What is QOwnNotes used for?

QOwnNotes is an open-source desktop notepad and to-do manager that stores Markdown plain-text files and syncs through Nextcloud or ownCloud. It is a good fit for local-first note taking with Nextcloud sync and managing tasks alongside notes.

Is QOwnNotes open source?

Yes. QOwnNotes is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at pbek/QOwnNotes and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. QOwnNotes is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host QOwnNotes?

Yes. QOwnNotes can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is QOwnNotes an alternative to?

QOwnNotes is an open-source alternative to Evernote, UpNote, Amplenote and Inkdrop. Other open-source alternatives to Evernote include Trilium Notes, Joplin and SiYuan.

Is QOwnNotes actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to QOwnNotes was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v26.10.0, published on 1 October 2026. The project has 5.9k stars on GitHub.

QOwnNotes: open-source alternative to Evernote, UpNote

About QOwnNotes

QOwnNotes is a notepad and to-do list manager for GNU/Linux, macOS and Windows. Notes are kept as plain-text Markdown files, so they stay readable and portable, and the app works together with Nextcloud Notes and ownCloud Notes so the same notes can be reached from other devices.

Around the desktop application the project offers an Android companion app, a web app, and web companion extensions for Firefox and Chrome. Repository topics point to CalDAV task support, bookmark handling, personal knowledge management and local-first design. The program is built with Qt in C++ and the project links to community channels including Matrix, Telegram and IRC.

QOwnNotes is licensed under GPL-2.0 and runs locally on your computer, so there is no server to host unless you choose to use Nextcloud or ownCloud for syncing. It suits people who want a local-first Markdown notes app that works with their own cloud storage.

Key features

Notes stored as plain Markdown files
Nextcloud and ownCloud Notes integration
To-do list manager
Desktop apps for Linux, macOS and Windows
Android app and browser companion extensions
Qt-based native interface

Good fit for

→Local-first note taking with Nextcloud sync
→Managing tasks alongside notes

Built with: C++
Tags: notes; markdown; nextcloud; owncloud; todo; local-first; qt; desktop

QOwnNotes: questions and answers

What is QOwnNotes used for?: QOwnNotes is an open-source desktop notepad and to-do manager that stores Markdown plain-text files and syncs through Nextcloud or ownCloud. It is a good fit for local-first note taking with Nextcloud sync and managing tasks alongside notes.
Is QOwnNotes open source?: Yes. QOwnNotes is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at pbek/QOwnNotes and is written mainly in C++.
Is QOwnNotes free?: Yes. QOwnNotes is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host QOwnNotes?: Yes. QOwnNotes can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is QOwnNotes an alternative to?: QOwnNotes is an open-source alternative to Evernote, UpNote, Amplenote and Inkdrop. Other open-source alternatives to Evernote include Trilium Notes, Joplin and SiYuan.
Is QOwnNotes actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to QOwnNotes was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v26.10.0, published on 1 October 2026. The project has 5.9k stars on GitHub.