Self-Hosted Note-Taking Apps
The right self-hosted note app depends on how you actually take notes, not on which one has the longest feature list. If you are leaving Evernote or Apple Notes and want a near drop-in replacement with encrypted sync across phone and desktop, run Joplin. If you think in a tree of linked pages and want a real knowledge base, run TriliumNext. For fast, throwaway capture you will keep up with, Memos. For privacy-first simplicity, Standard Notes. All four keep your notes on a box you own instead of someone else's cloud.
Updated 2026-08-10 · by Jonathan Caruso
Top pick
Joplin
Joplin is the closest thing to a straight Evernote replacement you can fully self-host. Notes are plain markdown organized into notebooks and tags, there is a browser web clipper for saving pages, and the desktop, mobile, and terminal apps all sync the same library. The part that matters: sync and encryption are yours. Point Joplin at a self-hosted Joplin Server, or at a Nextcloud or WebDAV share you already run, turn on end-to-end encryption, and your notes move between devices without touching a company's servers. It runs on almost anything and imports directly from Evernote's .enex export, so switching is a one-afternoon job.
The options
Joplin
AGPL-3.0, freeA markdown note app with notebooks, tags, a web clipper, and end-to-end encrypted sync. The standard Evernote replacement.
Visit Joplin site- Runs on
- Desktop, mobile, and CLI apps. Self-host sync with Joplin Server in Docker (~256 MB RAM) or reuse Nextcloud/WebDAV.
- Pick it if
- You want a full Evernote-style app with encrypted sync you control across every device.
TriliumNext
AGPL-3.0, freeA hierarchical knowledge base: a tree of linked notes with relations, code notes, and built-in scripting. The maintained fork of Trilium Notes.
Visit TriliumNext site- Runs on
- Docker server (~256-512 MB RAM) with a web UI, plus optional desktop apps that sync to it.
- Pick it if
- You want a deep personal wiki with linking and automation, not just a flat list of notes.
Memos
MIT, freeA lightweight, fast note stream for quick capture with markdown and tags, closer to a private microblog than a document editor.
Visit Memos site- Runs on
- One tiny Go container (~50-100 MB RAM), SQLite by default.
- Pick it if
- You want to jot things down in seconds and search them later, without folders or ceremony.
Standard Notes
AGPL-3.0 apps, free (paid tier for rich editors)A simple, end-to-end encrypted note app that syncs across every platform. Now owned by Proton.
Visit Standard Notes site- Runs on
- Self-host the sync server in Docker (~512 MB RAM with its database).
- Pick it if
- Privacy is the priority and you want encrypted plain-text and markdown notes with the least fuss.
How to choose
Start by naming your workflow, because these tools are not interchangeable. Joplin and Standard Notes are document apps: discrete notes you write, tag, and search, with strong encryption and good mobile apps. Joplin does more (web clipper, notebooks, attachments) and Standard Notes does less on purpose (encrypted, minimal, fast). TriliumNext is a different animal: a tree of interlinked notes with scripting, closer to a personal wiki than a notepad, and worth it only if you actually want that structure. Memos is the odd one out and the one people underrate: a running stream of short markdown notes you capture in seconds, great as a scratchpad and poor as a 200-page manual. Plenty of homelabs run Memos for quick capture and Joplin for anything they want to keep.
Then decide how it syncs and where it lives, because that is the whole point of self-hosting. Joplin can reuse a Nextcloud or WebDAV backend you already run, so if you host files you host notes for free; TriliumNext, Memos, and Standard Notes each run their own server container instead. Put whichever you pick in Docker next to the rest of your stack (Docker or Podman both work), give it a small volume for its database, and reach it from your phone over a VPN like WireGuard or Tailscale rather than exposing it to the internet. If you want pages, databases, and a shared team wiki instead of personal notes, you are on the wrong list: see the self-hosted alternative to Notion roundup for that.
The verdict
Run Joplin. It replaces Evernote or Apple Notes without much fuss, the encryption and sync backend are yours, and it imports your old notes directly, so there is little reason not to start there. Choose TriliumNext if you genuinely want a linked knowledge base with scripting rather than a flat notebook, and be honest about whether you will use that structure. Add Memos as a second app for fast capture; it does one job well and stays out of the way. Reach for Standard Notes if encrypted simplicity is the whole point and you would rather have fewer features to think about. Whatever you pick, run it in a container, back up its database, and reach it from your phone over a VPN instead of a forwarded port. To browse the wider set of apps worth self-hosting first, start with the best self-hosted apps list.
FAQ
What is the best self-hosted note-taking app?
Joplin, for most people. It is the closest full replacement for Evernote or Apple Notes: markdown notes, notebooks, a web clipper, and end-to-end encrypted sync you host yourself. Pick TriliumNext instead if you want a linked knowledge base, Memos for fast quick-capture notes, and Standard Notes if encrypted simplicity matters more than features.
Is there a self-hosted alternative to Evernote?
Yes, Joplin is the direct one. It imports Evernote's .enex export, keeps the notebook-and-tag model Evernote users expect, has a web clipper for saving pages, and syncs across desktop, mobile, and terminal with end-to-end encryption. Unlike Evernote, the sync backend is yours: a Joplin Server container, or a Nextcloud or WebDAV share you already run.
Can I self-host Obsidian?
Not the app itself, since Obsidian is closed source and free rather than open source. But your notes are plain markdown files in a local folder, so you self-host the sync instead of the app. The common ways are the community Self-hosted LiveSync plugin backed by your own CouchDB, or just syncing the vault folder with Syncthing. If you would rather the whole app be open source and server-based, Joplin or TriliumNext are the closer fits.
How do I sync notes between my phone and computer?
Each app handles it differently. Joplin syncs through a backend you choose (Joplin Server, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or S3) with optional end-to-end encryption. TriliumNext, Memos, and Standard Notes each run a server you connect the clients to. Whichever you use, keep the server off the open internet and reach it over a VPN or a reverse proxy with TLS, the same way you would any other self-hosted app.
Is Joplin end-to-end encrypted?
Yes, once you turn it on. Joplin's end-to-end encryption is off by default and enabled per profile; after you switch it on, notes are encrypted on your device before they sync, so the backend (even your own Nextcloud or Joplin Server) only ever stores ciphertext. Set the master password on one device and enter it on the others to read the library.
What is Memos and is it good for notes?
Memos is a lightweight self-hosted app for short markdown notes, laid out as a timeline you post to, closer to a private Twitter or a scratchpad than a document editor. It is very good for capturing links, snippets, and quick thoughts you want to search later, and it runs in a tiny container. It is the wrong tool for long structured documents; pair it with Joplin or TriliumNext for those.
Which self-hosted note app is best for a team?
None of these four, really. Joplin, TriliumNext, Memos, and Standard Notes are built around one person's notes. For shared team notes, a wiki, or Notion-style pages and databases, look at Outline, Docmost, or BookStack in the [self-hosted alternative to Notion](/alternatives/self-hosted-alternative-to-notion) and [self-hosted wiki](/alternatives/self-hosted-wiki) roundups.