Day One

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Day One

A curated collection of the 6 best self hosted alternatives to Day One.

Cloud-based journaling app for creating and organizing personal diary entries with text, photos, audio, location, tags, and reminders. Offers native mobile and desktop clients plus web access, cross-device sync, search, timeline/‘On This Day’, and optional end-to-end encryption.

Alternatives List

#1
Trilium Notes

Trilium Notes

Open-source hierarchical notes and personal knowledge base with rich editing, full-text search, encryption, scripting, and optional self-hosted sync and web access.

Trilium Notes screenshot

Trilium Notes is a cross-platform note-taking application designed for building large, structured personal knowledge bases. It can be used locally as a desktop app or run as a server to access notes in a browser and synchronize across devices.

Key Features

  • Deep hierarchical note tree with cloning (one note can appear in multiple places)
  • Rich WYSIWYG editor with Markdown-like autoformat, tables, images, and math
  • Code notes with syntax highlighting and dedicated editor
  • Full-text search plus fast navigation, hoisting, and command palette-style search
  • Note revisions/versioning for review and undo
  • Per-note encryption with password-protected sessions
  • Web clipper support for saving web content into notes
  • Extensibility via attributes, scripting, custom widgets, and built-in REST API
  • Multiple note types and visual tools (canvas, Mermaid diagrams, mind maps, relation/note maps)
  • Collections for structured workflows (tables, kanban boards, calendar, geomap, presentations)

Use Cases

  • Personal or team knowledge base with structured documentation and cross-linked notes
  • Research and project organization using tables, kanban boards, diagrams, and saved searches
  • Private journaling and sensitive information storage using per-note encryption

Limitations and Considerations

  • Uses an SQLite database; sharing the database directly over a network drive is discouraged due to corruption risk
  • Not intended as a large-file storage system; synchronization can be unreliable with very large uploads
  • No official native mobile app; mobile access is primarily via the web/mobile frontend (PWA)

Trilium Notes combines a strong hierarchical model with powerful search, versioning, and automation features. It is well-suited for users who want an extensible knowledge base that scales to very large collections of notes while keeping control of their data.

34.1kstars
2.3kforks
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#2
Blinko

Blinko

Open-source, self-hosted AI note-taking app for fast capture and organization, with Markdown notes and RAG-based natural language search.

Blinko screenshot

Blinko is an open-source, privacy-focused note-taking app designed for quickly capturing short “card” notes and organizing them over time. It adds AI-assisted retrieval using RAG, enabling natural-language search across your personal knowledge base while keeping data under your control.

Key Features

  • Card-style note capture optimized for quick, lightweight writing
  • Markdown-based notes for simple formatting and portability
  • AI-enhanced retrieval using RAG for natural language querying of notes
  • Self-hosted data storage emphasizing data ownership and privacy
  • Web app built with a modern UI stack
  • Optional multi-platform desktop experience via Tauri

Use Cases

  • Personal knowledge management with fast capture of ideas and snippets
  • Searching a private notes archive using natural-language queries
  • Lightweight alternative to heavier note systems for daily journaling and memos

Limitations and Considerations

  • AI/RAG features may require additional configuration and external model/provider choices depending on your setup

Blinko fits users who want a clean, fast note workflow with Markdown and the option to add AI-powered retrieval. It is especially suited to individuals prioritizing privacy and control while still benefiting from modern AI search.

9.2kstars
645forks
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#3
Standard Notes

Standard Notes

Standard Notes is an end-to-end encrypted notes app with secure file storage, offline access, and cross-platform sync, with optional self-hosting of the sync server.

Standard Notes screenshot

Standard Notes is a privacy-focused note-taking application that uses end-to-end encryption to protect notes and files so only you can decrypt your data. It supports cross-device sync, offline access, and a flexible editing experience for different writing and organization styles.

Key Features

  • End-to-end encryption with a zero-knowledge design for notes and attached files
  • Cross-platform apps and web app with sync across unlimited devices
  • Offline access so you can read and edit notes without an internet connection
  • Multiple editor types, including Markdown and rich text, plus support for code snippets and lists
  • Self-hosting support by pointing clients to a custom sync server via configuration
  • Built with a public codebase and designed for long-term, durable personal knowledge storage

Use Cases

  • Private personal knowledge management for journals, records, and sensitive documents
  • Secure storage of credentials, keys, and confidential notes alongside attachments
  • Team members or individuals who need a consistent notes workflow across desktop and mobile

Limitations and Considerations

  • Some advanced editor and productivity features are provided via extensions and may require additional configuration or a paid plan depending on the feature

Standard Notes is a strong fit for users who want straightforward note-taking with rigorous privacy guarantees and reliable multi-device access. It is especially well-suited for storing long-lived personal or professional information where confidentiality and portability matter.

6.2kstars
515forks
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#4
Jotty

Jotty

Lightweight self-hosted web app for managing checklists and Markdown notes with file-based storage, PGP encryption, REST API and Docker deployment.

Jotty screenshot

Jotty (branded jotty·page) is a lightweight, self-hosted web application for managing personal checklists and rich-text Markdown notes. It stores content in plain Markdown and JSON files, provides optional PGP encryption, and is designed for simple Docker-based deployment.

Key Features

  • Checklists with drag-and-drop reordering, progress bars, categories, Kanban-style project boards and time-tracking options.
  • Rich-text WYSIWYG notes editor (TipTap) with full Markdown support and syntax highlighting.
  • File-based storage: notes and metadata are kept as Markdown and JSON files in a single data directory (no external database required).
  • PGP-based encryption and decryption support for user data.
  • REST API with authenticated access for programmatic integration and automation.
  • User management and admin panel with session tracking, SSO/OIDC support and MFA options.
  • Customisable UI: built-in themes, custom themes, and custom emojis/icons.
  • Docker-ready packaging and a published container image for straightforward deployment.

Use Cases

  • Personal knowledge and task management: local-first notes and checklist management for individuals who prefer file-based storage.
  • Small teams or private instances: shared checklists and notes behind an organization-controlled deployment with SSO integration.
  • Migration / backup scenarios: users who want readable Markdown files on disk for portability, versioning and backups.

Limitations and Considerations

  • File-based storage may be less suitable for very large datasets or high-concurrency multi-tenant deployments compared to a dedicated database-backed system.
  • PGP encryption is powerful but requires users to manage keys correctly; losing keys can render data inaccessible.
  • No official native mobile apps documented; mobile access relies on the web UI and responsive design.

Jotty is a pragmatic, privacy-conscious option for people and small teams who want readable, file-backed notes and checklists with encryption and easy Docker deployment. It emphasizes simplicity, portability and self-hosting while trading off scalability features found in database-backed platforms.

1.4kstars
69forks
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#5
Journiv

Journiv

Self-hosted private journaling app with mood tracking, prompt-based writing, media uploads, analytics, and powerful search for full data ownership.

Journiv screenshot

Journiv is a privacy-first, self-hosted journaling application designed to help you capture entries, track mood, and reflect over time while keeping full control of your data. It combines a clean writing experience with organization, search, and insights.

Key Features

  • Rich journal entries with a minimal, distraction-reduced UI
  • Mood tracking with visualizations and trend insights
  • Prompt-based journaling to help start and maintain a writing habit
  • Media uploads attached to entries
  • Tags and multiple journals to organize different areas of life
  • Advanced search across entries, media, and metadata
  • “On This Day” resurfacing of past entries for reflection

Use Cases

  • Personal daily journaling with mood tracking and long-term insights
  • Maintaining separate journals for work, travel, or personal growth
  • Searching and revisiting past moments using tags and full-text search

Limitations and Considerations

  • The project is in beta and under active development; breaking changes may occur, so regular backups are recommended

Journiv is a strong fit for privacy-conscious users who want an owned, self-managed journaling workflow. Its mood tracking, prompts, search, and analytics make it useful both for quick daily entries and longer-term reflection.

770stars
24forks
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#6
DailyTxT

DailyTxT

Encrypted diary and journal web app with client-side encryption, markdown editor, file uploads, searchable entries, multi-user accounts and PWA support.

DailyTxT is a self-hosted encrypted diary and journal web application that encrypts user data before writing it to server storage. It provides a responsive web UI with a markdown editor, file attachments, tagging and search while keeping each account's data encrypted with per-user keys.

Key Features

  • Client-side encryption workflow using ChaCha20-Poly1305 for stored data and Argon2id for deriving keys
  • Per-user encryption keys and backup-key mechanism for password recovery; admin cannot read user plaintext
  • Markdown editor with live preview and custom entry templates
  • Encrypted file uploads (images automatically detected) with a 500 MB per-file limit
  • Full-text server-side search across entries, tags and filenames
  • Tagging, calendar navigation, read/distraction-free mode and per-user statistics (GitHub-like activity graph)
  • Export entries (including uploaded files) to HTML and data stored as JSON files (no external database required)
  • Multi-user support with an admin panel for user management and temporary open registration
  • Responsive design and PWA support for mobile/home-screen installation

Use Cases

  • Personal encrypted journaling where entries and attachments are stored encrypted on a self-hosted server
  • Small teams, families or groups needing separate user accounts with per-account encryption and admin-managed access
  • Portable, long-term archival of journal data stored as readable JSON files and exportable to HTML

Limitations and Considerations

  • Search requires server-side access to decrypted data for indexing; the project does not provide full end-to-end searchable encryption
  • Data is stored as JSON files rather than a database; this favors portability but may affect scaling and performance for very large installations
  • Authentication stores a derived key in an http-only cookie for API calls; administrators should follow best practices for TLS and host hardening

DailyTxT is focused on privacy-minded journaling with practical features like search, attachments and export while keeping user data encrypted at rest. It is suitable for users who want a portable, self-hosted diary with per-account encryption and straightforward deployment via Docker.

420stars
37forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running