Processing
Local-first
How product activity is processed.
INDEPENDENT SOFTWARE
Joplin
An open-source note and to-do application that stores data locally and can synchronize through user-selected services or Joplin Cloud.
- Desktop · Mobile · CLI
- Local-first
- Open source
- Pricing
- Freemium
- Category
- Writing and transcription
Privacy at a glance
A quick view of the dimensions most useful for comparing this product. Unconfirmed facts stay explicitly unconfirmed.
Identity
Optional account
Whether an account is needed to use it.
Tracking
Optional telemetry
Reported analytics and tracking posture.
Ownership & source
Open source
Availability of the product source code.
Offline support
Yes
Whether core use can continue offline.
Self-hosting
Partial
Whether you can run it on your own infrastructure.
What to know
Why it stands out
- Notes are stored locally and synchronization targets can be selected by the user.
- Optional end-to-end encryption is supported across Joplin applications, and the encryption implementation has received an independent review.
Trade-offs
- End-to-end encryption must be enabled and configured; it is not the same as encrypting the entire local application database at rest.
- Privacy depends partly on the selected synchronization target and any enabled plugins or external integrations.
Best for
Users wanting open-source notes with local storage, broad export options, and flexible synchronization.
Consider another option when
People who need default zero-knowledge sync without any setup.
Technical details
Complete privacy-profile dimensions, grouped for easier review. Each value is retained from the catalogue record.
4 groups · 18 dimensions
- Processing
- Local-first
- Storage
- User-selected
- Offline support
- Yes
- Self-hosting
- Partial
- Data export
- Yes
- Data deletion
- Yes
Alternatives
Standard Notes
A cross-platform notes application that encrypts notes and files on the user's device before synchronization.
View profile
Obsidian
A local-first knowledge-base application that works directly with Markdown files stored in a user-selected folder.
View profile
Logseq
An open-source local-first outliner and knowledge base that works with user-controlled Markdown or Org-mode data.
View profile
Evidence
6 public sources collected
- Joplin Privacy Policyjoplinapp.org · Privacy policy · local storage, network requests, and optional services
- Joplin End-to-End Encryptionjoplinapp.org · Documentation · optional E2EE behavior and supported clients
- Joplin encryption and security audit resultsjoplinapp.org · Security audit · independent review of the encryption implementation
View all 6 sources
Claim listing and corrections
Makers can request a listing claim, and anyone can submit an evidence-backed correction. Requests are reviewed before public profile information changes.