this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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After Evernote announced the price hike a month or so ago I started researching alternatives. I looked into a bunch of different apps/services but decided I did not want to get locked into another proprietary system subject to enshittification. So my main criteria were:
Both Joplin and Logseq fit the criteria and were good in my testing when combined with Syncthing to copy files around securely. There are a ton of other options out there but they didn't fit one or more of my wants.
Joplin is a VERY easy transition from Evernote. It can import notes exported from Evernote, has a similar interface, and doesn't take much getting used to.
Logseq is interesting but it's going to take time to get used to its workflow since it's so different. I watched a couple hours worth of videos on its use and it that style may just not be for me.
I went with Syncthing because that means the notes never leave my devices, so there is no need to depend on a server or worry about the security/integrity of the note content. The downside is that syncing outside the house isn't so simple, though it can be nudged to work over a VPN. Not for everyone.
After spending a week or so being happy with Joplin+Syncthing I canceled my Evernote subscription and went back to the free tier, but honestly I haven't even opened it since doing that. I haven't needed anything in it that I couldn't do in Joplin.
Your experience is what i am looking to accomplish. I'd like to transfer everything Evernote to a self-hosted FOSS application I can serve on my Synology NAS. I would access my notes primarily on my phone (Android) and sometimes Windows. AFIAK, Joplin would sync to my Synology NAS where it's hosted... so I'm a little perturbed by the additional used of Syncthing.
Would someone explain the need/desire for Joplin+Syncthing?
I wanted to use Syncthing so I didn't need a server involved and didn't want to work off mapped drives/network shares. The client devices all handle the syncing themselves so the files are local on every device and kept in sync within a reasonable time period and if they can't connect for a bit, that's fine, they can work on the local files and sync up next time I'm back on the home network.
If your NAS has a similar function it can do that natively. Joplin can sync using files on the device filesystem which is how Syncthing works but it also supports syncing through a variety of other servers/services, such as Nextcloud. It's very flexible in that way.
So essentially you can do it however you choose to do it since they are just plain text files being copied around.
I suppose this is what I'm most concerned about. I currently use a similar situation for my password manager database. We have Windows and Android clients that connect to a shared database file and I feel like I'm constantly having to manually synchronize the file because it remains open so long on each client. I'd like to avoid this situation.
This weekend, I'm going to attempt to get it running on my NAS and do this.
I may also try the other syncing via cloud at the same time just to test.
Each note in Joplin is a separate Markdown file so there is only a real chance of conflict if two clients edit the same note at the same time. That is much more sync-friendly than an encrypted password database file.
I have yet to hit a conflict but it's just me editing notes and I don't usually use multiple things in the same note at once. I did have a problem getting syncthing to work well on my phone (a pixel with newer Android) where it worked OK on my tablet and other devices. I had to hardcode the address of my laptop in syncthing settings on my phone and then it seems to be happy that way.
I use syncthing + zettlr.
Basically, just sync a folder rather than trying to find the perfect notebook app.
zettlr looks interesting, pity there isn't an Android app at least.
I may give zettlr a spin for some other Markdown uses, though. It might be handy for use with Jekyll
Zettel notes for android. It's not the same but similar enough.