Top pick · highest health
Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
DockerGo
Knowledge Management Tools
Open source alternatives to Evernote
We track 5 open-source Evernote alternatives, of which 4 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 3 ship a Docker image. Memos leads on health at 99/100 with 257 commits in the last 90 days; across all 5 projects you are choosing between AGPL-3.0, GPL-3.0, MIT and 1 other licences.
updated Oct 2026 5 alternatives best health 99 ★ 175k combined 5,623 commits / 90d 3 with Docker
Top picks to replace Evernote
Showing 5 of 5 tools
All 5 Evernote alternatives, ranked by health
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SiYuan
A privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.
DockerGo -
Joplin
Note taking application with markdown editor and encryption support for mobile and desktop platforms. Runs client-side and syncs through a self hosted Nextcloud instance or similar (alternative to Evernote).
Nodejs -
Standard Notes
Simple and private notes app. Protect your privacy while getting more done. That's Standard Notes.
Ruby -
Wiznote
Manage your knowledge in documents with folders, markdown, full text search and webpage collection support.
Docker
Evernote alternatives compared
Memos and SiYuan tie at 99/100. SiYuan is the busier codebase, with 4,820 commits in 90 days to 257. Memos also has the largest following, at 64k stars.
The most recent release is SiYuan v3.8.9, published yesterday. None of the measured options scores under 40. By stack, Go (2), Nodejs (1) and Ruby (1) are the most common. Memos and Joplin are permissively licensed; SiYuan and Standard Notes are copyleft. Wiznote is source-available rather than open source, which limits commercial reuse. Wiznote is not hosted on a forge Repoly can read, so it has no measured score yet.
4 of these 5 also appear among the Google Keep alternatives; Wiznote is specific to Evernote.
| Tool | Health | Stars | Licence | Last commit | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memos Steady at 99 since 11 Sep | 99 | 64k | MIT | yesterday | Yes |
| SiYuan Steady at 99 since 11 Sep | 99 | 47k | AGPL-3.0 | today | Yes |
| Joplin Steady at 89 since 11 Sep | 89 | 57k | MIT | yesterday | No |
| Standard Notes Steady at 85 since 11 Sep | 85 | 6.7k | GPL-3.0 | today | No |
| Wiznote | 20 | 0 | ⊘ Proprietary | unknown | Yes |
Evernote alternatives: common questions
What is the most maintained open source alternative to Evernote?
Memos scores highest at 99/100, with 257 commits in the last 90 days, 64k stars on GitHub and its latest release (v0.31.0) published 1 month ago. SiYuan has the most raw commit activity at 4820 commits in 90 days.
Which Evernote alternatives use a permissive licence?
2 of 5 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): Memos (MIT), Joplin (MIT). 2 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.
Which Evernote alternatives run in Docker?
3 of 5 publish a Docker image or Compose file: Memos, SiYuan, Wiznote. Docker support contributes 10 of the 100 available health points, because it is the clearest signal that self-hosting is a supported path rather than an afterthought.
Is Memos or SiYuan the better Evernote alternative?
On measured health Memos leads, 99 to 99. Memos has 257 commits in 90 days, 64k stars and v0.31.0 from 1 month ago; SiYuan has 4,820 commits in 90 days, 47k stars and v3.8.9 from yesterday. Memos is ahead or level on every term Repoly measures.
Are the Evernote alternatives still maintained?
4 of the 4 measured options score 70 or above. Every measured option had commits in the last 90 days. None scores under 40.
What languages are the Evernote alternatives written in?
Go: Memos and SiYuan. Nodejs: Joplin. Ruby: Standard Notes. The stack matters if you plan to extend or patch the tool yourself.
