Self-Hosted Obsidian Alternatives

Obsidian is not available as a self-hosted solution but there are plenty of alternatives for power users and business that want to host a solution on-premise. The best Self-Hosted alternative is Logseq, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Obsidian and many of them are available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted alternatives to Obsidian are Joplin, Standard Notes, AppFlowy and Trilium Notes.

filter to find the best alternatives

Obsidian alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Todo List Managers or Task Management Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Linux, Windows, Note-taking, Self-Hosted, Windows + Open Source and Task Management. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Obsidian.
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Alternatives list

  1. Logseq icon

    Logseq

     317 likes

    Local-first, privacy-focused notebook supporting Markdown and Emacs Org mode. Offers offline use, encrypted backups, plugin extensibility, LaTeX support, real-time collaboration, and hierarchical organization for personal knowledge management.

    167 Logseq alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Flathub
    Logseq screenshot 1
     
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    12
    78
    Comments about Logseq as an Alternative to Obsidian
    Comment summary: Logseq offers a different note-taking experience than Obsidian, with a focus on journaling connections and graph visualizations. Users appreciate Logseq being free, open-source, and suitable for offline use, but some criticize its limited file management and bugs. While Obsidian is praised for stability across platforms and effective sync features, Logseq is noted for being a strong personal knowledge management solution and a valuable FOSS alternative.
    Top Positive Comment
    jchalifour
    9

    Logseq is incredibly innovative and it respects my privacy and freedom by providing Free and open source software as opposed to proprietary tools.

    Top Negative Comment
    Power User
    3

    I found Obsidian to be a far more stable application than Logseq, which is important as I am switching platforms frequently and need something which functions properly and reliably on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Windows, and Linux. I decided to pay for Obsidian's sync feature and it has been smooth as butter - probably using a cloud drive would have worked well, but I find that convenience at a reasonable cost for an application I use daily is perfectly acceptable.

    Farrukh
    Negative
    -7

    LogSeq is not giving you as Freedom as you may find in Obsidian and Joplin. It is mostly bounded to connecting your notes to a Journal, while in others, you have to freedom to create your notes, journals, etc. independent of each other, in any structure you may like.

    3 of 12 comments
    Obsidian Icon
    Logseq icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Logseq is a great Obsidian alternative.

    • Logseq is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & Mac alternative to Obsidian.

    • Logseq is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Obsidian.

    • Logseq is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Logseq is CustomizableObsidian is not according to our users
  2. Joplin icon

    Joplin

     875 likes

    Open source app for managing notes and to-dos with Markdown support. Syncs seamlessly across devices using services like Dropbox and OneDrive. Offers end-to-end encrypted synchronicity, offline access, rich import/export options, and a Web Clipper for browsers.

    108 Joplin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Termux
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Desktop and mobile apps
     
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    13
    62
    Comments about Joplin as an Alternative to Obsidian
    Comment summary: Joplin and Obsidian differ significantly in features and setup. Joplin, preferred for its offline capability, open source nature, and cost-free access, is compared more to Evernote than Obsidian. Whereas Joplin focuses on mobile-desktop syncing and hierarchical note-taking, Obsidian offers a graph-based organization and aims to be a powerful desktop knowledge base. Some comments criticize Obsidian for paywalls on basic features.
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    1

    It's open source, allows crypto your md notes on some cloud storage

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    andgregorik
    23

    Joplin has a fracture of the features of Obsidian which is no wonder since Obsidian aims to become a powerful desktop knowledge base, unlike Joplin. For one thing, Joplin focuses on mobile<->desktop syncing and not on effective internal linking. They're similar at first glance only.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    embedded synchronization, clipper, encryption. No useless for personal notes graphs

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 13 comments
    Obsidian Icon
    Joplin icon

    • Most users think Joplin is a great Obsidian alternative.

    • Joplin is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to Obsidian.

    • Joplin is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Joplin is MinimalisticObsidian is not according to our users
  4. Standard Notes icon

    Standard Notes

     683 likes

    Secure note-taking app with end-to-end encryption, unlimited syncing across all platforms, offline access, detailed organization through tags, strong passcode and biometric protections, and premium features like encrypted files, themes, web clipper, super note types, and hardware key support.

    121 Standard Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Standard Notes homepage.
     
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    3
    13
    Comments about Standard Notes as an Alternative to Obsidian
    Aaron
    Negative
    10

    Note-linking is a subscription only feature

    hex111
    Positive
    4

    i feel better paying for open source user friendlier projects, wysiwyg is just necessary for people to reasonably shift from the data robbery monopolies.

    Sam Lander
    0

    Standard Notes is not really an alternative to Obsidian. Standard Notes is open-source, more secure/private, and more simple.

    Standard Notes can be used across multiple devices and syncs.

    Obsidian telephones home constantly, even if you turn off updates and community plugins. But Obsidian is a very beautiful markdown app, that does more than just note-taking or to-do lists like Standard Notes.

    Obsidian Icon
    Standard Notes icon

    • Most users think Standard Notes is a great Obsidian alternative.

    • Standard Notes is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Standard Notes is Minimalistic, Security-focused and CustomizableObsidian is not according to our users
  6. Trilium Notes icon

    Trilium Notes

     111 likes

    The original trilium is transfered to this repo by its owner and the app continues to develop here as stated here: https://github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium

    374 Trilium Notes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • Google Chrome
    • Cloudron
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Trilium Notes screenshot 1
     
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    1
    19
    Comments about Trilium Notes as an Alternative to Obsidian
    Farrukh
    1

    This is a very good candidate to be the Obsidian alternate. However, it has a steep learning curve.

    Obsidian Icon
    Trilium Notes icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Trilium Notes is a great Obsidian alternative.

    • Trilium Notes is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Trilium Notes is CustomizableObsidian is not according to our users
  7. AFFiNE icon

    AFFiNE

     107 likes

    Open-source, privacy-focused workspace combining note-taking, project and task management, Kanban board, interactive whiteboard, Pomodoro timer, Markdown support, offline access, real-time team collaboration with @mentions, goal tracking, subtasks, and customizable features.

    134 AFFiNE alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
    AFFiNE screenshot 1
     
  9. SiYuan icon

    SiYuan

     77 likes

    SiYuan is a desktop Markdown Block-Reference and Bidirectional-Link note-taking application. Support fine-grained block-level reference and Markdown WYSIWYG.

    74 SiYuan alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Docker
    • Docker Hub
    • F-Droid
    SiYuan screenshot 1
     
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    4
    13
    Comments about SiYuan as an Alternative to Obsidian
    Mark
    Positive
    3

    I honestly think SiYuan is the closest to Obisdian as an alternative compared to all other apps.

    Guest
    Positive
    2

    WYSIWYG is far more important than I thought. Besides, the data in SiYuan is .json, which allows better redering-performance and Notion-like typesetting.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Randir
    Positive
    0

    WYSIWYG, better rendering performance

    3 of 4 comments
    Obsidian Icon
    SiYuan icon

    • Almost everyone thinks SiYuan is a great Obsidian alternative.

    • SiYuan is Freemium and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
    • SiYuan is CustomizableObsidian is not according to our users
  10. CryptPad icon

    CryptPad

     170 likes

    CryptPad is a private-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. All the content stored on CryptPad is encrypted before being sent, which means nobody can access your data unless you give them the keys.

    74 CryptPad alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source (AGPL-3.0)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    Instance homepage
     
  12. Foam icon

    Foam

     52 likes

    Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system inspired by Roam Research, built on Visual Studio Code and GitHub.

    250 Foam alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Visual Studio Code
    Foam screenshot 1
     
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    1
    9
    Comments about Foam as an Alternative to Obsidian
    Benjamin Lupton
    Positive
    2

    Org mode came first (open standard), then Roam (open standard), then Obisdian (propretiary app on the open standard). So anything built on Roam is a good Obsidian alternative.

    Obsidian Icon
    Foam icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Foam is a great Obsidian alternative.

    • Foam is Free and Open SourceObsidian is Freemium and Proprietary
  13. Blinko icon

    Blinko

     21 likes

    Open-source note-taking tool offering AI-enhanced retrieval with RAG technology, secure self-hosted data storage, Markdown support, and transparent community collaboration on GitHub for efficient, private, and effortless note management.

    79 Blinko alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    Blinko screenshot 1
     
  14. La Suite Docs icon

    La Suite Docs

     21 likes

    Collaborative platform for real-time note-taking, documentation, and wikis, featuring offline editing, granular permissions, AI-assisted writing, multiple export formats, user-friendly formatting, scalable team support, customizable templates, and open-source licensing.

    65 La Suite Docs alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    La Suite Docs screenshot 1
     
12 of 23 Obsidian alternatives