App I use (and you should too): Joplin
A free, open-source, offline-first notes app
I like to take notes. Finding an app to take notes can be frustrating.
Most of today’s note-taking apps aren’t just trying to help you take notes. They’re trying to provide an all-in-one productivity platform, and ever-accelerating ecosystem that will meet your every demand and bend to every whim.
Of course, this is the point where I’m supposed to go on an unhinged rant about “enshittification” and make some grand comparison between productivity software and the ills of modern society.
But instead, I want to talk about a solution to the problem: Joplin, a free open-source note-taking app available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
The basics
Joplin is focused on notes written in Markdown format, though it also supports rich text with some limitations.
To be more specific, Joplin conforms to the CommonMark specification, which is used by much larger and more popular apps and platforms, like Github.
Markdown can be a bit annoying if you’re not used to it, but the format’s popularity has advantages.
It’s easy to copy-and-paste notes between Joplin and other Markdown format tools and platforms without breaking a note’s formatting. You export notes in Markdown, as well, which makes it easy import Joplin notes into other Markdown format applications. The reverse works, too.
If you really, really don’t want to use Markdown, the app also supports rich text. In this mode (accessed via a toggle in the editing bar of an open note), Joplin converts your formatting to Markdown. You just don’t see it.
That can lead to some occasional formatting oddities, but preserves the benefits of Markdown format compatibility.
Otherwise, the note-taking features are slim yet cover the basics. You can insert hyperlinks, code blocks, and attach images and files. The app also supports drawing for handwritten notes (though it’s a bit clunky) and has a web clipper for easily adding notes from web pages.
You will find a few more advanced features. You can use custom CSS to style your notes, for example. Joplin supports end-to-end encryption, though it’s not on by default.
Offline-first…but you can still sync files
In stark contrast to most commercial note apps, Joplin is offline-first.
You don’t have to sign up for an account to use Joplin, and all of its core features work without an account or Internet connection. Just download it and go.
Of course, that begs the question. How do you sync notes between devices?
You have a few options.
The first is Joplin Cloud. Starting at about 3 bucks a month, Joplin Cloud will sync your notes and provides a few other online-only features, like the ability to publish notes as webpages or collaborate with other people online.
Joplin Cloud is a good value, but you don’t need to pay to sync. The app provides several free alternatives.
The first option is to piggy-back off another cloud storage service, such as DropBox or Microsoft Onedrive. Most people already use such a service, and the amount of storage available at the free tier is more than enough to handle Joplin notebooks. I pay for Microsoft 365, so I use Onedrive for my Joplin synchronization across my Windows, Mac, and iOS devices.
Alternatively, you can use WebDAV or Amazon S3. These give you the option to set up your own local or cloud-based synchronization server. Frankly, this would be overkill unless you already have a server set up for other tasks. But it’s an attractive option for people who really, really want full control of the note-taking experience.
It just takes notes
One reason note-taking apps tend towards feature creep, I think, is that the idea of a “note” is rather broad. Is a diary a note? What about a meeting summary? How about a grocery list? Or a photo of something you want to remember?
Joplin ignores this and keeps things refreshingly simple. It opens to a three-pane interface. The left pane organizes notebooks, the middle pane shows notes in the currently open notebook, and the right pane shows your notes.
Though it does support tags, Joplin otherwise lacks features focused on trying to optimize your note-taking productivity. There’s no built-in calendar and no built-in support for databases, spreadsheets, mind maps, or other organizational tools.
That’s not to say Joplin lacks function and features, but many such features are made available by the community as plugins. These plugins can add many things including:
An improved rich text editing mode
Note tabs
Favorites
Templates
Conflict resolution
And a lot, lot more.
Joplin also provides plugin and data APIs if you really want to nerd out on your customization.
What do you have to lose? Just give it a try.
Again, for those in the back: Joplin is free, open-source, and offline-first.
Also, to be clear, it also supports iOS and Android. While I tend to take most my notes on Windows and Mac, the iOS app does the trick.
No matter which platform you choose to use, you can just download it and go.
This, I think, might be the app’s best feature.
There’s a lot of great apps for notes, but nearly all of them require some kind of sign-up or sign-in, even when they’re free to use. Joplin bucks the trend. So why not give it a spin?