Penzu

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Penzu

A curated collection of the 4 best self hosted alternatives to Penzu.

Penzu is a cloud-based journaling and diary service for creating, organizing, and securely storing personal journal entries. It provides encryption, reminders, tagging, rich-text editing, photo attachments, and cross-device syncing via web and mobile apps.

Alternatives List

#1
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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#2
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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#3
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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#4
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