Top pick · highest health
Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
★ 64k 257 commits / 90d ⟳ yesterday MIT Docker
Category
Open source note-taking & editors
Note taking editors. Repoly tracks 21 open-source note-taking tools, each scored nightly from its repository activity and ranked by that score alone. Memos leads at 99/100 with 257 commits in the last 90 days and 64k stars, followed by TriliumNext Notes (98) and HedgeDoc (96). 17 of the 21 score 70 or above, 14 publish a Docker image, and the median health is 87. MIT is the most common licence, carried by 8 of them. Between them they stand in for Notion, Google Docs, Google Drive, Evernote and Google Keep and 1 more proprietary products. The score weighs commits in the last 90 days, release recency, stars, archive status and Docker support; a low number means low measurable activity, not low quality, so a finished, stable tool can legitimately sit lower down.
updated Oct 2026 21 tools ★ 253k stars 14 with Docker median 87
Best for…
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Most starred
64,184 stars on GitHub, the largest community in the category.
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Most active
7,543 commits in the last 90 days, the fastest-moving codebase here.
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Most permissive
Apache-2.0 licence with health 95/100: the strongest option if you need to embed or fork commercially.
Ranked by health
Table view
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TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
★ 39k 7543 commits / 90d ⟳ today AGPL-3.0 Docker
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HedgeDoc
Realtime collaborative markdown notes on all platforms, formerly known as CodiMD and HackMD CE.
★ 7.5k 187 commits / 90d ⟳ yesterday AGPL-3.0 Docker
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Livebook
Realtime collaborative notebook app based on Markdown that supports running Elixir code snippets, TeX and Mermaid Diagrams. Easily deployed using Docker or Elixir.
★ 5.9k 34 commits / 90d ⟳ 4 days ago Apache-2.0 Docker
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SilverBullet
Note-taking application optimized for people with a hacker mindset.
★ 6.4k 534 commits / 90d ⟳ today MIT Docker
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Jotty
Lightweight but powerful alternative for managing your personal, file based, notes and checklists.
★ 2k 191 commits / 90d ⟳ 5 days ago AGPL-3.0 Docker
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Many Notes
Markdown note-taking web application designed for simplicity.
★ 1.1k 58 commits / 90d ⟳ 6 days ago MIT Docker
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Note Mark
Minimal web-based Markdown notes app.
★ 775 29 commits / 90d ⟳ 28 days ago AGPL-3.0 Docker
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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).
★ 57k 473 commits / 90d ⟳ yesterday MIT
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plumio
Markdown notes taking app with live preview, document encryption, multi-user support, multi-organization capabilities and more.
★ 141 38 commits / 90d ⟳ 9 days ago AGPL-3.0 Docker
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Docs
Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales.
★ 17k 399 commits / 90d ⟳ today MIT
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draw.io
Diagram software for making flowcharts, process diagrams, org charts, UML, ER and network diagrams.
★ 9.1k 21 commits / 90d ⟳ 7 days ago Apache-2.0 Docker
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Standard Notes
Simple and private notes app. Protect your privacy while getting more done. That's Standard Notes.
★ 6.7k 73 commits / 90d ⟳ today GPL-3.0
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bewCloud
File sharing + sync, notes, and photos (alternative to Nextcloud and ownCloud's RSS reader).
★ 1.2k 20 commits / 90d ⟳ 12 days ago AGPL-3.0 Docker
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Plainpad
Modern note taking application for the cloud, utilizing the best features of progressive web apps technology.
★ 450 85 commits / 90d ⟳ 4 days ago GPL-3.0
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flatnotes
Database-less note-taking web app that utilises a flat folder of markdown files for storage.
★ 3.3k 9 commits / 90d ⟳ 2 months ago MIT Docker
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DailyTxT
Encrypted diary Web application to save your personal memories of each day. Includes a search function and encrypted file upload.
★ 510 15 commits / 90d ⟳ 20 days ago MIT Docker
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Writing
Lightweight distraction-free text editor, in the browser (Markdown and LaTeX supported). No lag when writing.
★ 1.1k 0 commits / 90d ⟳ 3.2 years ago MIT
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Turtl
Totally private personal database and note taking app.
★ 631 0 commits / 90d ⟳ 2.6 years ago GPL-3.0
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memos Docker | 64k | 257 | MIT | yesterday | |
| 2 | TriliumNext Notes Docker | 39k | 7543 | AGPL-3.0 | today | |
| 3 | HedgeDoc Docker | 7.5k | 187 | AGPL-3.0 | yesterday | |
| 4 | Livebook Docker | 5.9k | 34 | Apache-2.0 | 4 days ago | |
| 5 | SilverBullet Docker | 6.4k | 534 | MIT | today | |
| 6 | Jotty Docker | 2k | 191 | AGPL-3.0 | 5 days ago | |
| 7 | Many Notes Docker | 1.1k | 58 | MIT | 6 days ago | |
| 8 | Note Mark Docker | 775 | 29 | AGPL-3.0 | 28 days ago | |
| 9 | Joplin | 57k | 473 | MIT | yesterday | |
| 10 | plumio Docker | 141 | 38 | AGPL-3.0 | 9 days ago | |
| 11 | Docs | 17k | 399 | MIT | today | |
| 12 | draw.io Docker | 9.1k | 21 | Apache-2.0 | 7 days ago | |
| 13 | Standard Notes | 6.7k | 73 | GPL-3.0 | today | |
| 14 | bewCloud Docker | 1.2k | 20 | AGPL-3.0 | 12 days ago | |
| 15 | Plainpad | 450 | 85 | GPL-3.0 | 4 days ago | |
| 16 | Blinko Docker | 11k | 11 | AGPL-3.0 | 2 months ago | |
| 17 | flatnotes Docker | 3.3k | 9 | MIT | 2 months ago | |
| 18 | Overleaf | 18k | 560 | AGPL-3.0 | 1 month ago | |
| 19 | DailyTxT Docker | 510 | 15 | MIT | 20 days ago | |
| 20 | Writing | 1.1k | 0 | MIT | 3.2 years ago | |
| 21 | Turtl | 631 | 0 | GPL-3.0 | 2.6 years ago |
How the note-taking tools compare
Memos edges TriliumNext Notes 99 to 98. TriliumNext Notes is the busier codebase, though, with 7,543 commits in 90 days to 257. Memos also has the largest following, at 64k stars.
The most recent release is Joplin v3.7.22, published 2 days ago. DailyTxT, Writing and Turtl publish no tagged releases, which costs up to 25 of the 100 points. Writing and Turtl score under 40, so check recent activity before adopting them. By stack, Nodejs (4), Javascript (2) and Ruby (2) are the most common. Memos, Livebook, SilverBullet and 7 more are permissively licensed; TriliumNext Notes, HedgeDoc, Jotty and 8 more are copyleft.
Note-taking & Editors: common questions
What is the best open source note-taking tool?
By Repoly's GitHub health score, Memos at 99/100 (257 commits in 90 days, v0.31.0 from 1 month ago). TriliumNext Notes is next at 98. The score measures maintenance, not features, so shortlist the top few and try them.
Which note-taking tools are the most actively developed?
TriliumNext Notes (7,543 commits in 90 days), Overleaf (560 commits in 90 days) and SilverBullet (534 commits in 90 days). Commit activity is 35 of the 100 health points, the largest single term.
Which note-taking tools can I run in Docker?
14 of 21 publish a Docker image or Compose file, led by Memos, TriliumNext Notes, HedgeDoc, Livebook, SilverBullet and 9 more.
Which note-taking tools have a permissive licence?
10 of 21: Memos (MIT), Livebook (Apache-2.0), SilverBullet (MIT), Many Notes (MIT), Joplin (MIT) and 5 more. 11 are copyleft.
Which paid products can open source note-taking tools replace?
Notion (Memos ranks highest here), Google Docs (HedgeDoc ranks highest here), Google Drive (bewCloud ranks highest here), Evernote (Memos ranks highest here) and Google Keep (Memos ranks highest here), plus 1 more listed on the comparison pages.
