Avaneesh Chopdekar
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7 min read
Open-Source Notion Alternatives

There are several open-source alternatives to Notion that offer similar features for note-taking, task management, project collaboration, and personal knowledge management. These alternatives often provide flexibility, privacy, and control over data while maintaining comparable functionality. Here’s a list of popular open-source alternatives to Notion:

1. AppFlowy

Overview: AppFlowy is one of the most promising open-source alternatives to Notion. It’s designed to offer the same flexibility with a focus on data privacy and local-first storage.

Key Features:

  • Local-First and Open-Source: All your data is stored locally unless you configure syncing options yourself, ensuring privacy and control.
  • WYSIWYG Editor: Supports a rich text editor like Notion with text formatting, lists, and code blocks.
  • Customizable: Since it’s open-source, you can extend it or modify the code to fit your needs.
  • Kanban Boards: It includes project management features such as Kanban boards for task tracking.

Pros:

  • Privacy-friendly, with local storage and no reliance on cloud servers.
  • Highly customizable and developer-friendly.
  • Regularly evolving to match Notion’s core features.

Cons:

  • Still in early development stages, so not all Notion features are available yet (e.g., databases, API integrations).

Website: AppFlowy

2. Outline

Overview: Outline is a robust open-source knowledge base tool that’s comparable to Notion in terms of creating collaborative wikis and documentation. It’s designed for teams to manage knowledge, making it a good Notion alternative for documentation-heavy use cases.

Key Features:

  • Collaborative Editing: Real-time collaboration, similar to Notion, allowing teams to work together on documents.
  • Markdown Support: Uses Markdown for note-taking, providing a flexible, text-based interface for writing and formatting.
  • Folders and Tags: Organize documents into folders and use tags to categorize them for easy navigation.
  • Integrations: Integrates with Slack, Google Drive, and other tools.

Pros:

  • Team-focused, with real-time collaboration features.
  • Supports rich media and embedded content.
  • Self-hosted, offering full control over your data.

Cons:

  • Primarily focused on documentation and wikis rather than project management or task tracking.

Website: Outline

3. TiddlyWiki

Overview: TiddlyWiki is a highly customizable, open-source personal wiki tool. It is not as visually polished as Notion but can be extended to function similarly with plugins and advanced features.

Key Features:

  • Wiki-Style Note Linking: Uses a unique wiki-like system for interlinking notes and building relationships between them, similar to Notion’s internal linking feature.
  • Customizable and Extensible: TiddlyWiki can be modified heavily, including themes and plugins, to suit almost any use case.
  • Portable and Local: It’s a single HTML file, meaning it’s easy to save, share, and sync manually. Data is stored locally.

Pros:

  • Complete control over data and storage, as it’s a local tool.
  • Lightweight and extremely customizable for advanced users.
  • No need for server-side hosting.

Cons:

  • Steeper learning curve and requires more technical knowledge to configure.
  • Not as visually polished or as easy to use as Notion, especially for non-technical users.

Website: TiddlyWiki

4. Joplin

Overview: Joplin is an open-source note-taking and to-do app that supports Markdown, making it a solid alternative to Notion for those who primarily focus on note-taking and task management.

Key Features:

  • Markdown Support: Joplin’s core is its Markdown-based note-taking system, similar to Notion’s text editing.
  • To-Do Lists: You can manage tasks with checkboxes, due dates, and prioritization, like a lightweight Notion alternative.
  • End-to-End Encryption: For those who are privacy-conscious, Joplin supports encryption for note synchronization across devices.
  • Sync Options: You can sync notes through services like Dropbox, OneDrive, or Nextcloud, or even through a self-hosted WebDAV server.

Pros:

  • Offline-first, with the option to sync to cloud storage.
  • Strong privacy features (end-to-end encryption).
  • Well-suited for developers with support for code blocks, terminal interface, and scripting.

Cons:

  • Lacks features like Kanban boards or databases.
  • Collaboration is limited compared to Notion.

Website: Joplin

5. Standard Notes

Overview: Standard Notes is a privacy-first, open-source note-taking app with a focus on encryption and simplicity. It doesn’t have project management features like Notion, but it offers powerful note organization and security.

Key Features:

  • End-to-End Encryption: All notes are encrypted, ensuring full privacy.
  • Markdown Support: You can write and format notes using Markdown.
  • Extensions for Power Users: While the core app is simple, extensions allow you to add advanced features like code editors, rich text editors, and to-do lists.

Pros:

  • Privacy and security focused, ideal for storing sensitive information.
  • Extensions add flexibility for developers.
  • Supports syncing across multiple devices, with self-hosting options.

Cons:

  • More focused on notes than on task or project management.
  • Some advanced features require a subscription.

Website: Standard Notes

6. Trilium Notes

Overview: Trilium is a hierarchical note-taking application designed for power users who require detailed organization of notes and knowledge. It’s great for deep work, with support for complex relationships between notes, similar to Obsidian or Notion.

Key Features:

  • Hierarchical Note Structure: You can create deeply nested notes, similar to folders and subpages in Notion.
  • Relationship and Links Between Notes: Notes can reference and link to each other, supporting non-linear knowledge graphs like Notion’s internal page linking.
  • Visual Mind Mapping: Includes support for mind maps, which can be used for project planning.
  • Markdown & Code Support: Great for developers with Markdown and embedded code block support.

Pros:

  • Great for managing complex note hierarchies.
  • Powerful note linking and organization.
  • Self-hosting provides full control over data.

Cons:

  • Lacks some of the polished design and features of Notion, like real-time collaboration and databases.
  • Can feel overwhelming for beginners due to its depth.

Website: Trilium Notes

7. Anytype

Overview: Anytype is a newer open-source tool, currently in beta, which aims to be a decentralized and local-first alternative to Notion. It’s similar in its functionality and interface but with a strong focus on privacy and user data ownership.

Key Features:

  • Blocks and Databases: Like Notion, Anytype uses a block-based editor and allows for the creation of databases and lists.
  • Local First & Decentralized: It stores your data locally and syncs it in a decentralized manner, giving you more control over your information.
  • Cross-Platform: Currently in beta for desktop, but mobile support is coming.

Pros:

  • Great Notion alternative with local-first data storage.
  • Privacy-focused and decentralized sync.
  • Visually similar to Notion, making the transition easy for existing users.

Cons:

  • Still in beta, so it’s not fully polished or stable.
  • Limited integrations compared to Notion.

Website: Anytype

Conclusion:

If you are looking for an open-source alternative to Notion that offers nearly the same features:

AppFlowy is probably the closest in terms of both features and UI design. Outline and Trilium Notes are excellent choices if you’re looking for a knowledge base or collaborative document creation. Joplin is perfect for note-taking with markdown and privacy as a priority.

Each of these tools offers a unique balance of features, and depending on your specific requirements (privacy, collaboration, project management), one might suit your needs better than the others.