Find Free Alternatives to Popular Paid Software
Tired of costly subscriptions? Explore FreeAlternatives.Net for a comprehensive directory of free alternatives to the most popular paid software and services.
Joplin: Open Source Note Taking
Open-source note-taking with end-to-end encryption, markdown support, and cross-platform synchronization.

Free Alternative to Notion: Discover the Power of Joplin
Introduction
Joplin is a robust, open-source note-taking app designed for privacy, flexibility, and cross-platform access. Whether you need to capture thoughts, organize multimedia notes, or collaborate with others, Joplin provides a secure and customizable environment for individuals and teams.
What is Joplin?
Joplin is an open-source note-taking application that lets you capture and organize your ideas, tasks, and documents securely. With support for rich media, end-to-end encryption, and extensive customization options, Joplin is a strong free alternative to Notion for both personal and professional use.
Key Features of Joplin
- Multimedia notes: Add images, videos, PDFs, audio files, math expressions, and diagrams directly in your notes. Take photos with the mobile app and save them instantly.
- Collaboration: With Joplin Cloud, share notes and notebooks with friends, family, or colleagues and collaborate in real time. You can also publish notes to the internet with a shareable URL.
- Web clipper: Save web pages or take screenshots as notes using the web clipper extension for Chrome and Firefox.
- Customization: Personalize Joplin with plugins, custom themes, and multiple text editors (Rich Text or Markdown). Create your own scripts and plugins using the Extension API.
- Cross-platform sync: Access your notes from Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, or even a terminal app. Sync with Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more.
- Data ownership and security: 100% of your data remains yours. Notes are saved in an open format and protected with end-to-end encryption (E2EE), ensuring only you can access them.
- European privacy: Joplin Cloud is based in France, protected by strict EU privacy laws, and implements strong encryption for all your data.
Why Choose Joplin Over Notion?
- Completely free and open-source: No core features are locked behind a paywall. Community-driven development ensures transparency and continuous improvement.
- Full data control: Your notes are stored in open formats and can be accessed or exported at any time, with no vendor lock-in.
- Privacy and security: End-to-end encryption and European data protection laws keep your information safe and private.
- Rich media support: Easily create notes with images, videos, PDFs, and more—something many free alternatives lack.
- Customizable and extensible: Adapt Joplin to your workflow with plugins, themes, and scripting capabilities.
- Cross-platform and offline: Access your notes anywhere, even without an internet connection, across all major devices and operating systems.
Conclusion
Joplin is a powerful, privacy-focused alternative to Notion, offering extensive note-taking, multimedia support, collaboration, and customization. Its open-source nature, strong encryption, and cross-platform availability make it ideal for anyone who values control and security. Visit joplinapp.org to learn more and start organizing your notes today.
Get Started with Joplin
Download Joplin for free from the official website. Set up synchronization, explore plugins and themes, and start capturing your thoughts securely on any device. Join the Joplin community and experience a new level of note-taking freedom.
Similar listings

AppFlowy
Open-source AI workspace combining projects, wikis & teams with offline support and data ownership.

Obsidian: Powerful Knowledge Management
Powerful knowledge management with bidirectional linking, graph view, and local file storage using Markdown.

Logseq
Privacy-first, open-source knowledge base with block-based editing and local file storage.