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Indie Notes & Knowledge tools

37 notes & knowledge products built by independent developers and small teams.

Looking to replace something? Notion · Evernote · Apple Notes · Confluence · Miro · OneNote · Roam Research · Dynalist · Obsidian · Outline · Google Keep

AFFiNE

Open-source workspace combining docs, whiteboards and databases

A local-first, open-source app where documents and an infinite whiteboard canvas live together, with database views. For individuals and teams wanting a Notion and Miro style tool they can self-host.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Amplenote

Notes, tasks and calendar scheduling in one app

Amplenote is a note-taking app with built-in task lists, task scoring and calendar scheduling, aimed at people who want notes and to-dos together.

Free plan · Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Anytype

Local-first, encrypted workspace for notes, docs and databases

An open-source, end-to-end encrypted app for notes, documents, tasks and databases that works offline and syncs peer-to-peer. Aimed at people who want a private Notion-style workspace.

Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

AppFlowy

Open-source, AI-enabled workspace for docs, wikis and projects

An open-source workspace for notes, wikis, kanban boards and databases that can run locally or self-hosted. For teams that want a Notion-like tool with control over their data.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Bear

Markdown note-taking app for Apple devices

Bear is a fast, minimalist Markdown notes app with tags, nested organization and iCloud sync for Mac, iPhone and iPad users.

Free plan · Mac, iOS · Website ↗

BookStack

Free, self-hosted wiki organized into books and chapters

An open-source, self-hosted platform for organizing documentation into shelves, books, chapters and pages with a WYSIWYG editor. For teams that need a simple internal wiki.

Free · Web, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Capacities

Object-based notes app for building a personal knowledge base

Capacities organizes notes as typed objects such as people, books and ideas, linked together in a networked knowledge base with daily notes.

Free plan · Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Coda

Docs that work like apps, with tables, formulas and automations

A document editor that combines text with interactive tables, buttons, formulas and integrations so teams can build lightweight tools inside docs. For teams replacing scattered docs and spreadsheets.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Craft

Beautiful documents and notes app with easy sharing

A document and note-taking app with block-based editing, nested pages, daily notes and one-click web sharing. Aimed at individuals and small teams who care about design.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS · Website ↗

DEVONthink

Document and research database for the Mac

DEVONthink stores and organizes documents, PDFs, notes, emails and web archives in searchable databases, with AI-assisted classification for researchers and professionals.

Paid · Mac, iOS · Website ↗

Drafts

Quick text capture app with automation actions

Drafts opens to a blank page for capturing text instantly, then lets you send it to other apps or process it with customizable actions and scripts.

Free plan · Mac, iOS · Website ↗

Heptabase

Visual note-taking on whiteboards for deep learning and research

A note-taking app that lets you lay out note cards on whiteboards to map and connect ideas, with PDF annotation and journals. For students and researchers making sense of complex topics.

Paid · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Joplin

Open-source note-taking app with end-to-end encrypted sync

Joplin is an open-source Markdown notes and to-do app with notebooks, a web clipper and sync via Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud or WebDAV.

Free plan · Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension · Website ↗

Kosmik

Visual canvas for research with a built-in browser

A whiteboard-style app with a built-in web browser and PDF reader for collecting and organizing research visually. For designers, students and researchers.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows · Website ↗

Logseq

Open-source outliner for networked notes and journals

A privacy-first, open-source outliner that stores notes as local Markdown or Org files with backlinks, daily journals and graph view. For people building a personal knowledge base.

Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Milanote

Visual boards for organizing creative projects

A tool for arranging notes, images, links and tasks on visual boards, used for mood boards, planning and creative projects.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗

NotePlan

Markdown notes, tasks and calendar in one planner app

NotePlan combines Markdown daily notes, to-dos and a calendar view so you can plan days and weeks in plain text on Apple devices.

Paid · Mac, iOS · Website ↗

Notesnook

Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app

Notesnook is an open-source notes app that encrypts all notes end to end, with notebooks, tags, reminders and sync across devices.

Free plan · Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Nuclino

Lightweight team wiki and collaborative docs

A collaborative workspace for team wikis, docs and project boards with real-time editing and a graph view of linked pages. For small teams wanting a simple shared knowledge base.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Obsidian

Local-first Markdown notes and knowledge base

Local-first Markdown note-taking app with backlinks and graph view.

Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Outline

Fast team knowledge base and wiki

A collaborative wiki and knowledge base for teams with real-time editing, search and integrations; available hosted or self-hosted as open source. For teams documenting processes.

Free plan · Web, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Recall

AI knowledge base that summarizes what you save

An app that summarizes articles, videos, podcasts and PDFs you save and connects them into a searchable knowledge base.

Free plan · Web, Browser extension, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Reflect

Networked note-taking app with backlinks and AI assistance

Reflect is a notes app built around daily notes and backlinks, with end-to-end encryption, calendar integration and built-in AI tools for writing.

Paid · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS · Website ↗

RemNote

Notes and flashcards with spaced repetition in one app

A note-taking tool where notes can be turned into flashcards reviewed with spaced repetition, plus PDF annotation. Popular with students studying for exams.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Roam Research

Networked note-taking tool with bi-directional links

A web-based outliner for networked thought, with block references, bi-directional links and daily notes. Used by researchers and writers to connect ideas.

Paid · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

SilverBullet

Self-hosted, programmable Markdown notes in the browser

An open-source note-taking web app that stores Markdown files on your own server, with links, queries and Lua scripting. For tinkerers who want an extensible personal wiki.

Free · Web, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Simplenote

Free, minimal notes app that syncs everywhere

A lightweight plain-text and Markdown notes app from Automattic that syncs notes across all devices. For people who want fast, simple notes without clutter.

Free · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

SiYuan

Privacy-first, self-hostable block-based note-taking app

An open-source personal knowledge management app with block references, Markdown editing, databases and optional self-hosting. Suited to users who want local control of their notes.

Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Standard Notes

End-to-end encrypted notes app

A note-taking app that encrypts all notes end to end and syncs them across devices, with extra editors for Markdown, code and spreadsheets. For privacy-conscious note takers.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Supernotes

Collaborative notecard-based note-taking app

A note-taking app built around small notecards that can be nested, linked and shared with collaborators. Suited to students and teams who prefer bite-sized notes.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Tana

Outliner and knowledge graph with structured nodes and AI

A note-taking and knowledge-management tool that combines an outliner with structured data (supertags), queries and AI features. For people organizing notes, meetings and projects in one graph.

Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Tot

Tiny scratchpad with seven colored dots for quick notes

Tot by The Iconfactory is a small text collection app that lives in the Mac menu bar and on iOS, with seven notes for scraps of text.

Free plan · Mac, iOS · Website ↗

Trilium Notes

Hierarchical note-taking app for large personal knowledge bases

An open-source, self-hostable note-taking app for building large hierarchical knowledge bases, with note cloning, scripting, encryption and sync. For power users who want full control.

Free · Mac, Windows, Linux, Self-hosted · Website ↗

UpNote

Clean, simple note-taking app that syncs everywhere

UpNote is a cross-platform notes app with notebooks, tags, rich text and Markdown support, offered as a simpler alternative to heavier note apps.

Free plan · Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Wiki.js

Open-source, Node.js-based wiki engine

A free, open-source wiki application with Markdown and visual editors, Git sync, access control and search. For teams and communities hosting their own wiki.

Free · Web, Self-hosted · Website ↗

Workflowy

Infinitely nested outliner for notes and lists

Workflowy is a minimalist outliner where everything is a bullet that can be nested, zoomed into, tagged and turned into boards.

Free plan · Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Zettlr

Open-source Markdown editor for academic writing and notes

Zettlr is a free Markdown editor for researchers and writers, with Zettelkasten-style linking, citations via Zotero and export through Pandoc.

Free · Windows, Mac, Linux · Website ↗

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