Open-source and self-hosted Evernote alternatives (2026)

The short answer

To keep Evernote’s way of working on your own server, choose LuniNote. Notebooks, stacks, nested tags and Evernote’s search syntax, and it reads your scans. One Docker Compose file runs it.
For apps on every phone and computer, choose Joplin. It has end-to-end encryption, and syncs through Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3 without a server of its own.
For the simplest setup, look at Trilium. One container, a tree of notes of any depth, and it reads text in images and scanned PDFs.
If end-to-end encryption comes first, look at Standard Notes or Notesnook. Their self-hosted servers take more work.
For boxes of scanned paper, add Paperless-ngx next to your notes app.

Last checked: 23 October 2026. We make LuniNote, so read this as coming from the maker. Facts about other apps come from their own documentation, licence files and GitHub, listed under Sources.

Open source and self-hosted are not the same thing

Open source means the licence lets anyone read, change and share the code. Self-hosted means the app runs on a server you control, so your notes never sit on someone else’s. Many apps are one and not the other:

Obsidian is neither. It is free, but closed source, and has no official self-hosted sync.
Anytype publishes its code under its own “source available” licence, which limits commercial use. That is not an open-source licence.
Joplin’s apps are open source (AGPL-3.0), but Joplin Server’s licence allows personal, non-commercial use only.
AppFlowy’s app is open source, but its current self-hosted server is a closed commercial build.

Everything in the table below is open source and can run on your own machine.

The apps that import from Evernote

App	Licence	Running it yourself	Evernote import	Reads scans and PDFs
LuniNote	AGPL-3.0	One Docker Compose file: the app, its database, file storage and the scan reader	.enex files. Each file becomes a notebook; stacks come back from file names.	Yes: PDFs, scanned pages, Office files and images, read on your server
Joplin	AGPL-3.0 apps. Joplin Server: personal use only.	No server needed with Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3. Or Joplin Server in Docker with Postgres.	.enex files. Evernote’s scan text is not kept.	Yes: images and PDFs, in the desktop app
Trilium	AGPL-3.0	One Docker container	.enex files, up to 250 MB per import by default	Yes: images, and scanned PDFs of up to 50 pages
Standard Notes	AGPL-3.0 apps, GPL-3.0 server	Docker, several services. Some features need a paid plan, even self-hosted.	.enex files; notes over 3 MB fail	Not stated in its docs
Notesnook	GPL-3.0 apps, AGPL-3.0 server	Docker Compose, several services. The server is in beta and “NOT ready for use in production”.	.enex files, imported on your device	No, Notesnook says

LuniNote: Evernote’s way of working, on your server

LuniNote is a notes app for people leaving Evernote, and the whole app is open source under the AGPL-3.0. That includes the web app, the server, sync, import, export and the part that reads your scans.

What you get. Notebooks, stacks, nested tags, shortcuts and saved searches, in three panes with List, Snippet and Card views. Search understands Evernote’s syntax: tag:, notebook:, intitle:, created:, “exact phrase” and more. Every change to a note is kept in its history, and the whole account exports as ENEX, web pages, Markdown or JSON.

It reads your files on your own server. PDFs (including scanned pages), Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, email, and photos of printed text are read so search finds the words in them. Scans are read in English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. The reader runs in its own container with no network access.

From Evernote, you import .enex files. Each file becomes a notebook, and a file named Stack@@@Notebook.enex rebuilds its stack. The text Evernote read from your scans is kept and searchable. Tags arrive without their nesting, because the file doesn’t hold it. A report accounts for every note, with the reason for any it skipped.

Running it. One Docker Compose file starts the app, Postgres, file storage and the reader. Plan on 4 GB of memory with scan reading on, or 2 GB with it off. With a domain, Caddy gets the HTTPS certificate for you. The first start builds the images, which takes a few minutes.

Hosted, if you’d rather not. The hosted LuniNote is free during the open beta. It adds the browser extension, which moves a whole Evernote account, including stacks and nested tags, and checks every note.

In development: phone and desktop apps, and Firefox support. Today LuniNote is stable in Chrome-based browsers such as Chrome, Edge and Brave. Not yet: end-to-end encryption.

The self-hosting guide has every step, and the code is on GitHub.

Joplin: the longest-running choice

Joplin has been developed in the open since 2017 and has apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android. Encryption is end to end, and you can choose where your notes sync. Nextcloud, WebDAV, S3 or a local folder need no Joplin server at all. Its desktop app reads text in images and PDFs.

From Evernote, Joplin imports .enex files with notebooks, tags, attachments and dates. Its docs say Evernote’s scan text is not kept; Joplin reads the images again if its own text reading is on. Colors, font sizes and fonts are not imported, and tags have no nesting. More in LuniNote vs Joplin.

The licence. The apps are AGPL-3.0. Joplin Server has a “Personal Use License” that rules out commercial use. Businesses can buy Joplin Server Business, and Joplin Cloud is the paid hosted option.

Trilium: one container, a deep tree of notes

Trilium organizes notes as a tree of any depth, and one note can sit in several places. It runs in a single Docker container, and its server includes web and phone layouts. It reads text in images and in scanned PDFs of up to 50 pages, and in Office files. There is no paid tier.

From Evernote, Trilium’s built-in importer turns each .enex file into a notebook. It keeps formatting, checklists, tables and attachments. Links between notes are re-linked when both notes are in the same import. Trilium uses labels and attributes rather than Evernote-style tags and notebooks, so expect to reorganize.

Standard Notes and Notesnook: encryption first

Both encrypt every note end to end, so their servers can’t read your notes. Notesnook says that is why it can’t search inside scans; Standard Notes’ docs don’t mention it.

Standard Notes has been around since 2016. Self-hosting uses Docker with several services. Some features, such as Super notes and nested tags, need a paid plan even on your own server. Its importer can’t process notes larger than 3 MB.

Notesnook has a free plan with unlimited notes and devices. Its importer runs on your device and brings notebooks, tags, attachments, web clips and reminders. Its self-hosted sync server says it is still in beta and not ready for production.

Open-source apps without an Evernote importer

AFFiNE (docs and whiteboards) imports Markdown, Notion, Obsidian, Bear, OneNote, HTML and Word files, but not .enex.
AppFlowy (a Notion-style workspace) imports from Notion, Markdown and CSV. Its open-source server is archived.
Logseq is an outliner of linked notes. Its new database version is in beta.
SiYuan (block-based notes) runs in one container. It has no Evernote importer.
Memos is a timeline of short notes in one container, without notebooks.
EdgeEver is aimed at Evernote users. It has no importer in the app; its guide uses a separate tool and a script.

Some of these can open Markdown files, so a converter is one way in. Our free ENEX to Markdown converter runs in your browser.

For scanned paper: Paperless-ngx

If you used Evernote as a filing cabinet for receipts and letters, Paperless-ngx is worth a look. It is a document archive, not a notes app. It reads scans in over 100 languages, and you file them with tags and document types. Its README says it stores documents unencrypted and “should never be run on an untrusted host”.

Questions

What is the best open-source alternative to Evernote?

For keeping Evernote’s notebooks, stacks, nested tags and search syntax, LuniNote is built for that; we make it. Joplin is the longest-running choice, with apps on every phone and computer and end-to-end encryption. Trilium suits people who want a deep tree of notes in one container.

Is there a self-hosted Evernote alternative?

Yes. LuniNote runs on your own server with one Docker Compose file. Trilium runs in one Docker container. Joplin needs no server at all if you sync through Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3, or you can run Joplin Server for personal use.

Can I import my Evernote notes into a self-hosted app?

Yes, as .enex files exported from Evernote’s desktop app. LuniNote, Joplin, Trilium, Notesnook and Standard Notes have a built-in importer. AFFiNE, AppFlowy, Logseq, SiYuan and Memos have none.

Which self-hosted note app can search scanned documents?

LuniNote reads PDFs, scanned pages, Office files and images on your server, and keeps the text Evernote had already read. Trilium reads images and scanned PDFs of up to 50 pages. Joplin reads images and PDFs in its desktop app. For a paper archive, Paperless-ngx is a separate document tool.

Is Obsidian open source?

No. Obsidian’s own release repository says it is not open source software. The app is free to use, and its notes are plain Markdown files, but its code is not public and there is no official self-hosted sync.

Is Joplin open source?

The Joplin apps are, under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Joplin Server has its own licence that allows personal, non-commercial use only. You can also sync Joplin through Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3 without Joplin Server.