Open Source Alternatives to Obsidian
A note-taking and knowledge-management application that stores Markdown files locally, enables bidirectional linking, graph visualization, and optional paid services for cloud sync and web publishing.
Whether you want to cut software costs or escape vendor lock-in, these open source alternatives to Obsidian give you an option you fully own. Run them on your own server or desktop, so your data stays under your control. This page lists 13 open source alternatives to Obsidian. The most popular are SiYuan, Logseq and Trilium. Most use the AGPL-3.0 or GPL-3.0 license, and 6 offer an official Docker image.
SiYuan
A privacy first personal knowledge management system with block level references and markdown WYSIWYG editing.
Logseq
A privacy-first knowledge management platform using bidirectional linking and outlines to organize notes and tasks.
Trilium
A hierarchical note taking application designed for building large, scriptable personal knowledge bases with visual mapping.
Tolaria
Manage markdown knowledge bases using git version control and direct AI model integration without requiring accounts.
Note-gen
A cross-platform markdown note application that uses AI to transform raw captures into structured documentation.
Blinko
A self-hosted card note taking application that uses retrieval augmented generation to search notes via natural language.
TiddlyWiki
A non-linear personal web notebook and interactive wiki implemented as a single HTML file or Node.js application.
AnyType
A local-first personal knowledge base for managing notes, tasks, and databases with peer-to-peer encrypted synchronization.
Yank Note
A Markdown editor with AI assistance, version control, and support for embedding diagrams and runnable code.
SilverBullet
A programmable personal knowledge database using Markdown and Lua for extensible note taking and data management.
Zim
A graphical text editor for maintaining a collection of wiki pages stored as plain text files.
TidGi
A local-first knowledge management tool based on TiddlyWiki with integrated Git backup and blogging capabilities.
Zen
A minimal note taking application that stores markdown notes in a local sqlite database with full text search.
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