Notesnook vs Joplin

Encryption that's already on, and sync that already works. No settings to find first.

Both apps are open source and both can be self-hosted. The difference shows up if you change nothing: Joplin's own docs say end-to-end encryption “needs to be manually enabled on a single device first”, and you pick and configure a sync target yourself. In Notesnook there's no switch to find — encryption is on from your first note, and sync is already running.

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OUR CASE

Where Notesnook is better

Encryption is already on.

No setting to find.
Joplin's docs: encryption must be enabled manually.
Anything written before that switch was unencrypted.

Sync already works.

Unlimited devices, first-party, nothing to configure.
Joplin needs a sync target set up first.

The same openness, less assembly.

Both open source, both self-hostable.
We don't leave the security choices to you.

Encryption and defaults

	Notesnook	Joplin
End-to-end encryption available
Encrypted by default, with no setup
Open source
Self-hostable server
App lock (passcode / biometrics)
GitHub stars	14,338	55,777

Sync

	Notesnook	Joplin
Sync works with no configuration
Sync through cloud storage you already pay for
Unlimited devices on the free plan

Capability

	Notesnook	Joplin
Rich text and Markdown editors
Web clipper
Plugins
Custom themes
Terminal application
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Note version history	100 free, unlimited on Pro
Full export

Price

	Notesnook	Joplin
Free plan with sync	$0 — our servers	€0 — your own cloud
Entry paid plan	$19.99/yr — Essential	€2.40/mo billed yearly — Basic, 2GB
Mid paid plan	$69.99/yr — Pro, 10GB/mo	€4.79/mo billed yearly — Pro, 30GB
Free trial	14 days

Joplin is developed by Laurent Cozic and contributors. This comparison was written from their published pricing, product and documentation pages on 2026-07-30 and is not endorsed by them. Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.

THE OTHER SIDE

In fairness to Joplin

Where Joplin is stronger, in our own words. If one of these decides it for you, we would rather you read it here than find out later.

Joplin is bigger, older and more established.

55,777 GitHub stars to our 14,338, and it's been in development since 2017 where we started in 2021. If longevity and the size of the contributor community are what you're weighing, Joplin wins that outright — we'd rather say so than have you find the numbers elsewhere.

You can sync Joplin anywhere, for nothing.

Joplin Cloud, Nextcloud, S3, WebDAV, Dropbox, OneDrive or a local folder. Their docs describe sync as designed without any hard dependency on a particular service. If you already pay for cloud storage, Joplin syncs across your devices at no extra cost. We sync through our servers, or one you run yourself, and nothing else.

Plugins and a terminal app.

Joplin has a plugin ecosystem and a terminal client, and we have neither. We do ship a theme store and a theme builder, so that part is a wash.

Questions & answers

Is Joplin encrypted?

Yes, and it's real end-to-end encryption — but it's opt-in. Their docs say E2EE needs to be manually enabled on a single device first, after which your notes sync encrypted. If you've never opened that setting, your notes are sitting on your sync target unencrypted by Joplin.

Why choose Notesnook over Joplin?

Encryption that's on before you've made any choices, sync that works without picking a provider, and app lock. Safe defaults instead of configurable ones.

Why stay with Joplin?

It's older and far more widely used, it syncs free through cloud storage you already own, and it has plugins and a terminal client. We have none of those.

Can I import my Joplin notes?

Yes. Export from Joplin — it saves to an open format — and import here. Make your free account first.

Both are open source. What's actually different?

Defaults and hosting. Both publish their code and both self-host. Joplin gives you more choices, including which cloud your notes live in and whether they're encrypted there. We make those choices for you, and encrypt everything from the start.