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Obsidian md
All
66
Experiences
Pros
55
Cons
10
Specs
Top
Pro
Locally stored, not dependent on cloud
Everything is stored in your device. You can back them up, encrypt and process however you want to. Works completely offline. Read your notes anytime, anywhere.
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Top
Con
Closed Source
See related thread at Obsidian forum.
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Top
Pro
Markdown makes for flatter learning curve
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Top
Con
Needs to be better at block level references, searches, tagging
For example, if you want a tag a block of text, for obsidian, its the whole page that will get tagged.
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Top
Pro
Lightweight and very customizable
Variety of settings, and community themes & plugins, available from built-in marketplace. Every community plugin is open-source which means you can learn from it and develop your own.
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Top
Con
Proprietary software lock-in
Creates dependence on the application with the promise that the content is yours but that cannot be entirely true without the application being free and open source software. You will end up altering the way you create the content to take advantage of Obsidian features and your processes will evolve for its workflows. This replicates the lock-in pain that people experience moving their highly personal information from one proprietary platform to the next when that initial platform stops serving them well, goes out of business, or becomes a bad actor.
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Top
Pro
Backlinking
This allows you to link notes back and forth really easily.
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Top
Con
Does not export to MS Word
Can export only as a PDF file.
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Top
Pro
Fast growing
It's becoming more powerful everyday, it seems like they add many functions within several days.
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Top
Con
Requires .md files
Can't read .txt or other plaintext file formats. Can't read asciidoc files. (Available with a plugin.)
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Top
Pro
Cross-platform: works on Linux, MacOS, Windows, Android and iOS
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Top
Con
No ability to add dates that link to a daily note, when that day/note may not yet exist
You can create a backlink which doesn't yet exist; it just doesn't auto-fill for you. (Available as a plugin)
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Top
Pro
Very easy to use and link notes, preserves the standard form of markdown
Linking notes is a game changing feature. Very easy to use and link notes. Their implementation of markdown doesn't deviate from the standard form of markdown and so the same files can be used by other markdown programs without any consequence. While renaming note link still works.
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Top
Con
Too many plugins
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Top
Pro
Multiple Vaults
A Vault in Obsidian is like a database. Internal links and files are not shared across Vaults. Each Vault is opened with a separate instance of Obsidian. Each Vault can have its unique app settings and plug-ins. Useful if you have distinct/unrelated projects or "data spaces" requiring different workflows and data relations.
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Top
Con
iOS version works only with icloud
Does not work with other cloud folders.
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Top
Pro
In-line tagging
Ability to tag-as-you-write and find each occurrence of a tag in the entire vault makes it very easy to organize and retrieve notes. Supports nested tags.
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Top
Con
Needs to be polished
They still need time to fix some bugs.
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Top
Pro
Infinite panes, split panes, lock panes
In Obsidian, pane = window = note = page Obsidian allows you to open as many notes as you can fit concurrently in your screen. You can split a pane horizontally/vertically. You can lock/link panes so they scroll in sync, useful for and edit & preview modes.
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Top
Con
V1.0 release is terrible
Don't download unless you can't find pre 1.0 version.
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Top
Pro
Functionality extensions with a growing number of plugins
Also open for anyone to develop their own extensions/plugins.
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Top
Pro
Daily Notes with template
Daily Notes plug-in, when clicked, generates a new note with the current date. Great for journaling and reduces friction in your writing habit. You can create a custom template for your Daily Note.
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Top
Pro
Helps visualize personal knowledge in ways nothing else allows
The Graph view is more than an aesthetic gizmo. It allows you to grasp and recognise clusters of information, follow branches and easily filter out what you don't want to see. The "animate" option shows how your notes and links have grown organically. With a bit of tweaking to the visuals and the proper theme, your graph might even start to look like a disturbingly "alive", eerie thing.
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Top
Pro
Random note
A plugin that, when clicked, surfaces a random note from your vault.
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Top
Pro
Support for tags
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Top
Pro
Readable as it hides the [[ ]] around links when in Preview mode
This is a big difference, as having to read through long-form texts laden with [[links]] gives friction.
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Top
Pro
Slides for giving presentations from within Obsidian
Easily turn your notes into simple yet sleek powerpoint-style presentations by enabling the Slides plugin and adding the --- separator.
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Top
Pro
Markdown rather than outline/blocks
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Top
Pro
Keyboard shortcuts, Vim key bindings
Hotkeys can be customized in settings. Can switch on or off Vim key bindings in the editor settings.
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Top
Pro
Great onboarding experience
The onboarding consists of well-written help documentation (saved as a vault) served in small chunks and organized systematically so that you become familiar with all its features as well as get hands-on experience in real time.
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Top
Pro
Community of developers building themes and plug-ins
Due to the tool being very developer-friendly, there are tons of cool developments being made to it by 3rd party devs.
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Top
Pro
Page previews on hover
When you hover on an internal [[link]], you get to preview the note without opening it on a new pane. Page preview plugin must be enabled.
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Top
Pro
Intuitive and easy to use with an excellent help system built-in
The app doesn't frustrate the user - the built-in help is excellent.
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Top
Pro
Embedding attachments, such as PDF
Variety of file formats are directly embedded in the markdown preview, e.g. markdown, image, audio, video and PDF files.
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Top
Pro
Exporting as PDF
Allows exporting your markdown files as PDFs rendered with all of your plugins.
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Top
Pro
Calendar
Daily and Weekly notes with Calendar Plugin.
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Top
Pro
Graph view
A pretty, alternative way to represent links between your notes.
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Top
Pro
Multiple cursors
A feature unseen in other tools. From the help doc, "This can be useful when modifying a lot of lines in the same way, for example putting - at the beginning of multiple lines to turn them into a list, or appending [[ to a series of links you’ve copied from elsewhere."
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Top
Pro
Can copy search results and paste as lists and/or links in a new or existing note
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Top
Pro
Advanced search
Supports extended searching by default. Community plugin called "Vantage" allows to make more advanced queries.
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Top
Pro
Git integration
Version Control for your vault with Obsidian Git plugin.
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Top
Pro
Aliases
Allows to refer to a note with multiple names.
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Top
Pro
Big and helpful community
There's a Discord server and a forum. Join the community!
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Top
Pro
Not locked to a provider
No lock-in to a certain company - just markdown files on disk.
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Top
Pro
Mindmaps
Available as a plugin.
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Top
Pro
Math
Uses MathJax.
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Top
Pro
Templates
Allows to create templates with built-in plugin. There's also powerful community plugin called "Templater".
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Top
Pro
Diagrams
Uses Mermaid.
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Top
Pro
Linking to blocks
You can link to a block - e.g.: paragraph, blockquote, heading.
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Top
Pro
Metadata
Add a custom metadata to a note with YAML front matter.
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Top
Pro
Sketching
With Excalidraw.
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Top
Pro
Academic citations
Supports Citations and provides inserting from Zotero.
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Top
Pro
SQL-like queries
Advanced queries for the data-obsessed with Dataview Plugin.
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Top
Pro
Workspaces
Saving and loading workspaces.
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Top
Pro
Built-in Audio Recorder
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Top
Pro
Folders and file level storage which is open to manage, does not lock navigation
With other options like notion, we can not see how the data is actually stored.
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Top
Pro
HTML Support
Use HTML in a note.
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Top
Pro
Incredible tool for PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) which allows anyone who has a computer and an internet connection to think better and create new insights
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Top
Pro
Helps with planning and organization.
Variety of planning and organization plugins, such as Kanban boards or Day Planner.
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Top
Pro
Supports importing from other tools
Supports importing from tools such as Notion, Evernote, OneNote, Apple Notes, Bear, Zkn3, TiddlyWiki 5, and Roam Research. Refer to Obsidian Help for more info.
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Top
Pro
Supports several languages
Translations are made by the community at GitHub repository.
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Top
Pro
Discord rich presence
Update your Discord status to show your friends what are you working on with Discord Rich Presence plugin.
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Top
Pro
Syntax highlighting for code blocks
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Top
Pro
Snapshots, file recovery, trash folder
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Top
Pro
Copy and paste images easily
When taking notes, you can just grab a print screen from your clipboard and paste into the notes without having to do any file management
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android
API:
Beta
Collaborative:
Upcoming
Search:
Advanced
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Experiences
Free / paid
899
70
Bear
All
13
Experiences
Pros
8
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Pro
Beautiful interface
Well-designed app.
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Top
Con
Only subscription-based
Can not buy it straight up.
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Top
Pro
Easy to use
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Top
Con
No Tabs - can only view 1 note at a time
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Top
Pro
Instant markdown preview in the editor while preserving original MD code
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Top
Con
No inline editing and markup of pictures
The only option is to open in an editor (thereby creating a copy) and saving it again.
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Top
Pro
Easy tagging
For example: #tag/sub tag/foo/bar #tag2/foo/bar
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Top
Con
Sometimes there are sync problems between iOS and macOS
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Top
Pro
Flawless sync
It's everything Dropbox Paper promised to be, but without the embarrassment. The notes are always in sync between devices.
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Top
Pro
Lots of export formats
PDF, RTF, DOCX, HTML, TXT and MD.
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Top
Pro
Hashtag support
Adding a hashtag with a keyword tags the note to make it easy to search.
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Top
Pro
Simple to back up/export entire note database
Notes are exported as plain text, not a proprietary format, along with all embedded objects.
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Specs
Platforms:
iOS, OSX
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Experiences
$0-14.99/YEAR
116
29
Letterspace
All
5
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Full featured iOS app
This was a iOS first app and that is clear. Great swipe bar interface on iOS.
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Top
Con
No in-app Markdown preview
You can export to PDF or HTML with formatting, but no preview in the Mac app.
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Top
Pro
Simple, yet powerful interface
Keyboard shortcuts for basic text formatting. A few theme options. Full screen mode and swipe gestures.
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Top
Pro
@mentions and #tags for easy organization
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Top
Pro
Advanced Markdown support
Features Markdown support that many other text editors don't; such as Todo's ( -[x] ) and Strikethrough.
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here
6
0
Joplin
All
24
Experiences
Pros
14
Cons
9
Specs
Top
Pro
Offline access
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Top
Con
Sync issues with Android
If update on Linux then sync on Android, sometimes the Android sync will duplicate or remove some journal notes. Seems to be a bug in the Android app. The Linux app alone without sync with Android seems to work well using Dropbox. But don't expect changes you make on Android to sync properly back to Linux.
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Top
Pro
Open source
Peace of mind that there is no malicious piece of software in the app.
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Top
Con
Sync issue under Linux
The Linux client has a bug that requires the user to click the mouse frequently in order for sync to proceed. This bug has been open for a while.
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Top
Pro
Encryption
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Top
Con
Gargantuan memory footprint
1GB+ of memory for taking notes.
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Top
Pro
Cross-platform
Supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
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Top
Con
Old school interface
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Top
Pro
Supports file attachments
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Top
Con
Bloated
This project is suffering from feature creep and uses a lot of memory for a note-taking app.
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Top
Pro
Supports markdown
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Top
Con
App Image launches very slowly
On Linux, you can only install via App Image, which take 5+ seconds to launch. I can launch LibreOffice in under two seconds.
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Top
Pro
Supports tags for notes
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Top
Con
Sync issues on Windows
No way to change account settings and sync easily corrupted.
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Top
Pro
Web Clipper
Browser extension saves full pages, clean content, or screen selections to new notes.
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Top
Con
Weak tag searching
Joplin can currently only search for a single tag at a time. None of the boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) are available for use in searches. This greatly diminishes the usefulness of tags in Joplin.
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Top
Pro
Optional CLI interface
Provides a CLI interface for terminal lovers.
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Top
Con
Can't create tags from the mobile app
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Top
Pro
Supports multiple languages
English, French, and Spanish, Italian, German, Czech and many others.
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Top
Pro
Active user forum with support from app creators
Support, troubleshooting, and new feature requests are easy to make at the user forum and you can contact the app creator directly.
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Top
Pro
Dropbox support
Can sync using Dropbox.
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Top
Pro
Nextcloud support
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Top
Pro
Timed alarm reminder for to-do lists
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS
License:
MIT
Export:
Yes
Sync:
File System, OneDrive, Next Cloud, WebDav, DropBox, JoplinCloud, s3 (Beta)
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Experiences
FOSS
679
130
iA Writer
All
10
Experiences
Pros
8
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Con
No Linux support
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Top
Pro
Noise Free Writing Experience removes even the program bar
The Noise Free Writing Experience is one of the first approaches to create a first class distraction-free environment. The feature hides the Mac program bar when you start writing.
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Top
Pro
A mode that brings focus to the sentence you're working on
Enabling Focus Mode will dim the whole text except the sentence you are currently writing on.
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Top
Pro
Can tell how long it would take to read through what you've written
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Top
Pro
Markdown support
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Top
Pro
Syncs using iCloud and Dropbox
iA Writer can sync documents using iCloud or Dropbox from within the editor for use across multiple devices.
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Top
Pro
Create whole document by including separate images/markdown docs
This is new and very awesome feature in iA Writer 4.0.
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Top
Pro
Can export a Word document
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Top
Pro
Available for all Apple devices
iA Writer is available for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
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Specs
Platforms:
MacOS, iOS, Android, Windows
License:
Proprietary
Price:
$59,99
Export:
HTML, PDF
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Experiences
Get it
here
89
26
Quiver
All
12
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Pro
Has more features than just a simple Markdown editor
Quiver is a notebook and note-taking app akin to Evernote which happens to also be able to edit Markdown files. As such, it has a lot of useful features such as: image support, file attachments, web content support and more.
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Top
Con
You can't edit specific files, they must be in your notebook
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Top
Pro
Supports code highlighting
Has syntax highlighting for more than 120 programming languages.
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Top
Con
No iOS apps for editing, only a viewer available
I'd LOVE to edit and create quiver notes on my iPad!
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Top
Pro
Live preview
Quiver has live preview for both Markdown and LaTeX. This helps users to better understand the way they are formatting their files.
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Top
Con
The line in focus shows a border around it which is distracting
The line in focus in the editor shows a rounded rectangular border around it, which is unappealing and distracting.
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Top
Pro
Notes can be linked to each-other
Quiver notes have unique links that can be copied and pasted into other notes to gain quick access between them.
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Top
Con
Much more than a simple Markdown editor
Since it's more like a note-taking app (and a note-taking app built for developers) than a Markdown editor, it may be a little excessive to use it only for its Markdown editing features.
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Top
Pro
Cloud syncing
Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or any other file-based cloud services.
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Top
Pro
Supports vi keybindings
For people used to vi keybindings, Quiver can be set up to work with them.
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Top
Pro
Combination of different types of writing in one note
The most outstanding thing for me. Use HTML line breaks while writing MD text. Also, unlike most hybrid editors like Bear, it supports instant image sizing and respective preview.
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Specs
Platforms:
macOS
License:
Proprietary
Export:
Text, Markdown, LaTeX
Preview:
Live Preview
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Experiences
Get it
here
95
31
Notebooks
All
7
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
3
Top
Pro
You control how to sync the data - better privacy
Services like Paper (Dropbox), Evernote, Google, OneNote (Microsoft)... and many others, keep your data in format they can read when it syncs with their servers. That means their admins can read your data (see recent scandal with Evernote privacy policy), they can be compelled to give it to law-enforcement and, if hackers manage to breach their servers, the hackers can read it too. With Notebooks, you choose how to sync your data, which means that you can do it using a privacy-friendly service, such as SpiderOak, Tresorit, Sync.com or iDrive, which sync your data using end-to-end encryption. This means that although they use their servers to sync your data, their servers store an encrypted version to which the service does not hold the key. Your data stays private.
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Top
Con
No Linux support
Not able to install on any Linux-based OS.
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Top
Pro
Powerful and grows according to your needs
Notebooks have many features including WYSIWYG editing and Markdown support. While these may be considered power-user features, they are there if the user ever needs them. This makes the app versatile, as it can appeal to the user who just wants to take notes just as much as the user who needs to edit complicated documents.
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Top
Con
Each platform app has an individual cost
Say if you want to use the desktop app on OSX, that will have an individual cost. This cost does not carry over if the Windows app needs to be used as that has its own cost as well. Basically you have to pay for each platform you want to use this app on. While there are no recurring fees, the individual cost for each platform can add up.
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Top
Pro
No recurring fees
There are no reoccurring fees connected to this app: pay once for the platform you would like to use it on, and that's it.
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Top
Con
Cloud sharing has to be done with a third party
Notebooks does not provide its own synchronizing and back-up. The user will therefore need to use a service (such as Dropbox) which has built-in support, but which is a service not connected with the creators of this app.
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Top
Pro
Available on multiple platforms
As an Evernote alternative, Notebooks is available on iOS as well as OS X and Windows operating systems. This makes for a convenient way to manage one's notes or tasks on multiple devices
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Experiences
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here
15
2
Zenkit
All
4
Experiences
Pros
3
Specs
Top
Pro
Powerful and simple to use tool with a clean design
Easy to use and easily understandable for everyone.
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Top
Pro
Many important data views
Data views include Mind-Map, Kanban-Board, Spreadsheet, List, and Calendar. Views can be switched easily.
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Top
Pro
Native apps
Native apps for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux.
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Specs
Platforms:
Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone
Languages:
English, German, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Chinese (traditional), Korean, Russian
API:
Yes
Collaborative:
Yes
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Free / paid
120
13
Gingko
All
7
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Con
Limited free version
The free version is limited to 100 cards and 10 documents. Depending on how you use it, this might not be enough.
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Top
Pro
You can customize colors
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Top
Pro
Allows focusing on one piece of information at a time
Since Gingko documents are "trees", they are always organized on the go. And since everything is written in cards, it is possible to focus on one chunk of content at a time.
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Top
Pro
Easy to overview
Despite the complexity of the tree structure, it's always clear where you are, and how to quickly add your thoughts.
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Top
Pro
Markdown support
All formatting is done via Markdown.
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Pro
Non-linear
Non-linear notetaking allows you more flexibility, freedom and creativity.
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Specs
Platforms:
Web
Preview:
Live Preview
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Experiences
Get it
here
19
3
Zoho Notebook
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Completely free, ad-free, with unlimited devices
Zoho (the company behind Notebook) has been providing free, advertisement-free, productivity applications for over a decade, and this one is no different.
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Top
Con
Migrate from Evernote non functional
The migrate from Evernote function resulted in blank notes. The headers are there but blank notes
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Top
Pro
Cloud sync
As an Evernote alternative, Notebook securely stores notes to the cloud, allowing you to access notes on all of your mobile devices, while the sync is seamless. Also, web app support is coming soon.
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Top
Con
Available on limited platforms
Currently there is no web app or Windows version available. They are working on both, but there is no set release date.
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Top
Pro
Easy to use
If you've ever used Evernote, then you know it has lot's of menus and that doing simple things requires lots of taps. Notebook is designed to be more functional, and lets you take and access notes quickly.
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Top
Pro
Pre-built checklist and audio notes
Rather than create a checklist within a text note, Notebook has a pre-built checklist card, which makes creating them really easy. Plus the items you check off move to the bottom of the note. Audio notes work the same way. Rather than treat audio notes like attachments (as Evernote does), Notebook has a pre-built audio note which is really nice, very similar to Evernote in that fashion, which makes it a good alternative.
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Top
Pro
Great UI
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Specs
Platforms:
Mac, iOS, Web, Android, Windows, Linux
License:
Free
Export:
Yes
Offline access:
Yes
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Experiences
Free
31
5
Boostnote
All
15
Experiences
Pros
10
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Pro
Cross platform support
Supports Windows, macOS and Linux.
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Top
Con
Some of the features are not consistent
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Top
Pro
Markdown support
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Top
Con
Must use third-party service for sync-ing (Dropbox, etc.)
Boostnote does not have sync-ing capabilities and relies on third-party services to fulfil notes storage. There are additional steps involved to set this up.
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Top
Pro
Free
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Top
Con
Can't work in "real" offline mode
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Top
Pro
Open source
See here.
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Top
Con
Very poor syncing
Data loss may occur on syncing.
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Top
Pro
Great for developers
Boostnote is great for developers looking to take programming notes with code snippets and such.
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Top
Pro
Supports code snippets and syntax highlighting
Boostnote has the ability to store code snippets and comes with syntax highlighting out of the box, supporting many languages.
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Top
Pro
Works offline
Boostnote doesn't require an internet connection to work. You can write notes offline and sync later.
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Top
Pro
Global search, tag feature
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Top
Pro
Comes with many themes
Boostnote comes with many themes out of the box, most of which are popular themes and color schemes for code editors: e.g. 3024, base16, solarized, tomorrow.
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Pro
vim/emacs key bindings available
Boostnote supports vim/emacs key bindings. If you're a developer familiar with either of them, navigation should be easy to pick up.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows/MacOS/Linux/Android/IOS
License:
GPL v3
API:
No
Dark Theme:
Yes
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Experiences
Get it
here
605
54
Polynote
All
3
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Real-time collaborative
Multiple users can edit a note simultaneously, in real time.
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Top
Con
No free tier
Plynote has a 15-day free trial after which it requires a 20$/user/year subscription.
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Top
Pro
Minimal interface
The application is simple and fast. Can create, share and organize notes and notebooks on the same page.
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5
1
Dynalist
All
8
Experiences
Pros
7
Specs
Top
Pro
Ability to create documents and organize by folder, and search by title
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Top
Pro
Unlimited notes
Which is perfect for personal knowledgebase.
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Top
Pro
Search and link to other notes
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Top
Pro
Bullet hierarchy with zoom
Able to zoom in in bullet points, collapse bullets, move bulleted information, etc.
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Top
Pro
Create custom user styles
Anyone can create a custom style and share them with the community, which can be found here.
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Top
Pro
Inline images
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Top
Pro
Printable shared lists
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Specs
Platforms:
All major platforms (Web/Windows/Mac/Linux/iOS/Android)
Collaborative:
Yes
Dark Theme:
Yes
Offline access:
Yes
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Experiences
Free
199
28
typora
All
20
Experiences
Pros
14
Cons
5
Specs
Top
Pro
Live preview
Typora immediately renders what's typed on the screen in Markdown format. This helps users to have a better understanding of how their document is being formatted.
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Top
Con
No mobile (Android/iOS) apps
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Pro
Hybrid interface
The editor and preview dual-pane setup typical of desktop Markdown editors are gone; instead, a singular interface makes for a WYSIWYG experience. This streamlines the workflow and encourages direct manipulation.
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Top
Con
In beta
Typora is still in beta and may be prone to changes or bugs.
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Pro
Support for LaTeX expressions
It supports LaTeX expressions, with an easy-to-use MaxJax panel.
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Con
Unusable image management
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Pro
Syntax highlight for fenced codes
It supports GFM's code fences, with syntax highlight support for C/C++, java, etc.
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Con
The immediate rendering of Markdown is hard on the eyes
Having Markdown immediately render causes text to jump into formatted text, which is distracting and hard on the eyes.
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Pro
Custom theme support
Typora has clean yet beautiful built-in themes and allows for users to create new themes using CSS.
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Con
No portable version (Windows)
You need admin rights on a managed Windows computer to install it. There currently is no portable version available.
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Pro
Support for tables
It supports tables for Markdown Extra. And also provides a GUI to make it easy to insert and edit them.
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Pro
Inline images
It won't display image like ![alt](http://image-url), But shows the image content inside the editor.
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Pro
Free during beta
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Pro
Shows table of contents for the document
It supports an outline for the document, by showing a table of contents on the left side of the screen.
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Pro
Cross-platform
Currently works on Windows, Mac and Linux.
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Pro
Natural typing experience
Editing in Markdown, either in WYSIWYG mode or in markdown code mode, feels natural. It never gets in the way.
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Pro
Make charts and diagrams with Mermaid, FlowChart and Sequence
Use fenced code-blocks to render diagrams using syntax from Mermaid and FlowChart.js.
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Pro
Sidebar with a list of files
You can open any folder in sidebar and see a list of other markdown files.
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Top
Pro
Syncs with iCloud
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Specs
Platforms:
Mac OSX; Windows; Linux
License:
Proprietary
Price:
$14.99
Export:
HTML; HTML (pure); PDF; Word; OpenOffice; RTF; Epub; LaTeX; Media Wiki; ReStructuredText; Textile; OPML
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Experiences
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here
484
59
Apple Notes
All
8
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Sync with other Apple devices via iCloud, other cloud/email services
It syncs with iCloud, and surprisingly, also with Gmail and possibly other services too.
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Top
Con
Cannot export to a format that can be imported again
This makes it obscure and cumbersome to back up your notes as files that could be managed by your backup system. You can export to PDF, but not in bulk; and this isn't the native format that you can easily recover with. Apple compounds the problem by using some undocumented format for notes. You can, however, back them all up by backing up the files found in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Notes/Data/Library/Notes
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Top
Pro
Built-in
It's a default system app, making it easy to find and use since it is already installed.
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Top
Pro
Rich-text editing
Allows for simple text formatting and making TODO lists with checkboxes.
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Top
Pro
Attachments
You can add files to notes and then filter notes by attachment types.
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Top
Pro
Supports sharing
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Pro
It's fast, and syncing is very dependable
The app launches quickly on both Mac and iOS, it also syncs quickly (in seconds) and very dependably across different Apple devices.
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Pro
It remains simple to use with a gentle learning curve
Despite the significant new updates in iOS 9 and iOS 10, you can start using Notes immediately, then try/master new features with ease — definitely a gentle learning curve.
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Experiences
61
14
Turtl
All
7
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
3
Specs
Top
Pro
Multiple Platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Firefox, Chrome)
Turtl has applications for all the major operating systems, as well as Android. In addition, there are extensions available for Firefox and Chrome that cooperate with the downloadable applications.
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Top
Con
No iOS app
While many other operating systems have a client, iOS does not have one yet (though it is planned).
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Top
Pro
Open source
The app is licensed under GPLv3 making it open source. This means that anyone can use the code and contribute. This also makes it easy to use on one's own server or for company solutions.
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Top
Con
No image embedding
Instead of image embeddings, there's a sort of poor man's substitute: image + description. If you add an image, you can create a description of any size and with all the formatting features. It can be used instead of image embedding but much more limited: only one image and only at the very top.
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Top
Pro
Good security
After assigning a password to your account in Turtl, a key is created to encrypt the entire account. No data is stored on their servers meaning they have no access to unencrypted content. This is a huge leg up when comparing to other Evernote alternatives.
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Top
Con
Internet dependent
Requires Internet connection to initiate offline mode, loses access to notes without Internet or server.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux, Mac, Android
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Experiences
Free
517
81
Texts
All
9
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
4
Specs
Top
Pro
Supports multiple Markdown dialects
Unfortunately, this is a global setting for save (it can open any dialect)
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Top
Con
Overwrites standard Markdown
Editing a preexisting Markdown document overwrites standard markup in it (for example, interpreting headings marked with leading "#"s and rewriting them with a trailing underscore line), adds extra blank lines between all paragraphs, and adds extra spaces at the head of unordered-list items.
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Top
Pro
Immediate Markdown rendering and preview
Texts immediately renders the formatted Markdown as you are typing it inside the text box. It's quite similar to a WYSIWYG editor.
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Top
Con
Spell checking is not activated by default
There's a built-in spell checker which is not activated by default and is quite hidden.
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Top
Pro
Imports and exports many formats
HTML, Word, TeX, PDF, ePUB, OPML.
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Top
Con
Limited choice of built-in themes
You can download the CSS for these themes and create your own, but would be nice to have more flavors (e.g. GitHub)
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Top
Pro
Works on Mac OS X and Windows
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Top
Con
No word count in older versions
Word count is present in Texts 0.21, at least.
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Specs
Platforms:
MacOS, Windows
License:
Proprietary
Export:
HTML, Word, TeX, PDF, ePUB, OPML
Preview:
WYSIWYG
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Experiences
Free
18
6
Workflowy
All
23
Experiences
Pros
13
Cons
9
Specs
Top
Pro
Outline-style hierarchy with zoom
Any sublist can be viewed as a top-level list. This sounds simple but makes WorkFlowy extremely powerful. For example, the same line item, "write my book," can simultaneously be a to-do in a task list and the container for an entire working document.
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Top
Con
Doesn't work well in mobile browsers
The functionality of the mobile version of the site is a bit limited, while new features have been added such as the ability to move lines of text, even that is limited on Android to only being functional on Chrome.
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Top
Pro
Minimalistic interface
Interface has no clutter. It allows focusing on thoughts to note down. This keeps things simple and easy to understand, which can help keep everything organized in an intuitive manner.
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Top
Con
Offline desktop app requires Chrome
The offline desktop requires installing Google Chrome first before the WorkFlowy app can be installed. This is not good news for non-Chrome users especially users who frequently uses Firefox or Safari as their default browsers, in which Chrome app also suffers memory leak and battery issues.
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Top
Pro
Easy to see an overview and organize notes
All notes are part of a list, which makes it easy to organize everything. Nested lists allow for organizing notes into hierarchical categories of infinite depth. All lists can be folded. WorkFlowy also has tags and instant full-text search.
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Top
Con
Inconvenient interface
Notes automatically collapse, making them unreadable without user interaction. You cannot view multiple long notes at once.
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Top
Pro
Super fast sync between devices
While adding a list of to-do on web, it syncs with iPhone and iPad apps very quickly. This way you can jump between devices with no delay of up to date content.
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Top
Con
No public API
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Top
Pro
Quickly focus on a specific topic
Enables users to focus on specific topic area, which is referred to as "hoisting" within Workflowy.
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Top
Con
Cannot use link-text
You cannot have text link to a URL. When you link to a website you have to post the full URL instead. Instead of having the name of the website or article like, Slant, you instead have to post http://slant.co. It's especially annoying if you have a long URL that takes up a lot of space in the document.
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Top
Pro
Supports tags
Enables users to search by tags.
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Top
Con
No support for Right-To-Left languages
Mixed text is scrambled, and text-alignment is wrong.
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Top
Pro
Cross-platform web and mobile
WorkFlowy can be accessed from either a browser or their apps, which include a Chrome app for desktops as well as an iOS and Android app. This makes it easy to access ones notes no matter the platform or device being used.
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Top
Con
Doesn't work on all mobile phones
Not compatible with Android OS version 4.1 and 4.2.
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Top
Pro
Deep nesting
Workflowy's 'everything is in a tree' interface makes it easy to keep expanding on topics, no matter where, or how deep in the hierarchy they are.
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Top
Con
Infrequent updates and new features
WorkFlowy works well but it is hardly ever updated, in comparison to Dynalist, which works in a very similar way but has more features and is updated weekly.
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Top
Pro
Tasks can be added and manipulated quickly
WorkFlowy allows entering many tasks very quickly – especially useful for meeting minutes or a "brain dump" when you have to type fast. After typing in all your thoughts, it's very easy to organize and sort multiple groups at once.
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Top
Con
Only supports one big text file
Although with Workflowy's focus feature this can work, you might prefer managing separate text files.
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Top
Pro
Import and export via OPML
OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is a commonly used standard for text exchange. With two-way support for OPML you are never locked into Workflowy. Importing/exporting via copy/paste of entire outlines is a snap.
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Pro
Text formatting
You can have bold, italic, and underlined text.
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Top
Pro
Strong community
There are number of talented coders who help customize WorkFlowy with extensions and styles. It has an active blog and welcomes collaboration.
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Top
Pro
Daily digest email
WorkFlowy can send you an email with that day's activity. It's a great way to track progress.
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Specs
Platforms:
Web, Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS
API:
Experimental (https://workflowy.com/s/workflowy-extension-api/6ziauXitmUj7idN2 )
Collaborative:
Yes
Dark Theme:
Paid feature
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Experiences
Free / paid
222
51
Supernotes
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
Short-form note-cards
The note-card format is incredibly versatile, and great when you have lots of information.
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Top
Con
Only web apps for now
The developers haven't released native apps yet.
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Top
Pro
Responsive platform
Works on all devices, from mobiles to laptops.
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Top
Pro
Full Markdown (with LaTeX equation) support
Great to be able to use all the features of Markdown, rather than a select few.
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Specs
Platforms:
Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
API:
Yes
Collaborative:
Yes
Search:
Yes
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here
28
0
Simplenote
All
28
Experiences
Pros
13
Cons
14
Specs
Top
Pro
Very simple and clean interface
Simplenote takes a minimalist approach to its interface. There are no toolbars full of formatting options or extra features like notebooks to group notes. The entire desktop interface consists solely of a sidebar with your tags and trash filters, the list of existing notes with search, a button to add a new note and a simple view for looking an existing note or writing a new one.
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Con
No note encryption at rest
Notes are encrypted in transit, but remain unencrypted on Simplenote's servers.
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Top
Pro
Geared towards fast usage
Unlike alternatives (such as Evernote) that are laden with features, Simplenote is fast to use and sync. Reviews from the Verge, Lifehacker, and a variety of other sources all describe using the Simplenote apps as very fast. While it may not be as feature-rich as other apps, the responsiveness of the app and simple interface keep it easy to use while never slowing down the user when they need to quickly take a note.
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Top
Con
Limited ways to reorder notes
You are able to sort your notes alphabetically, date modified, or by last created. There is no way to drag and drop the notes to create a custom order.
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Top
Pro
Works offline
Users can edit and create documents offline, can then sync their content the next time they are online. This way a user can work even when there's no data connection without the worry of losing work.
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Top
Con
No reminders
You cannot set reminders to revisit a specific note or complete a task.
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Top
Pro
Desktop app is open source
The desktop version of Simplenote is hosted on the GitHub and since it is open source, it can allow developers to fork the code in order to improve the app.
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Top
Con
No support for file attachments
Simplenote doesn't provide support for embedded attachments. This can limit the use for some as many other note-taking apps do support this type of feature.
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Top
Pro
Can export your data
The program enables exporting of notes as text documents.
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Top
Con
Search is limited to one tag
There seems to be no way to find notes that have both tag X and tag Y. This isn't a big deal until you have a large library of notes, and want to cross-search for two things at the same time to vastly narrow down your search.
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Top
Pro
Collaborative features
Notes can be shared with others or worked on collaboratively.
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Top
Con
No way to import notes from anywhere
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Top
Pro
Open Source
All of the Simplenote apps are open source and ready for your contributions! You can find the source on GitHub: iOS: https://github.com/automattic/simplenote-ios Android: https://github.com/automattic/simplenote-android macOS: https://github.com/automattic/simplenote-macos Electron (Windows and Linux): https://github.com/automattic/simplenote-electron
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Con
Web access only for updated browsers
They recently removed support for older browsers, and it's not working on the latest version of Waterfox. You need an updated version of a well-known browser.
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Top
Pro
"Time machine" style revision control on the notes
Each edit of a note is saved in order to allow the user to go back to a previous version of a document. This way, if mistakes are made or something is deleted, you can go back to the previous version without any hassle.
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Con
No 32-bit version
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Pro
Wide range of great clients with great sync
Official native apps are available on popular platforms such as Android, iPhone, iPad, Kindle, OS X, Windows and Linux. Open-source clients extend this support even more widely to various other platforms, such as webOS and the BlackBerry PlayBook. These apps embody the core philosophy of Simplenote: minimalism and focus on the note taking. There are multiple unofficial clients (including the excellent Notational Velocity and NValt, a fork of the app with markdown support and other goodies.)
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Top
Con
The search function doesn't see tags
If you search for 'foo' you won't find notes with tag foo. In that regard, tags are completely isolated from the search.
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Top
Pro
Markdown support via web interface
There is support for Markdown when using the web app. This can be convenient for those who want to use Markdown in a particular note.
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Top
Con
No way to bulk-apply a tag
This is a typical workflow action in other apps: Do a search, multi-select notes among the matches, then apply or de-apply one or more tags to all these notes at once. There's no way to do this in Simplenote. The only bulk operations are Delete and Pin-to-top.
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Top
Pro
Linux client available
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Top
Con
No notification when changes made on a shared note
Currently, there is no way to be alerted when a change is made by another contributor on a shared note.
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Top
Pro
Excellent iOS app
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Top
Con
Save-to-disk feature is poor
The only way to download your data off Simplenote is via a "download zip" feature that unfortunately loses all the semantic structure of your data (tags, for instance).
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Top
Pro
Excellent desktop client in the form of nvAlt
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Con
No integrated social media sharing
The only way you can share notes with others is with a link you're given when you publish your note. There is no integrated social media sharing if you directly want to post your note to Twitter, Facebook, etc.
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Top
Con
Lack of color impacts usability
There are two themes available, the default theme and a dark theme. Both use only the single solid color (either white or black) for the background, so there is a lack of visual cues to separate what you're looking at.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS
API:
No
Collaborative:
yes
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Experiences
Free
479
101
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