Here’s the Deal

Notebooks vs TagSpaces

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When comparing Notebooks vs TagSpaces, the Slant community recommends Notebooks for most people. In the question“What are the best Evernote alternatives?” Notebooks is ranked 30th while TagSpaces is ranked 31st. The most important reason people chose Notebooks is:

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.

Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking

Common Questions

What are the best Evernote alternatives?

Pros

Pro
You control how to sync the data - better privacy

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.

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.

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.

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

Pro
Open source

TagSpaces is free and open source making it easily extendable with the help of extensions.

Pro
Your can choose your cloud file storage

Using only files and no databases let's you make the decision with which cloud file sync service to use, making sure your notes are made available on other devices and platforms. It works great with Owncloud, Nextcloud, Dropbox or Google Drive.

Pro
No web service or database lock in

The backend is simply the directory and file structure on your harddrive.

Pro
No cloud

TagSpaces is running completely offline, sending no data to any cloud based service, unlike many Evernote alternatives.

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Cons

Con
No Linux support

Not able to install on any Linux-based OS.

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.

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.