What is Notesnook used for?

Notesnook is a free, open-source, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app with web, desktop and mobile clients, positioned as a private alternative to Evernote. It is a good fit for replacing Evernote with encrypted notes, private note syncing across devices, and notes for journalists and privacy-minded users.

Is Notesnook open source?

Yes. Notesnook is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at streetwriters/notesnook and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Notesnook is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host Notesnook?

Yes. Notesnook can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Notesnook an alternative to?

Notesnook is an open-source alternative to Evernote, Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote and Apple Notes. Other open-source alternatives to Evernote include Joplin, Standard Notes and Trilium Notes.

Is Notesnook actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Notesnook was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v3.4.8, published on 14 September 2026. The project has 15k stars on GitHub.

Notesnook: open-source alternative to Evernote, Google Keep

About Notesnook

Notesnook is a note-taking app that puts privacy first. Everything is encrypted on your device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 before it syncs, following zero-knowledge principles, and the whole thing is open source. It is presented as an end-to-end encrypted alternative to Evernote, aiming to show that privacy does not have to cost convenience.

The repository contains all the code needed to build and use the web, desktop and mobile clients. They are built mainly with TypeScript and React, with Electron for desktop and React Native for mobile, and parts of the code base are still being ported from JavaScript. A server component written with .NET appears in the topics. The website covers the full feature list, roadmap and downloads, and the team encourages community involvement through Discord.

Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0. A hosted sync service is operated by the company behind it, and the open-source code lets you inspect how encryption is handled. It suits people moving away from Evernote or other cloud notes who want strong encryption and cross-platform apps.

Key features

End-to-end encrypted notes
XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 encryption
Web, desktop and mobile apps
Open-source clients you can audit
Notebooks and organization tools
Evernote-style note-taking workflow

Good fit for

→Replacing Evernote with encrypted notes
→Private note syncing across devices
→Notes for journalists and privacy-minded users

Built with: TypeScript; Electron; React; React Native
Tags: note-taking; encryption; privacy; evernote-alternative; end-to-end-encryption; electron; react-native; open-source

Notesnook: questions and answers

What is Notesnook used for?: Notesnook is a free, open-source, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app with web, desktop and mobile clients, positioned as a private alternative to Evernote. It is a good fit for replacing Evernote with encrypted notes, private note syncing across devices, and notes for journalists and privacy-minded users.
Is Notesnook open source?: Yes. Notesnook is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at streetwriters/notesnook and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Notesnook free?: Yes. Notesnook is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host Notesnook?: Yes. Notesnook can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Notesnook an alternative to?: Notesnook is an open-source alternative to Evernote, Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote and Apple Notes. Other open-source alternatives to Evernote include Joplin, Standard Notes and Trilium Notes.
Is Notesnook actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Notesnook was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v3.4.8, published on 14 September 2026. The project has 15k stars on GitHub.