Some Good Notes Apps

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There are some good notes apps out there today. This is a space with a ton of activity the last few years. For something as basic as a notes app, there is a spectacular rate of evolution. Moreover, most of the apps are free of charge, and many of those are open source.

• Zettlr A recent update introduced backlinks. Open source and free.
• Obsidian The one I currently use. Free but not open source. I chose it because it did what I needed, it was mature, and I got the early bird pricing on Obsidian Sync.
• Dendron What I’d use for taking notes if I were a heavy user of VS Code. Far from complete as of this writing. Open source and free.
• Logseq An outliner. I use it when I want an outliner, but outliners are not a general solution for notes, which is the reason Obsidian is my main notes app. Open source and free.
• TiddlyWiki This is the original version of the modern notes apps. Has had backlinks for many years, for instance. I wrote this server to simplify the process of getting started. If you want to use an app rather than running a server, and you don’t mind a massive download, you can use TiddlyDesktop. Open source and free.
• Zim Wiki Loaded with functionality. The only drawback is the design, which is good enough, but sort of what you’d expect from a Linux developer. If you are okay with the design and Zim’s syntax, Zim is a great choice. Open source and free.
• Athens Research. Started as a Roam Research clone. No link because at this time it does not seem to have much functionality, so I don’t think you should use it. Open source and free.
• Roam Research. Many people like this app. My experience was so-so. When I wrote a short (slightly negative) post on Reddit about my reasons for not choosing it, the CEO banned me permanently (as he did many others, including paying customers). Overall, it’s an oddball app. The users refer to themselves as being in a cult. From what I’ve seen, interactions with the community are toxic, unless you’re blindly praising the app and its creator. It costs \$15/month or \$500 for the “true believers” willing to commit to a five-year subscription. I personally find the whole thing weird. It’s just a notes app.

24 January 2022