Why switch from Joplin?

Joplin does the important things right: open source, Markdown, end-to-end encrypted sync to storage you choose. People leave for the experience rather than the principles: the interface is plain, the mobile apps feel utilitarian, and encryption is a setting that is easy to leave off. If Joplin’s look does not bother you, there is no reason to move.

What is the best free Joplin alternative?

Obsidian keeps the plain-files approach with a nicer editor and is free for personal use. Logseq is free and open source. Notesnook and Standard Notes have free plans that encrypt everything. Dash is free on iPhone and the web, with a one-time $14.99 purchase for the Mac app.

Which alternatives are end-to-end encrypted?

Notesnook and Standard Notes encrypt everything by default. Dash locks any note with AES-256 on the device and encrypts sync end to end. Obsidian encrypts its sync but not the files on disk. Logseq has no encryption built in. Bear encrypts individual notes on Pro.

Can I import my Joplin notes?

Export from Joplin as Markdown (with or without front matter) or as a JEX archive. Obsidian and Logseq open the Markdown folder directly; Bear imports Markdown files; Notesnook and Standard Notes import through their apps. In Dash, paste in what you use and keep the export as an encrypted archive.

Is Joplin still free?

Yes. The apps are free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence on every platform. Joplin Cloud, the optional hosted sync, starts at €2.99 a month for the Basic plan and €5.99 for Pro; syncing to your own Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or WebDAV storage costs nothing.

Dash Notes

Free on iPhone

Alternatives

Joplin Alternatives

Six apps that keep Joplin’s principles, open code and real encryption, in a nicer package, and how to move your notes.

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Updated September 2026 · Dash team

Joplin gets the principles right. It is open source, it stores Markdown, and it can sync end-to-end encrypted to storage you control. The reasons people look for a Joplin alternative are almost all about the experience: a plain interface, utilitarian mobile apps, and encryption that has to be switched on.

The six apps below keep the principles and improve the experience in different directions. We build Dash, so it is listed first and judged by the same rules as the rest.

Six Joplin alternatives

01
Dash
Our app
A native-feeling notes app for Mac and iPhone with no account, a lock on any note, a lock on the whole app, and sync that is optional and end-to-end encrypted. Open source under MIT.
Best for
Joplin’s privacy with a polished Mac and iPhone app
Price
$14.99 once on Mac; free on iPhone and the web
Privacy
Offline by default; locked notes AES-256-GCM; sync end-to-end encrypted
- Feels native on Mac and iPhone
- Lock any note, app lock, duress password, self-destructing notes
- Local AI with Ollama and similar; exports Markdown, PDF, DOCX
- No Windows or Linux app
- Notes are not plain Markdown files on disk
- Sync is a subscription
02
Notesnook
Everything encrypted by default, a modern editor, and clients on every platform Joplin runs on.
Best for
Encryption you cannot forget to turn on
Price
Free; Essential $19.99 a year; Pro $69.99 a year
Privacy
End-to-end encrypted by default (XChaCha20-Poly1305, Argon2)
- Encrypted without a setting to remember
- Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and web
- GPL-3.0 client and server
- Account required
- Not plain files
- Free tier limits attachments to 50 MB a month
03
Standard Notes
The conservative choice: end-to-end encrypted since 2016, audited, and now part of Proton.
Best for
A long security record
Price
Free (plain text); Productivity $90 a year; Professional $120 a year
Privacy
End-to-end encrypted by default; account required
- Nearly a decade of audits
- Every platform and the web
- AGPL-3.0, server code published
- Free plan is plain text
- Rich editors cost $90 a year
- Dated interface
04
Obsidian
The same plain-Markdown idea as Joplin with a far larger plugin ecosystem and a more refined editor.
Best for
Joplin users who want more power in the same files
Price
Free for personal use; Obsidian Sync $4 a month billed yearly
Privacy
Files stay local; Sync is end-to-end encrypted
- Opens a folder of Markdown as a vault
- Backlinks, graph and thousands of plugins
- Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
- Closed source app
- No encryption at rest built in
- Set-up before you write
05
Logseq
An open-source outliner on local Markdown or Org-mode files, with daily journals, backlinks and a graph.
Best for
Networked, block-based notes in plain files
Price
Free
Privacy
Files stay on your disk; no encryption built in
- AGPL-3.0 and free
- Backlinks and block references
- Desktop, web and iOS
- No note encryption
- Real-time sync still in alpha
- Outliner style is not for everyone
06
Bear
The prettiest Markdown notes app on Apple devices, with per-note encryption and app lock on Pro.
Best for
Markdown with better typography, on Apple only
Price
Free; Bear Pro $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year
Privacy
iCloud sync; per-note encryption and app lock need Pro
- Beautiful editor and themes
- Encrypt individual notes on Pro
- Exports to Markdown, PDF, DOCX and more
- Apple platforms only
- Sync not end-to-end encrypted by Bear
- Closed source

Joplin’s privacy with a native Mac app. Dash is $14.99 once on Mac, free on iPhone.

Get Dash for Mac

Why people leave Joplin

The interface. Functional and unchanged in feel for years; it does not feel native on the Mac or the iPhone.
Mobile. The phone apps work but feel like ports.
Encryption is opt-in. Many Joplin users sync for months before noticing the setting.
Bring-your-own-storage cuts both ways. Flexible, but another account to manage and one more thing to break.

What to keep and what to fix

Keep the open code; a privacy app you cannot read is a promise, not a guarantee. Keep encryption, but prefer an app where it is on by default or is a deliberate lock rather than a buried setting. Keep an export path in a standard format. Then fix the experience: Dash or Bear for a native feel on Apple devices, Notesnook or Standard Notes for encryption everywhere, Obsidian or Logseq for the same files with more power.

Moving your notes out of Joplin

Export. In Joplin, export a notebook or everything as Markdown, as Markdown with front matter (keeps dates and tags), or as a JEX archive for a full backup.
Import. Obsidian and Logseq open the Markdown folder as a vault or graph. Bear imports Markdown files. Notesnook and Standard Notes import through their apps.
Or start fresh. In Dash, paste in the notes you use and keep the JEX archive, ideally inside an encrypted .dashpack export on a drive you control.

Pay once for the app. Sync is the only subscription.

No plan needed to take notes. Ever.

Dash for iPhone

Freeon the App Store

Same encryption, Face ID
Works fully offline
No account to make

Download

Dash Sync (optional)

$4.99/ month, or $47.99 / year

Mac, iPhone, iPad and web in step
Encrypted on your device first
7-day free trial, cancel any time

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Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Open source note taking appsSix apps whose code you can read, compared on licence and encryption.Standard Notes vs NotesnookThe two encrypted-by-default apps side by side.Encrypted notes appHow Dash encrypts a note on the device.

Open source, encrypted, and nice to use.

$14.99 once on Mac. Free on iPhone.

Get Dash for Mac App Store