Open Source Notes & Knowledge Software
Notes & Knowledge software provides a centralized system for capturing ideas, drafting documents, and organizing research. These tools use markdown formatting, bidirectional linking, and hierarchical structures to turn scattered thoughts into a searchable knowledge base. This type of software is for individuals and teams who need to manage complex sets of interconnected notes and tasks. Self-hosting these apps ensures that personal journals and proprietary research stay on private hardware. These tools allow you to manage your own encryption keys and synchronization methods for all written content.
This page lists 58 open source tools in the Notes & Knowledge category. The most popular are AppFlowy, Affine and Memos. Most use the AGPL-3.0 or MIT license, and 36 offer an official Docker image.
AppFlowy
A collaborative workspace for notes and databases that provides data ownership and native cross platform support.
Affine
A local-first knowledge base that merges structured documents, infinite whiteboards, and databases into one workspace.
Memos
A self-hosted note-taking tool for quick capture using a timeline-first interface and markdown-native formatting.
MarkText
A markdown editor providing real-time preview and distraction-free writing modes for desktop operating systems.
Joplin
Manage notes and to-do lists with markdown support, end-to-end encryption, and synchronization across multiple cloud services.
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.
Open Notebook
Manage research through AI summarization, multi-format content ingestion, and multi-speaker podcast generation with local data control.
Karakeep
Save and organize links, notes, images, and PDFs with AI tagging and full page archival.
Meetily
Records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings on local infrastructure to maintain data sovereignty and privacy.
Tolaria
Manage markdown knowledge bases using git version control and direct AI model integration without requiring accounts.
Etherpad
A real-time collaborative document editor featuring character-by-character version history and author attribution for self-hosted environments.
Docs
A collaborative editor for writing and organizing knowledge through real-time editing and structured document hierarchies.
JupyterLab
An extensible environment for interactive and reproducible computing based on the Jupyter Notebook and Architecture.
Seafile
A self-hosted cloud storage system for syncing and sharing files with integrated metadata management and collaborative editing.
Notesnook
An end to end encrypted note taking application with zero knowledge architecture and cross device synchronization.
Zettlr
A markdown editor and publication workbench designed for academic writing and zettelkasten knowledge management.
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.
Anarlog
Records system audio and transcribes meetings locally to turn rough notes into editable markdown summaries on disk.
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.
HedgeDoc
Create and edit markdown notes in real time with a collaborative editor for teams and individuals.
massCode
A local first developer workspace combining code snippets, markdown notes, and an integrated HTTP client.
Yank Note
A Markdown editor with AI assistance, version control, and support for embedding diagrams and runnable code.
Standard Notes
A cross platform note taking application featuring end to end encryption and synchronization across unlimited devices.
SilverBullet
A programmable personal knowledge database using Markdown and Lua for extensible note taking and data management.
TagSpaces
Organize and manage local files using a privacy focused tagging system that works entirely offline.
Colanode
A local-first collaboration workspace combining real-time chat, rich text pages, databases, and file management for teams.
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