Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Joplin Cloud

Joplin is a free and open source note-taking and to-do application designed for keeping your data private while staying available across devices. It is offline-first and can sync using end-to-end encryption via multiple backends, including WebDAV and Nextcloud.

Key Features

• Organize notes in notebooks with tags and powerful full-text search
• Markdown-based notes with optional rich-text editing
• End-to-end encryption (E2EE) for sync to protect note contents
• Sync with multiple providers and standards (including WebDAV-compatible services)
• Web Clipper extension to save web pages or screenshots as notes
• Import from Evernote (ENEX) and import/export Markdown
• Customization via plugins, themes, and an extension API
• Available on desktop and mobile, plus a terminal application

Use Cases

• Personal knowledge management across devices with encrypted synchronization
• Migrating from Evernote and consolidating notes into an open format
• Capturing research and articles via web clipping for offline reading

Joplin fits individuals and teams that want flexible note organization, broad sync options, and strong privacy controls. Its open formats and extensibility make it a solid long-term notes and knowledge base solution.

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.

Notesnook is a privacy-focused note-taking application that encrypts notes on the client before sync and storage. It offers desktop, mobile and web clients alongside an open-source sync server and supporting tooling.

Key Features

• End-to-end client-side encryption for notes, with encryption-at-rest and in-transit protections and an open verification tool demonstrating the encryption model.
• Cross-platform clients (desktop, web, mobile) and a browser web clipper for saving pages and articles privately.
• Self-hostable sync server and supporting services (identity, SSE messaging, attachments storage) published under an open-source license.
• Note editor features: Markdown support, tables, code blocks, maths/formulas, lists, task lists, embeds, images and file attachments.
• Bidirectional note linking for personal knowledge management and internal linking between notes.
• Notes vault and password-protected shares for additional access control on sensitive notes.
• Reminders and basic task scheduling integrated in the app.
• Deployment tooling: official repository includes Docker Compose manifests to run services with MongoDB and MinIO for storage.

Use Cases

• Secure personal note-taking and journaling where client-side encryption and privacy are required.
• Personal knowledge management and research workflows using bidirectional links, markdown, and cross-device sync.
• Sharing documents or notes securely with password-protected shared links while keeping primary data encrypted.

Limitations and Considerations

• Self-hosting of the sync server is marked alpha: documentation and official support are limited and self-hosting is provided without support. The repository and Docker Compose make self-hosting possible but administrators should be prepared to manage components (MongoDB, MinIO, identity and messaging services) themselves.
• Some on-premise/self-host settings and full documentation were stated as in progress; production hardening, scaling guidance, and enterprise support may be limited.

Notesnook combines a consumer-facing encrypted note service with open-source clients and a sync server repository. It is geared toward users who prioritize privacy and want the option to run their own sync infrastructure or review the server code.

Nextcloud Notes is a simple, distraction-free note-taking application for Nextcloud. It stores notes as regular files in your Nextcloud, making them accessible and syncable across Nextcloud clients and devices.

Key Features

• Notes stored as files in your Nextcloud (compatible with Nextcloud sync clients)
• Markdown formatting support for writing and previewing
• Categories for organizing notes
• Favorites for quick access to important notes
• JSON-based REST API for integrations and mobile/third-party clients
• Admin defaults configurable via Nextcloud occ commands (mode, file extension, default folder)

Use Cases

• Personal note-taking synced across desktop and mobile via Nextcloud
• Team or shared note folders managed through Nextcloud file sharing
• Integrating notes into custom apps via the Notes REST API

Nextcloud Notes is a good fit if you want lightweight notes that remain plain files inside your Nextcloud storage, while still providing a focused editor, Markdown support, and an integration-friendly API.

Glass Keep is a Keep-style notes application that combines a glassmorphism UI with a Vite + React frontend and a small Express API backed by SQLite. It targets self-hosting use and can be run via Docker or as a local dev server.

Key Features

• Markdown notes with headings, code blocks and formatted text
• Checklists with drag-reorder and inline toggles
• Image attachments (client-side compression), thumbnails and fullscreen viewer
• Drawing/handwritten notes with brush controls
• Tags as chips, per-note color themes, pin/unpin and grid layout
• Real-time collaboration (checklists and note co-editing), conflict resolution
• Auth (username/password), secret recovery key, admin panel and user management
• PWA support, import/export (JSON, Google Keep import), per-note .md download
• Docker image and a single-file SQLite backend for quick deployment

(github.com)

Use Cases

• Personal note-taking with Markdown and images for users who prefer self-hosting
• Shared lists and collaborative checklists for small teams or households
• Lightweight, installable PWA for mobile/desktop note access without third-party cloud

(github.com)

Limitations and Considerations

• Uses SQLite (better-sqlite3) as a single-file database which simplifies setup but limits horizontal scaling and multi-node deployments
• PWA behavior and some UI nuances can vary by browser and platform; testing required for target devices

(github.com)

Glass Keep is a focused, practical alternative to cloud note services for users who want markdown, media attachments and collaborative lists while keeping full control of their data. It is distributed as source (GitHub) and a Docker image for straightforward self-hosting.

Nanote is a lightweight, self-hosted note-taking application that stores notes as plain markdown files and folders on the filesystem, providing full portability. It is built with Nuxt, Vue and TypeScript and focuses on simplicity, fast search, and direct file access.

Key Features

• Notebook-based organization using folders as notebooks and .md files as notes
• Filesystem storage with no database dependency for full portability and easy backups
• Native Markdown support with Milkdown editor and proper MIME handling
• Universal, OS-optimized search for fast content discovery across all notes
• Type-safe REST API with validation for programmatic access
• Docker-ready with sample compose file for quick deployment
• File upload support and custom inline remark directives (e.g., inline file pickers, date shortcuts)
• Mobile-friendly responsive layout for viewing and editing notes

Use Cases

• Personal knowledge management where notes must remain portable and editable with any text editor
• Lightweight team/documentation server backed by a filesystem or shared volume
• Replace simple note apps with markdown-first workflow and fast search across local files

Limitations and Considerations

• Encryption at rest is not implemented (listed as pending in project roadmap)
• Feature set is early-stage: some planned features (archive, rollup checklists, desktop/mobile apps) are incomplete
• Local development requires Node.js, PNPM, and optional ugrep for optimized search; deployments may need environment variables configured for note and upload paths

Nanote is suited for users who prefer file-based markdown workflows and want a minimal, performant web UI over their existing notes. It prioritizes portability and simple operation while remaining extensible via its API.

Turtl is a privacy-focused note-taking app designed to store personal knowledge (notes, bookmarks, and files) with end-to-end encryption. It provides cross-platform clients and a sync server you can run yourself so data remains encrypted both at rest and in transit.

Key Features

• End-to-end encryption for notes, bookmarks, and attached files (client-side encryption)
• Organize content with boards/spaces and tags for personal knowledge management
• Full-text search across your content (client-side)
• Rich note content including markdown-style formatting support (client UX dependent)
• Cross-device sync using the Turtl Server backend
• Sharing/collaboration features (shared spaces/boards) supported by the platform
• Multi-platform clients (desktop and mobile) designed to work with the same account/server

Use Cases

• Keep a private encrypted personal knowledge base (research notes, journal, snippets)
• Save and tag bookmarks/read-later items with encrypted metadata and content
• Share an encrypted workspace with a small team for sensitive project notes

Limitations and Considerations

• The project’s ecosystem has historically had periods of lower maintenance activity; verify current client/server compatibility and last release before adopting for critical use.
• Some features and UX vary by client platform (desktop vs mobile) depending on current client state.

Turtl fits users who want a note and bookmark manager that prioritizes confidentiality through client-side encryption while still supporting syncing and collaboration. It is best evaluated by matching your preferred client platforms with the currently maintained server and client versions.