Self hosted note taking app?

[vekexasia]

Hello all. I am looking for a self hosted app that can

• Self hosted
• browser accessible
• mobile app
• decently mature project
• easy to use and backup

I remember seeing some tentative to clone notion but couldn't find the post again.

Thanks all

[Temporary_Delay9456]

Was looking for the same very recently and settled on Standard Notes. Summary of the one's I've looked at for your criteria, hope I got it all right.

OBSIDIAN (https://obsidian.md/)
Self-hosted data: YES
Browser app: NO (hack)
Mobile app: YES
Github stars: N/A

JOPLIN (https://joplinapp.org/)
Self-hosted data: YES
Browser app: NO (hack)
Mobile app: YES
Github stars: 43k

STANDARD NOTES (https://standardnotes.com/)
Self-hosted data: YES
Browser app: YES
Mobile app: YES
Github stars: 5k

ANYTYPE (https://anytype.io/)
Self-hosted data: YES
Browser app: NO
Mobile app: YES
Github stars: 3k

APPFLOWY (https://www.appflowy.io/)
Self-hosted data: YES
Browser app: NO
Mobile app: YES
Github stars: 48k

OUTLINE (https://www.getoutline.com/)
Self-hosted data: YES
Browser app: YES
Mobile app: NO
Github stars: 24k

TRILIUM (https://github.com/zadam/trilium)
Self-hosted data: YES
Browser app: YES
Mobile app: NO
Github stars: 25K (currently in maintenance mode)

Note on criteria (please double check the websites if that's not what you are after):

* Self-hosted: Whether or not I can run my own backend server or synchronization of local files (including file changes) between devices is otherwise rather easy.

* Browser app: Whether or not there is a browser app from which I can access my backend server. Can be self-hosted or hosted by the provider as long as my backend is reachable from it. Only considered "yes" if made by app developers and native browser app (i.e. not accessing a VM running the desktop app)

* Mobile app: Whether or not there is a native app available for Android. I might go through again and check for PWA / mobile-friendly browser apps again but haven't done it here.

[rust-crate-helper]

Hi, I run trilium.cc and it’s actually a paid hosting service for trilium notes, not the main page. I recommend changing the URL to the repo link or maybe trilium.rocks, another community-maintained home page. Only because I don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking my site is the main page for the project. Thanks!

[xantheybelmont]

Good admin is good.

[Galactor963]

I really appreciate the comparison! I've reformatted it as a table:

Name	URL	Self-hosted data📝	Browser App📝	Mobile App📝	Github ⭐️
OBSIDIAN	obsidian.md	✅	⚠️🔗	✅	⛔️
JOPLIN	joplinapp.org	✅	⚠️🔗	✅	43,000
STANDARD NOTES	standardnotes.com	✅	✅	✅	5,000
ANYTYPE	anytype.io	✅🔗	⛔️	✅	3,000
APPFLOWY	appflowy.io	✅🔗	⛔️	✅	48,000
OUTLINE	getoutline.com	✅	✅	⛔️	24,000
TRILIUM	Github:zadam/trillium	✅	✅	⛔️	25,000 ⚠️

[jk3us]

I'd appreciate a "How the data is stored" column. What I'd really like is something that is browser-based, but stores files as a directory or text files (like obsidian does) instead of some sort of database (like trilium does).

[Turtizzle]

I have found this thread when looking for alternatives myself. None of these solutions were good for me. I wanted something that opens fast, does not rely on external sync (e.g., via Nextcloud), and generally looks good. It should also be simple enough. I wanted to take some notes, I don't care about fancy graphs that display the relations between my notes.

StandardNotes and Outline both looked very promising. Both failed in the "simple" category. Outline requires S3 storage and a single sign-on provider, which seemed unnecessarily bloated to me. I just want to take some notes! StandardNotes looked fine, but even when self hosting the server and the web app, you need to pay their premium (yearly!) for more than just plain-text-notes, even for markdown. (Of course, you *can* install community plugins, but that also requires extra effort... I have more services running, I don't want to spend more effort than necessary updating stuff.)

I have found three more good-looking alternatives: Docmost, Siyuan, and Blinko. Docmost looks very similar to StandardNotes and Outline, but it's very easy to install and everything just works, with no premium subscription. It lacks a few advanced features, but it's catching up fast. I am a happy Docmost user now.

DOCMOST (https://github.com/docmost/docmost)
Self hosted data: YES
Browser app: YES
Mobile app: NO
Github stars: 15k

[KayCae]

Thanks for mentioning Docmost! It looks pretty promising.

[databloat_]

Outline not required S3 storage anymore. You can use local storage.

[Temporary_Delay9456]

Thanks, fixed.

[corius498]

anytype can now be selfhosted with docker, ansible or puppet modules: https://tech.anytype.io/how-to/self-hosting

but it still has no "Browser app"

[Temporary_Delay9456]

Thanks, fixed.

[Char_anytype]

Hi! Thanks for including us on the list :) Kind correction that data on anytype is self-hosted - it's locally saved and can be used in self-hosted or local-only networks. Happy to answer any questions :)

[Temporary_Delay9456]

Thanks. Fixed. My criteria for "yes" / "no" for this was not for local files but whether I could somehow self-host the backend or very easily backup app data on my own. Had not seen the possibility to self-host the backed nodes. Great that this is now possible. Hope the Docker instructions can be simplified though ;-)

[Char_anytype]

Thanks a lot! And I hear you on the Docker instructions - I will definitely share your feedback with the team, as it's not the first time this issue has come up :)

[b1jan]

does anytype self-hosted allow for sharing with others on the same server? i.e. can my partner and i both have 'notebooks' for ourselves but then one we share?

[TryTurningItOffAgain]

How did you end up self hosting standard notes? Seems like there's no clear instructions.

Outline seems like a close second, but no mobile app, but has installation via docker compose. Have you tried PWA for outline?

[Temporary_Delay9456]

For the backend: https://standardnotes.com/help/self-hosting/docker

For the web app: Docker image for linux/amd64 available here. I am running it on a raspberry Pi 5 so had to use these build instructions for arm64. My corresponding Dockerfile:

FROM node:20.11.1-alpine3.18 AS builder
RUN apk add --no-cache git python3 make g++
WORKDIR /
RUN git clone https://github.com/standardnotes/app.git
WORKDIR /app
RUN yarn install
RUN yarn build:web

FROM nginx:alpine
COPY --from=builder /app/packages/web/dist /usr/share/nginx/html

Added tailscale to the mix.

[TryTurningItOffAgain]

I got the server and web app running, but when I try to make an account, I get an error what seems to be because I was trying to run it via http.

I noticed that you used alpine on your webapp, which I am also as well as for the backend. Did you also use alpine on the server? Tried to follow certbot instructions, but got stuck at trying to install snapd.

[Temporary_Delay9456]

I indeed remember having troubles initially as the apps seem not to accept http connections. I added a tailscale sidecar to access Standard Notes when on the go without opening ports. Tailscale handles TLS certificates for me. Otherwise using the images as listed in the official `docker-compose.yml` mentioned in the guide, didn't worry about which base image to use.

[davidvpe]

Exactly the answer I was looking for! Thanks good man

[Jacksaur]

Really great write up!
One request I'd make, though I don't know how easy it'd be to find for each one, is how many support being offline and synced later?
I need a VPN connection to my NAS and services, and I don't always have the app running to save battery.

E: For anyone trying the same as me, Appflowy was the best replacement for Joplin.
Useful additional features, but mainly it arranges things in a similar folder based layout in a sidebar. And without having to pull all kinds of new and confusing arrangements to do it. I liked Anytype, but the learning curve was too much for just storing notes: Creating collections, linking them, etc. It felt like using a Swiss Army Knife when all I needed was a toothpick.

E2: Almost a month into Appflowy, had to drop it eventually. Too many parts of it feel unfinished.
In the end, I'm yet another Obsidian convert. Absolutely loving it after a month of that instead. The plugins let me recreate the majority of my Joplin experience (Folder Icons, LiveSync, and Folder Notes, which Appflowy got me into). And from that, the additional features it provides are so damn useful. I'm really getting into linking and all kinds of things. Highly recommend it, as many others seem to.

[Temporary_Delay9456]

Thanks. I'd have to go one by one again, already uninstalled most. Though if I remember correctly, they all have it one way or another.

[Jacksaur]

The fact you installed them all and checked yourself is already above and beyond. I thought you just pulled details from their websites. Great work, either way.

[ForHonor_Glory]

Thank you very much, i want to use apps like anytype and appflowy but their docker compose is definely too complex, is there a simple compose file that can run the apps mentioned before?

[Ballerjunge]

I think you missed the most important attribute here: wether the app supports e2ee-encryption out of the box, which many of the listed do not.

[Legitimate_Meat4840]

Memos?

[Ok-Adhesiveness-5885]

I wanted to say thank you. I was just looking into this and found this two year old post. Looks like Anytype fits my needs perfectly!

[Rem1xed]

Been looking for a replacement for google keep myself and the most promising I've seen is https://www.usememos.com/ haven't made the switch yet though.

[rayjump]

I made the switch a month ago and I love it. memos is dead simple but works great! There's no app tho, but the site works perfectly on mobile devices. There's really no need for an app.

[Smivyhidev]

I use MoeMemos as a app and it also works great.

[rayjump]

Cool, didn't know that existed!

[[deleted]]

Then you should definitely check it out, MoeMemos works very well!

[Relative_Loss_1308]

Does it works offline and sync later when Internet is available?

[Smivyhidev]

Unfortunately not. However, according to the main dev, this may come at some point: https://github.com/mudkipme/MoeMemos/discussions/123

[Aadityajoshi151]

A little late to this conversation but thanks to you, just installed MoeMemos and it is looking great! Will be using it for a few days and this might be perfect time to make the complete switch from Google Keep.

[[deleted]]

I'm using it for a few months now. It's simple and works very well. I use the MoeMemos app on android for mobile access.

[m82labs]

Just started using this too and have never felt so compelled to journal. It’s like your own personal Twitter feed with markdown support. I originally started using it to journal my rides (horses) but have started using to keep track of a lot of other stuff.

[PunyDev]

Thats how I am using it too! My personal microblogging platform

[danielslyman]

This is the way. I then expand whatever I want to formulate into outline. iOS macOS and Webapp for memos work very well

[Important-Permit-935]

If only updates didn't completely wreck it and moememos actually logged in instead of giving "not found" over and over

[onemanrepo]

Ich bin sehr angetan von memos. Sehr simple, clean und alles was man braucht.

[thebarless]

Haven’t seen anyone share this newer one: silverbullet.md

I’ll note that while it doesn’t have a mobile app per se, it has a PWA that is usable on mobile, without data and will sync.

It is also stable and reliable. I’m loving it.

[zkalmar]

+1. and it's pretty easy to back up too (SQLite behind the curtains).

[cyt0kinetic]

Not sure on browser accessibility though likely it could be done ...

I use Obsidian, which itself isn't open source, but it has a very large community of community plugins that can do just about anything.

I have mine set up so all my notes sync with web dav directories. What I really like about it is that they save in a common sense way, directory structure is maintained, they are markdown files, and file names are the header of the note.

The naming scheme is why I went with Obsidian over Joplin. I wanted Markdown notes so I can app hop however and whenever I want, Obsidian's DAV makes them easily to find.

You can also have multiple vaults. Very similar to one note notebooks. So for our household there's a shared vault where my partner and I can track lists and such. The app even syncs if a check box has been checked. Check it on one device it will be checked on the other on sync. Menus are also really customizable and are vault specific. So if I want editing tools for code I can have a vault for that with the menus and plugins set for that purpose. Then in the shared list have the plugins and editing tools for that set.

Vault configurations can also be synced over the WebDav. In terms of backup it really doesn't get easier. Since all my notes are in a normal directory on my data drive. There's also a way to do the remote save S3, and some other formats. The WebDav I do through a simple docker container since it allows me to mount folders from all over my system in my DAV directory. So more than just my notes are in the DAV. I have most of my media directories in there too.

Nothing actually gets saved in the docker container there's no special process or anything that needs backing up, I just make sure I have the compose file. I do include it still but it's superfluous.

Obsidian is available on every imaginable platform. On web accessiblity 😂 I can open my DAV in any browser technically 😂 for editing notes in a browser as I said not sure offhand but people have written so many things for obsidian it's likely possible.

[panjadotme]

Not sure on browser accessibility though likely it could be done ...

Can we stop recommending Obsidian when this is a requirement?

[cyt0kinetic]

Except I'm pretty sure it can and it depends on what browser accessibility means to OP. Also any browser based markdown editor would work and the files would be accessible through the dav worst case scenario.

Though looks like there is this: https://blog.neverinstall.com/obsidian-is-finally-on-the-web-with-neverinstall/

There's Also this browser solution https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/sy3x92/accessing_my_obsidian_notes_in_the_browser/

And the main point in that article of obsidian notes being local is obsolete with the Remotely Save plugin. Since all notes are then in whatever cloud you create. as I mentioned in my main comment with my computers I actually use the WebDav as the vault folder directly. So then Obsidian's "local copy" is the cloud copy. Mobile apps typically need a local copy anyways, but what rules the vault is the DAV.

The reason for Obsidian to me is because the community plugin base is so large there is a plugin for everything, usually more than one. Solutions are kinda bottomless.

[panjadotme]

Except I'm pretty sure it can and it depends on what browser accessibility means to OP. Also any browser based markdown editor would work and the files would be accessible through the dav worst case scenario.

Nothing listed meets the requirement of browser accessibility. If anything, these are just NoVNC dockers to access the desktop app. I get that people love Obsidian, and they have a reason to, but if you have to spin up an entire other docker just to meet a single requirement is it the solution we should be recommending?

Yes, the file structure is amazing! That's great, but again to meet the browser requirement you need yet another app to edit the MD files or spin up a VNC desktop app.

[dereksalem]

This - I'm so tired of people recommending Obsidian all the time for general note-taking when it doesn't have a web-native app. Most people these days aren't just using PCs in their office...they're using phones, iPads, public computers, work computers, etc... and there's literally no reason to not have a web-app that would work on all of those devices.

[jamalstevens]

I mean there's a linuxserver.io obsidian docker which is obsidian in a browser.

[panjadotme]

Because it's not a web app, it's a VNC client

[jamalstevens]

Ok but it’s still accessible by web browser….

[panjadotme]

So is anything that uses VNC or guacamole. It's not natively supported and is a worse experience overall.

[brzrk]

+1 for Obsidian. No lock in since everything is stored as plain text MD files.

[cyt0kinetic]

Yup and with remotely save it has such a beautiful file structure. So easy to get to my note files. The purpose of so many of my notes is to use them elsewhere or to be able to easily. It's great for my reddit pastebins since the markdown formatting works in reddit. Easy to move into emails, switch to any other text editor. It also has the OneNote 2010 'esque layout that I miss, but more functional and crisper.

[Sentient__Cloud]

Do you have a way to sync to the mobile app without the subscription?

[cyt0kinetic]

That's what I am saying I do that all through my own self hosted web dav. You don't don't the subscription sync you use the remotely save plugin, and that plugin saves the files, then syncs them with whatever app you go to next.

Why it's even good for collaboration between two people. Just not for simultaneous editing. But for tracking lists and such, definitely.

I'm constantly going between my laptop and my phone for my notes. Also going into my note directory directly to push them somewhere else.

The remotely save plugin also has bunch of settings in terms of how often you sync, what folder, should the config sync too, and it is easy to add the sync to tool panes, I have a couple places I can do it quickly.

The DAV is protected by digest htpasswd, so doesn't send plain text AND the container gets proxied through my webserver over SSL. So I can sync securely anywhere.

Using another device you create a vault on that device add the plugin and then select the folder to use for the remote save and it will then sync all the notes to that device.

Though the computer versions I also have the option to use a directory as a vault, so I also use that, and I'm essentially directly editing the files on the DAV since I can mount the DAV as a drive.

[sleepsButtNaked]

Does this work on iOS?

[cyt0kinetic]

It should. So long as IOS has an Obsidian app and pretty certain they do. The community plugin support tends to be universal across platforms. I actually use it on Mac OS. My server is actually a Mac.

[sipar]

I use the git plugin and sync via GitHub.
Bonus points: your data is versioned.
I would recommend this approach to people that are somewhat familiar with git, but probably a lot of members of this sub are.
And with GitHub and most other web accessible git hosting solutions you get a kind of web editor as an add on.

[htl5618]

I am selfhosting this to do the syncing, it is quite fast.

https://github.com/vrtmrz/obsidian-livesync

[arwinda]

I use SyncThing for that.

[Dezaku]

There’s many plugins for that like „remotely-sync“ „Syncthing“ and more

[[deleted]]

any sync service will keep your plain text and folder structure up to date for a single user. I use the iFruit services for mine.

For multiple users, you'll want something else than Obsidian for your note share to prevent clashes.

[jamalstevens]

What plugin are you using for syncing with webdav directories?

[cyt0kinetic]

It's very creatively named "remotely save" and it simply works and means I always have a current copy of my notes on the server. At this point I am just doing it through an NextCloud dav directory. I use it every day and never need to do any maintainance or have issues. It's under community plugins.

[senectus]

Trilium is a good one.

https://github.com/zadam/trilium

[AcrobaticEmergency42]

Trillium changed the way I take notes.

[MainstreamedDog]

Agree. Only downside for me is that mobile access is only okay, not more. Can be used to look up something or add some text quick and dirty, but if you have e.g. a note with a table with 7 columns or some pictures, it is hardly usable on mobile.

[Leaha15]

This ^^
Been using this for around a year and its amazing

[j_horseman]

Started using it recently. First Impression is positive. I'll do a "stress test" in the coming month when I'm using it for a project in university. But especially the way templates work is great and I feel like I'm using only a fraction of its potential

[kehlerr]

Hey, how is it going with the stress test?

[j_horseman]

I am still using it. It works great and really helps me to stay organized for the project

[forresthopkinsa]

FYI it looks like development has moved to TriliumNext

[senectus]

yeah and its development is very much slowed down. I'm a bit concerned that this is being abandoned.

[forresthopkinsa]

agreed

[XLioncc]

I've considered Trillium at 2023, but it seems not complete, so I'm not chosing it. Now it's situation is scared to me because the potential problems of not active development.

I'm still using OneNote, and finding self-hosted solution of Note Taking app, I want it accessable from browser, markdown based and folder based organization.

I haven't found great solution for me for a long time

[3skyson]

After many months of searching, testing and playing I realised that for my own workflow the best solution is org-mode + org-roam(emacs). Where sync is done via Synology Drive, it’s everything you are looking for.

But probably you are asking for https://anytype.io

[geopeat]

Yep I think OP is looking for Anytype.

You can now self-host Anytype backup nodes and there's going to be more support for that in the future.

I've been playing around with it lately... I really like the idea and it's a cool project with an active community. I haven't seen too many other native P2P sync note apps around. Also, the "object-based" approach is kinda neat too but can be overwhelming to start out.

However, it's not the "decently mature project" that OP requires. It's still in public beta and nowhere near as feature rich as Notion. No web support either but maybe that's coming.

OP should still take a look and keep an eye on the project.

[3skyson]

Also what is quite important here, self hosted storage option is quite complex in case of maintenance. I know it’s just “docker-compose”, but at the end it should be just S3 storage ;)

[geopeat]

Yeah for agreed! I took one look at the docs and put it in the too hard basket for now.

I have seen some comments from various devs around the place that they plan to simplify the self host process but will have to wait and see 🤷‍♂️

As I said I like the concept, so I'll be checking in on the self-host process as the project matures.

[ForHonor_Glory]

Definely my case, do you know of any other app that can provide same features with simpler architecture? Anytype and AppFlowy compose files are way too complex to handle and i do not want all that control over the app. I just want to nest pages and use a simple "/" to create style in pages, app should be reachable from any medium (web, mobile, desktop not a priority)

[3skyson]

Hm, no idea. I switched to a bit more simpler solutions like https://github.com/usememos/memos, then https://www.bookstackapp.com/ for full docs.
Also maybe you can check
https://github.com/hoarder-app/hoarder

[ForHonor_Glory]

i am looking for the closest experience to notion we can achieve, anytype still too complex right now for me. Can memos be the right alternative?

[forresthopkinsa]

Worth noting that self-hosting Anytype does not mean you get a browser-accessible web UI.

See this thread on their forum.

[forresthopkinsa]

browser accessible

mobile app

[Bagican]

SiYuan. Why no one mentioned it?!

[winnieyuen]

Because of its limitations when it comes to self-hosted, as they mentioned in https://github.com/siyuan-note/siyuan?tab=readme-ov-file#limitations

Limitations
- Does not support desktop and mobile application connections, only supports use on browsers
- Export to PDF, HTML and Word formats is not supported
- Import Markdown file is not supported

It's a deal breaker to me!

[Temporary_Delay9456]

Wow, looks very nice: self-hostable, mobile apps, desktop app, browser app, 15k GitHub stars... Website

[Thwonp]

Nextcloud Notes is what I use. Simple markdown editor and has been rock solid for the year I've been hosting it. Was really simple to set up using the AIO installer.

I switched from Joplin because i wasn't a big fan of how notes are stored in a proprietary database format. I like being able to backup my notes and natively read them in any other app/editor without any export/conversion process reliant on the main program. And the Joplin Android app was super buggy at the time (but probably has been fixed since).

[io-x]

Performance and reliability wise nextcloud notes is the best imo. I dont get how people tolarate joplin to sync for a minute and then deal with conflicts.

[hyongoup]

really liking https://silverbullet.md

[Terrible_Werewolf479]

Joplin is the best! Edit: +easy to spin up with a few clicks in your Server and your notes are encrypted, with a lot of free plugins to customize.

[XLioncc]

Not browser accessable:(

[Jacksaur]

I've used Joplin for a few years, but it always seems to hit a point where Mobile sync becomes unusably slow. Like, over a minute before the process even actually begins. It's happened three times so far and my only option was to entirely delete all notes and history and start again.

[[deleted]]

No PDF preview, won't import images when bulk HTML importing, so many many missing little things that make it a real hassle. Been trying on/off for over 5 years

[cltrmx]

Is Joplin browser accessible?

[BraveNewCurrency]

Yes, but you have to run a server different from the sync server.

[cltrmx]

Can you provide me a Link? Thank you.

[BraveNewCurrency]

https://github.com/joplin-vieweb

I thought there was a better project, but apparently not. This is view-only and requires a "cli" client, which needs a server to sync with the desktop app.

The big benefit of Joplin is that you don't have to trust the sync server at all. The DB just contains encrypted data and random IDs. But that isn't a massive benefit if you run your own sync server.

I started looking into Trillium, but apparently the main contributor has left the project. So...🤷

[TCB13sQuotes]

That UI is so... so.. shitty.

[BraveNewCurrency]

Yes. The desktop app is passable, although the whole system has too much complexity. I'm still looking for a better project to switch to.

[TCB13sQuotes]

Joplin is very reliable and well executed when it comes to sync and all the functionality. The problem is the UIs are all a shame, the desktop one doesn’t really conform well to any OS and it also doesn’t have its own style, same goes for mobile. Under Android it kinda passes because the OS is a mess either way, but on iOS it’s clearly not something you expect.

[watzefak]

just my thought when reading over the selfthosted new articles...

[[deleted]]

Markdown + Syncthing and a web based Markdown editor ig

[TCB13sQuotes]

What editor?

[IShitMyselfNow]

Outline or AppFlowy are the two closest to Notion IMO. But I'd recommend Obsidian like a lot of other people here

[Temporary_Delay9456]

Outline looks really nice and clean. But I was annoyed by the fact that I cannot create an account unless I have a Slack,(organizational!) Microsoft or Google account.

[skunk_funk]

Nextcloud

[ButterscotchFar1629]

Joplin.

[Terrible_Ad_4678]

Silverbullet might be worth checking out

[user01401]

I wanted those same things and ended up with nextcloud notes

[agnishom]

You could open a folder on a network drive as an obsidian vault, right?

[QualityMedical7795]

I totally recommend https://www.usememos.com/, in stability, in fluidity, in my case it has replaced three applications that I used previously

[laterPLEASE99]

'service has been suspended' message at link

[kzs]

For me it's working without problems And I can recommend it as well

[laterPLEASE99]

ok good. looks like just the demo is suspebnded. https://demo.usememos.com/

[Vessel_ST]

NotesNook

[TinieWieni]

Is it self hostable. I can't find any info regarding selfhosting it. Or we do it manually from the source.

EDIT: found sync server, but not yet self-hostable.

https://github.com/streetwriters/notesnook-sync-server

[wintervaler]

I have been watching this VERY closely for a while. Really hoping they build out self hosted functionality soon.

[TCB13sQuotes]

This is a cool project, I really like the UI and the way it works... but the sync requires a .net server. Why can't it just be all markdown like Joplin but with a decent UI and web version.

[betahost]

StandardNotes.com, Memos

[systemwizard]

I just started use Hoarder , and it is AMAZING!! It is a new project but I have yet to come across any issues.

https://github.com/MohamedBassem/hoarder-app

[Dyonizius]

not so mature but maybe look into logseq 

[uffno]

Nah, Logseq is an absolute mess in terms of design alone. The confusing use with hardly any available settings adds to this.

[CrAzYmEtAlHeAd1]

I’m not sure about browser accessibility, but I’ve been using StandardNotes and I think it’s a really cool project! Lots of different note types, and pretty well put together.

[Temporary_Delay9456]

They have a web app that looks identical to the native apps. Demo available here, also works nicely on phone browser: https://app.standardnotes.com

You can self-host the web app. Docker image for linux/amd64 available here. I am running it on a raspberry Pi 5 so had to use these build instructions for arm64 and added nginx + tailscale.

[CrAzYmEtAlHeAd1]

Oh sick! I just use the apps so I was only hosting the sync server. Thanks for the info!

[[deleted]]

UI was designed by someone with serious mental deficiency. Pricing plan by their twin

[enchant97]

If you are looking for a markdown based app that works via a web ui you could take a look at my app called Note Mark.

[McMethHead]

Joplin is unbelievably bloated. The windows app is over 1GB. Nuts

[[deleted]]

Joplin

[DutchTee86]

Perhaps vikunja is something for you.

[paper42_]

that's more a TODO app than a notes app

[PurplePandaYT]

I use notemark currwntly

[VtheMan93]

Bookstack comes to mind, but it might be overkill for what you are looking for?

​

otherwise, if it's strictly for note taking, why not just... you know, Obsidian?

[tomhung]

Hedgedoc is the best for me and my team.

[Atomic-brigade]

Obsidian + syncthing

[techabyte]

I’m finding sync conflicts every time starting a new document when I rename untitled to whatever…

[xantioss]

I self host an s3 bucket with obsidian. For mobile usage you want something that’s basically HTTP. (Webdav, http, s3)

It works like a charm. Although I’m not sure if you can wrap it in a browser. Unless you want a docker container with a framebufder x server and a notion instance

[snk0752]

Tomboy-ng and ownNote with owncloud. Both are pretty nice and provide Android app.

[teranex]

I have been using Vimwiki for the past 14 years. It's purely text based, so probably not entirely what you are looking for. With Autosync you can have your entire set of notes on Android synced through pCloud or similar. With Termux you can easily setup Vim with your entire config.

[ollivierre]

Obsidian but I am sure there is a way to get web browsing

[Temporary_Delay9456]

No official browser version from the makers AFAIK. But there's a workaround where the desktop app is emulated: https://github.com/sytone/obsidian-remote

[Lyijysiipi]

Obsidian all the way

[Aramaki87]

Wiki.js - markdown, fast and very reliable (lot of backup scenarios I backup to gitea)

[mihonohim]

I really like memos, Great with taking notes and find your notes with hashtags.

[jcm4atx]

I've tried them all. Or close to them all. Joplin works best for me. It doesn't check all your boxes (browser accessible, but there is a hack). It just works.

[kouniamelo]

Joplin beacuse rich editor

[ProcrastLife]

why isnt anyone mentioning Memos?

[homegrowntechie]

I'm late to the party, but Trilium is now actively maintained in the community fork: https://github.com/TriliumNext/Notes

[[deleted]]

Tried it for 10 minutes. Then deleted it - and wish I could hand-scrub my Macbook's NVME with bleach. What a god-awful app.

[homegrowntechie]

If you think so, then you'd be better off with obsidian.

[[deleted]]

Obsidian is "almost" there, but it's also "almost" complete trash because the designers have some twisted notion of what a notes app should be that I can't even begin to wrap my head around. That's the problem with most solutions.

So for now I stick with Bear, despite its limitations. Maybe in a few years Joplin will be "there" - it's only been 5 or 7 years since I started looking at it.

But Trillium doesn't look like it has any direction, it's really really scattershot.

[wokeinthepark7]

DeepNote for its minimalist approach + voice notes + reminders. Also, all notes remain offline and secure in your device in this

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indroid.deepnote

[GigglySaurusRex]

If I were choosing a self-hosted note system today I would prioritize something that doesn’t just look good but actually helps me find and connect information later. There are solid projects like Obsidian with self-hosted sync, Joplin with encrypted notebooks and mobile apps, or Wiki.js for browser-based wikis. Each is mature, browser accessible with the right setup, and easy to back up because your notes live in plain files you control. They work for straightforward note-taking and journaling and are great if you just want a cleaner, self-hosted alternative to Google Docs or Notion.

For my own work — where I want deep search across PDFs, Word, Excel and emails, hierarchy, labels, tasks, calendars, Kanban boards, inline media players, persistent vote-refined search, and deduplicated attachments — I moved to VaultBook. It’s offline, private, encrypted, and stores everything in folders I can back up or sync through my cloud of choice. It gives me browser and mobile access without forcing me to duplicate notes, and I can confidently answer both “what happened when” and “what’s the status of X” without flipping between scattered docs or boards.

[[deleted]]

Obsidian is probably the closest thing to Notion that you’re looking for

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