Open Source Alternatives to Evernote

Switching from Evernote to an open source alternative removes subscription costs and free-tier device limits while keeping notes in an open, portable format instead of a proprietary database. Joplin and Standard Notes take different approaches worth distinguishing clearly. Joplin stores notes as plain Markdown files and can import directly from Evernote’s .enex export format, and it supports syncing through whichever backend you already trust — Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, or Nextcloud — making it the better fit if you want portable, editor-agnostic plain-text files. Standard Notes instead encrypts every note by default, on every plan, before it ever leaves your device, and keeps its free core app deliberately simple, with extra editors, themes, and automated backups reserved for its optional paid Extended subscription — making it the better fit if end-to-end encryption is the priority over Markdown-file portability. Both remove Evernote’s device caps and subscription cost for typical personal note-taking and organization workflows.