private notes with synchronization across devices. It combines rich text editing, notebooks,...
Pros
- More polished rich-text editing and attachments than SilentNotes
- End-to-end encryption is built into hosted synchronization
- Supports reminders, notebooks, themes, and cross-platform apps
Cons
- Advanced features require a subscription
- Smaller ecosystem and community than Joplin or Obsidian
- Hosted account dependency is greater than SilentNotes
Freemium, Pro from $49.99/year
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