15 Open Source Alternatives to Roam Research

Joplin offers a comprehensive note-taking solution that supports multimedia content, mathematical expressions, and diagrams. With synchronization options via Joplin Cloud and other services, users can access and update their notes from Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, or even a terminal application. Its built-in end-to-end encryption ensures that your data remains private while enabling features like web clipping, custom plugins, and collaborative note sharing.

Notesnook delivers a fully encrypted note-taking experience that protects your data from the moment it leaves your device. The app supports real-time sync across desktop, mobile, and web clients, and features a rich text editor with Markdown, tables, and code blocks. It also includes advanced tools like a web clipper, bidirectional note linking, and a secure note vault with app lock options, all built with modern encryption protocols such as XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2.

AppFlowy is an AI-powered collaborative workspace designed to enhance productivity through seamless project management, note-taking, and task organization. It features customizable content blocks, offline mode functionality, and self-hosting options, ensuring privacy and control over your data. With mobile apps and a vibrant community, AppFlowy caters to both individuals and teams seeking flexible and efficient work solutions.

Logseq empowers you to manage daily notes, tasks, and meetings using linked references, queries, and search features that transform scattered information into a coherent network. It supports a variety of workflows including PDF annotations, flashcards, and whiteboards, all within an intuitive, markdown-friendly interface. Enjoy robust community support, multiple plugins and themes, and mobile apps for both iOS and Android to extend its capabilities.

Orgnise consolidates your team’s knowledge, projects, and collaboration efforts into a single platform. With features such as structured workspaces, organized collections, a Notion-style rich text editor, and intuitive board views, it simplifies managing data and visualizing workflows. The system enables quick team onboarding and reduces context switching by replacing multiple tools with one efficient solution.

SiYuan refactors your thinking by integrating block editing, bidirectional links, and a rich set of elements that support over 20 block-level and 10 span-level types. It facilitates smooth editing of large documents, offers visual outlines, and includes intelligent features such as spaced repetition and AI integration, all while prioritizing user privacy and local data control.

AnyType provides an all-in-one workspace with a powerful block-based editor, customizable databases, and a rich set of templates, enabling creative, no-code content creation. Its local-first design, featuring on-device encryption and peer-to-peer sync, assures true privacy and seamless offline access. Designed for diverse use cases—personal productivity, team collaboration, and community management—AnyType eliminates the dependency on central servers while maintaining rapid performance.

Docmost empowers teams to build and maintain a structured knowledge base by offering a real-time collaborative editor with support for rich-text, diagrams, tables, and LaTeX. The tool features a robust permissions system, organized spaces, group management, inline commenting, page history, nested pages, and efficient searching. It also facilitates file attachments and content import/export in Markdown and HTML, ensuring a seamless and versatile documentation experience.

OpenNotas delivers a streamlined note-taking experience across phones, tablets, and desktops. It features seamless syncing with offline support and robust end-to-end encryption using the AES algorithm, ensuring your data is private and secure. The app’s intuitive design lets you start writing notes with a single tap, eliminating unnecessary complexity.

Standard Notes offers a secure digital vault where you can store plain text, markdown, rich text, and more. The platform not only provides robust encryption and offline access across web, desktop, and mobile devices, but also scales with advanced features in its paid plans, such as nested folders, note revision history, and multi-account sharing. Its open source nature and independently audited security ensure you remain in complete control of your data.

Justnote provides a lightweight solution for drafting, editing, and storing notes with a user-friendly WYSIWYG editor offering options like bold, underline, and color customization. Available on web, iOS, and Android, it automatically syncs your data across devices. The decentralized approach leverages Web3 technology, ensuring your account is cryptographically generated and your notes remain encrypted and truly yours.

Dendron transforms note-taking by allowing users to organize ideas with codified hierarchies, schemas, and templates that turn everyday notes into a structured knowledge base. Built for speed and scalability, this open source tool integrates seamlessly with VSCode, supporting daily journaling, project planning, and collaborative sharing. By incorporating familiar development practices like refactoring and symbol lookup, Dendron ensures that your personal knowledge remains coherent and accessible.

Standard Notes offers a robust platform for creating and managing notes with advanced encryption that safeguards your data from unauthorized access. The app supports markdown, rich text, and secure file storage while ensuring smooth cross-platform syncing and offline accessibility. Its open-source design and independently audited security features make it a reliable choice for anyone who values privacy and data protection.

Trilium Notes enables users to organize notes into deeply nested trees and allows individual notes to appear in multiple locations through cloning. The tool supports rich WYSIWYG editing including tables, images, math, and syntax-highlighted source code. It features powerful navigation, full text search, note versioning, attribute-based organization, advanced scripting, a REST API for automation, and robust encryption at the note level. Users can utilize both desktop and self-hosted web app forms for flexible deployment.