> /v1/alternatives/obsidian
Open source alternatives to Obsidian[012]
Obsidian is a local-first markdown notes app with backlinks, a graph view, plugins and files kept as plain text on your disk. Below are 12 self-hostable open source alternatives, ranked by GitHub popularity.
AppFlowy
Bring projects, wikis, and teams together with AI
★ STARS
70.3k
⑂ FORKS
4.0k
Memos
Open-source, self-hosted note-taking tool built for quick capture. Markdown-native, lightweight, and fully yours.
★ STARS
59.4k
⑂ FORKS
4.3k
Joplin
The privacy-focused note taking app with sync capabilities for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
★ STARS
54.7k
⑂ FORKS
6.1k
SiYuan
A privacy-first, self-hosted, fully open source personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.
★ STARS
43.7k
⑂ FORKS
2.8k
Logseq
A privacy-first, open-source platform for knowledge management and collaboration.
★ STARS
42.7k
⑂ FORKS
2.6k
Notesnook
A fully open source & end-to-end encrypted note taking alternative to Evernote.
★ STARS
14.0k
⑂ FORKS
945
standard-notes
Think fearlessly with end-to-end encrypted notes and files. For issues, visit or
★ STARS
6.4k
⑂ FORKS
532
XWiki
The XWiki platform
★ STARS
1.2k
⑂ FORKS
627
beaver-notes
The notes app that respects your privacy. Local-first. Open-source. No tracking.
★ STARS
1.2k
⑂ FORKS
64
Darkwrite
Notes as it should have been. Built for people who just want to write, without nonsense.
★ STARS
278
⑂ FORKS
10
Orgnise
Streamline your work with our all-in-one knowledge, doc, and project management system.
★ STARS
236
⑂ FORKS
35
OpenNotas
A Simple, Lightweight, Cross-Platform Personal Note-Taking Application.
★ STARS
172
⑂ FORKS
19
// EDITOR'S TAKE
SiYuan is the closest on features, with block references, a graph view and fully local storage, while Logseq is the better fit if you think in outlines and daily notes rather than documents. Joplin is the pragmatic pick for people who mainly want encrypted sync across devices and can happily live without a knowledge graph.
// FREQUENTLY ASKED
What is the best open source Obsidian alternative?
AppFlowy is the most popular open source Obsidian alternative by GitHub stars (70,318 stars). The other 11 options are ranked above.
Are these Obsidian alternatives self-hostable?
Yes — every project listed here is open source and runs on your own infrastructure. Click into a project to see its license, stars, language, and current health status.
Are they free?
All projects shown are free and open source. Check each project's license page for the terms — most are MIT, Apache 2.0, or AGPL.
// PART OF THESE COLLECTIONS