What is PenX used for?

PenX is a free, local-first, privacy-first personal data hub for storing structured notes and data, built with Next.js, tRPC, Prisma and PGLite, with AI-driven features. It is a good fit for private, offline-capable personal notes and data; and AI-assisted structured note-taking.

Yes. PenX is open source. Its source code is on GitHub at penxio/penx and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. PenX is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $5 per month.

Can I self-host PenX?

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

What is PenX an alternative to?

PenX is an open-source alternative to Notion and Obsidian. Other open-source alternatives to Notion include SiYuan, Anytype and Logseq.

Is PenX actively maintained?

The most recent commit to PenX was on 18 September 2025, and the latest release is v1.1.11, published on 18 September 2025. The project has 1.2k stars on GitHub.

PenX: open-source alternative to Notion, Obsidian

About PenX

PenX is a personal data hub aimed at individuals who want to store structured notes and data under their own control, prioritizing local storage and privacy over a cloud-first model. It is positioned as an AI-powered place to keep personal information rather than a traditional cloud note-taking app.

It is local-first and privacy-first by design, open source, cross-platform, and supports realtime sync across devices while remaining AI-driven in how it helps organize and work with stored data. The primary technology stack includes Next.js and TypeScript for the application, tRPC for type-safe APIs, Prisma for data modeling, and PGLite for an embedded local database.

A downloadable desktop app is offered alongside the web version, and the project is developed openly with its source on GitHub, where contributors can set it up by cloning the repository and working from the root directory. The repository metadata does not state a license, so check the repository before relying on it for sensitive or commercial use; pricing details, if any, are referenced on the project's own site rather than documented in the README.

Key features

Local-first, privacy-first structured data storage
Realtime sync across devices
AI-driven data organization
Cross-platform desktop and web apps
Built with Next.js, tRPC, Prisma and PGLite

Good fit for

→Private, offline-capable personal notes and data
→AI-assisted structured note-taking

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: note-taking; local-first; privacy; ai; typescript; database

PenX: questions and answers

What is PenX used for?: PenX is a free, local-first, privacy-first personal data hub for storing structured notes and data, built with Next.js, tRPC, Prisma and PGLite, with AI-driven features. It is a good fit for private, offline-capable personal notes and data; and AI-assisted structured note-taking.
Is PenX open source?: Yes. PenX is open source. Its source code is on GitHub at penxio/penx and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is PenX free?: Yes. PenX is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $5 per month.
Can I self-host PenX?: Yes. PenX can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is PenX an alternative to?: PenX is an open-source alternative to Notion and Obsidian. Other open-source alternatives to Notion include SiYuan, Anytype and Logseq.
Is PenX actively maintained?: The most recent commit to PenX was on 18 September 2025, and the latest release is v1.1.11, published on 18 September 2025. The project has 1.2k stars on GitHub.