Roundup Updated 16 Oct 2026 10 min read
The best open-source note-taking apps for Mac in 2026
Short answer
Joplin is the best pick for most people: mature, cross-platform, and free to sync through your own cloud storage. Choose Notesnook or Standard Notes for end-to-end encrypted sync, Logseq for linked outlines, Trilium for a deep personal wiki, and Zettlr or QOwnNotes if you want every note as a plain Markdown file.
One thing surprised us: most open-source note apps keep your notes in a database, not in files. Open code and open files are different promises, and this guide says which app makes which.
How we picked
Every app in the main list had to pass four checks:
- An OSI-approved licence for the app you actually run, checked in each project’s repository.
- Active development: a release in the two months before this update.
- A Mac app, not just a web app you host.
- A way out: you can export your notes into a format other apps read.
Apps that are open source with real caveats are listed separately, and so are popular apps people often assume are open source. That includes Locus, the app this site makes, which is not open source.
All eight at a glance
| App | Licence | Notes stored as | Sync | Paid options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joplin | AGPL-3.0 | SQLite database | Free via your cloud, or Joplin Cloud | From €2.99/mo |
| Notesnook | GPL-3.0 | Local database | Built in, encrypted | Free tier; from $19.99/yr |
| Standard Notes | AGPL-3.0 | Local database | Built in, encrypted | Free (plain text); $90/yr |
| Logseq | AGPL-3.0 | SQLite (2.0) or .md (OG) | Invite-only, encrypted | Free locally |
| Trilium Notes | AGPL-3.0 | SQLite database | Your own Trilium server | Free |
| SiYuan | AGPL-3.0 | Its own JSON files | S3/WebDAV or SiYuan cloud | From $64 one-time |
| Zettlr | GPL-3.0 | Markdown files | Any folder sync | Free |
| QOwnNotes | GPL-2.0 | Markdown files | Nextcloud or folder sync | Free |
Seven of the eight Mac apps are built on Electron. QOwnNotes is the exception, built with Qt.
The apps
Joplin
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0 (app)
- Storage
- SQLite database
- Mobile
- iPhone and Android
- Encryption
- Optional, off by default
Joplin is the safe default. It has been around for years, has apps on every platform, and syncs through Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, S3 or a local folder at no cost. Joplin Cloud starts at €2.99 a month if you’d rather not manage that. You write in Markdown with a side-by-side preview, or in a rich-text editor. Plugins fill most gaps, and it imports Evernote’s ENEX files well.
Two things to know: notes live in a database, not as files, and end-to-end encryption is there but you have to switch it on. The self-hosted Joplin Server uses a separate, more restrictive licence.
Pick it ifYou want an Evernote-style app with notebooks and tags, and free sync through storage you already pay for.
Skip it ifYou want plain .md files on disk, or a polished native Mac feel.
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Storage
- Encrypted local database
- Mobile
- iPhone and Android
- Encryption
- Always on (XChaCha20)
Notesnook is the easiest way to get encrypted sync without setting anything up. Everything is encrypted on your device before it leaves, and the free plan syncs unlimited notes across unlimited devices, with limits on uploads, notebooks and tags. Paid plans start at $19.99 a year.
The sync server is open source too (AGPL-3.0), but the project describes self-hosting as alpha and unsupported.
Pick it ifYou want end-to-end encrypted sync that just works, with a free tier.
Skip it ifYou want to self-host with support, or keep notes as files.
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0
- Storage
- Encrypted local database
- Mobile
- iPhone and Android
- Encryption
- Always on (XChaCha20)
Standard Notes has a long track record in encrypted notes and joined Proton in 2024. The free plan gives you encrypted sync on unlimited devices, but only for plain-text notes. Rich text and Markdown (its “Super” notes), folders and a year of history are in the $90-a-year Productivity plan.
The server is open source and fully self-hostable, which very few apps in this list can say.
Pick it ifEncryption and a long security track record matter more than features.
Skip it ifYou want Markdown, folders or history without paying $90 a year.
Logseq
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0
- Storage
- SQLite (2.0); .md (OG)
- Mobile
- In transition
- Encryption
- On its new sync
Logseq is an outliner: every line is a block you can link to, reference and query. It’s in the middle of a big change. Logseq 2.0, still labelled beta, stores graphs in a SQLite database and adds typed properties and real-time collaboration. If you want your notes as Markdown files, the file-based version continues as a separate app, Logseq OG, which gets fixes but no new features.
Sync for 2.0 is invite-only for now and currently goes to the project’s monthly backers. Using Logseq locally is free.
Pick it ifYou think in outlines and want block references and daily journals.
Skip it ifYou need a stable app today, or long-form documents.
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0
- Storage
- SQLite database
- Mobile
- No official app
- Encryption
- Per note, optional
Trilium is built for big, deep note trees. A note can live in several places at once, notes can be scripts, canvases or diagrams, and you can encrypt individual notes. Sync means running your own Trilium server, at home or on a host such as PikaPods for a couple of dollars a month. There’s no official mobile app.
Pick it ifYou’re building a large personal wiki and don’t mind running a server.
Skip it ifYou take notes on your phone.
SiYuan
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0
- Storage
- Its own .sy files
- Mobile
- iPhone and Android
- Encryption
- On sync
SiYuan is the most Notion-like app here that is still fully open source: block editing, databases, block-level references and a large feature set. Notes are saved in its own JSON format with Markdown as an export. The app is free, and syncing through your own S3 or WebDAV storage is a $64 one-time unlock. SiYuan’s own cloud storage costs extra.
Pick it ifYou want Notion-style blocks with block references, fully open source.
Skip it ifYou want Markdown files, or free sync.
Zettlr
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Storage
- Markdown files
- Mobile
- None
- Encryption
- None (local files)
Zettlr is a Markdown editor for academic writing. It connects to Zotero and other reference managers, formats citations in thousands of styles, and exports through Pandoc to Word, PDF and LaTeX. Your notes are ordinary .md files in folders you choose. There’s no sync and no mobile app, so pair it with a folder-sync service. It’s free, funded by donations.
Pick it ifYou write papers or long documents with citations.
Skip it ifYou need sync or a phone app.
- Licence
- GPL-2.0
- Storage
- Markdown files
- Mobile
- Android (new)
- Encryption
- Per note, optional
QOwnNotes is a lightweight Qt app, not Electron, that keeps notes as plain Markdown files and works closely with Nextcloud and ownCloud. It’s dense with options and looks utilitarian, but it’s fast, free, and updated almost every week. A new official Android app arrived in 2026; on iPhone you’d use a third-party app.
Pick it ifYou want plain .md files and you already use Nextcloud.
Skip it ifYou want a modern, polished interface or an iPhone app.
Open source, with caveats
These two are often called open-source Notion alternatives, and parts of them are. Read the fine print before you commit.
AppFlowy
The client is AGPL-3.0 and the app itself is good: Notion-style pages, databases and boards, built with Flutter and Rust rather than Electron. But the public code now lags the releases (recent versions point back to an older commit), active development has moved to private repositories, and the cloud server is a closed commercial product. There’s no end-to-end encryption.
AFFiNE
Documents and a whiteboard in one workspace, local-first, with a generous free cloud tier. Most of the code is MIT, but since December 2025 its server and native packages are under a proprietary Enterprise Edition licence. No end-to-end encryption.
Popular, but not open source
Often what people want from open source is simpler: notes that stay theirs, no lock-in, no cloud they didn’t choose. These three apps offer some of that without open code.
Obsidian
Closed source, but your notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose, so you can leave any time. Free for personal and work use, with paid sync. If open files matter more to you than open code, it’s the strongest option, and we compare it with Bear in Bear vs Obsidian.
Anytype
You can read Anytype’s code, but its licence (Any Source Available License 1.0) limits commercial use, so it isn’t open source by the usual definition. Its sync protocol is MIT. It’s local-first and end-to-end encrypted.
Locus (ours)
Locus is the app made by the people who publish this site, and it’s closed source. It’s here for one reason: it’s a native Mac app (written in Swift, not Electron) that keeps your notes in a local database on your Mac, with no account and no cloud, and it exports any page or your whole workspace to Markdown. If you wanted open source to read or fork the code, it’s not for you. If you wanted it so nobody else holds your notes, it might be. It’s Mac only, with no phone app.
Quick answers
What is the best open-source note-taking app for Mac?
Joplin, for most people. It’s mature, has iPhone and Android apps, and syncs for free through Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3. Pick Notesnook if you want encrypted sync that works out of the box, or Zettlr or QOwnNotes if you want plain Markdown files.
Is Obsidian open source?
No. Obsidian’s own repository says it is not open source software. Your notes are open-format Markdown files, which is why people often assume the app is open source too.
Which open-source note apps store notes as plain Markdown files?
Zettlr and QOwnNotes keep each note as a .md file in a folder, and Logseq OG does for Logseq’s older file-based graphs. Joplin, Notesnook, Standard Notes, Trilium and Logseq 2.0 use a database, and SiYuan uses its own JSON files.
Is there an open-source Notion alternative?
The closest are AppFlowy, AFFiNE and SiYuan. All three have Notion-style blocks and pages, but AppFlowy’s public code now lags its releases and AFFiNE’s server code is under a proprietary licence. SiYuan is fully AGPL-3.0 but uses its own file format.
Which open-source note apps have end-to-end encrypted sync?
Notesnook and Standard Notes encrypt everything by default. Joplin supports it but you have to turn it on. SiYuan encrypts its sync data, and Logseq 2.0’s sync, currently invite-only, is encrypted too.
Sources
Licences and release dates were read from each project’s GitHub repository, and prices from each vendor’s site, on 16 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars unless marked; Joplin prices in euros.