Obsidian's powerful features have made it a popular choice for note-taking and building a PKM system, but its closed-source nature and markdown-only approach aren’t for everyone. If you are looking for flexible and open-source alternatives, you are in luck. There are plenty of such options, and among them, I have hand-picked the best tools for your workflow.

In this post, I will shine a spotlight on five impressive open-source Obsidian alternatives: Notesnook, Joplin, AnyType, Logseq, and Appflowy. I will discuss their key features, strengths, weaknesses (if any), and give enough insights to make a final call.

5 Notesnook

Notesnook is an open-source end-to-end encrypted Obsidian alternative for all your PKM needs. First of all, it has native apps on all the mobile and desktop platforms (including Linux) you can think of. There is also a handy web clipper to save essential info from the web. I like how Notesnook offers a familiar toolbar at the top to format your notes. Unlike Obsidian, you don’t have to take markdown classes to get started.

Other goodies include task lists with recurring reminders, tables, note outlines, code blocks, support for math formulas, markdown, and, of course, bidirectional linking. It also supports a full offline mode and the ability to open multiple tabs.

4 Joplin

Joplin is primarily designed for note-taking rather than for creating a knowledge management system. It supports markdown, has cross-platform availability, and offers robust organization features to handle hundreds of notes like a pro.

Like Obsidian, Joplin offers several synchronization options where you can access your notes using OneDrive, Dropbox, Joplin Cloud, and even Nextcloud. There is also a handy web clipper for Chrome and Firefox users. My only problem with Joplin is its outdated appearance. As of now, I use a third-party theme to give it a modern makeover. There is also a robust plugin ecosystem to extend Joplin’s functionality.

Check out my dedicated guide to learn all the differences between Obsidian and Joplin.

3 AnyType

AnyType not only matches but also edges out Obsidian in several areas. It’s a local-first solution where all your data resides on the device. It strikes the perfect balance between Obsidian and Notion. It combines Obsidian's privacy with Notion's features.

Aside from building a PKM system, you can create a team wiki, family docs, Kanban boards to manage projects, daily journals, habit trackers, study hubs, recipe books, and more. As always, it has an intuitive block editor, a long list of templates, widgets, and more. You can connect your relevant notes and create a dedicated graph to view their relationships.

My favorite add-on has to be ANY experience gallery. It has a rich library of templates. You are just a click away from whether you want to create a data vault, family space, habit tracker, subscription tracker, or even a startup planner. I also found its mobile apps better than Joplin.

2 Logseq

Logseq is a unique productivity tool. It’s ideal for those who value graph-based knowledge management and a focus on outlining and structured thinking. In many ways, Logseq can replace Roam Research as well.

Like Obsidian, Logseq features a graph view that visually represents the connections between your notes. While it feels similar to Obsidian, Logseq's graph view feels more integrated into the core experience (maybe because Obsidian treats the graph view as a plugin). With Logseq’s structured thinking, you can easily create nested lists, expand and collapse sections, and rearrange your notes with drag-and-drop. It’s an excellent choice for planning, brainstorming, and organizing complex information.

The only sore point with Logseq is its relatively small plugin ecosystem. However, it’s growing rapidly, and I can’t wait to see what third-party developers come up with in the future.

1 Appflowy

While Obsidian excels in many areas, it falls short at managing projects. I hate how one needs to use a third-party plugin just to insert Kanban boards. If you are looking for an open-source Obsidian alternative that excels at handling personal and complex projects, go with Appflowy.

It features blocks, pages, databases, and other elements allowing flexible content creation and organization. AppFlowy supports Markdown, has flexible syncing options, and a rich template collection. One area where Appflowy shines is AI integration. You can use any language model of your choice (default, ChatGPT, or Claude), and fly through your tasks in no time. It’s neatly implemented and doesn’t get in your way.

Join the open-source side

The beauty of open source lies not only in its freedom and flexibility, but also in the vibrant communities that support these projects. Take your time to explore these options, experiment with their features, and find the perfect open-source companion for your knowledge management journey. After all, the best choice depends on your individual priorities and workflow.