Notion is understandably the go-to for many productivity enthusiasts; it’s quite flexible and has that all-in-one appeal. AFFiNE improved on that for me with a more streamlined interface, faster performance, the whiteboard canvas, and the focus on local-first data and ownership. This is why it’s become my top pick over Notion for managing my notes and projects. Overall, depending on your needs, both apps are great. But they can also be heavier than necessary for day-to-day note-taking.

Enter Notesnook. Although it’s several years old, it’s a new discovery for me. This open-source, self-hostable, browser-based notes app is much more lightweight than either AFFiNE and Notion, and also comes with a simple UI. Since I value a frictionless workspace over most other features, it has become one of my favorite apps for managing my notes. Here’s why it’s worth a look…

What exactly is Notesnook?

A self-hosted browser-based option for your notes

Notesnook is an open-source, cross-platform note-taking app focused on simplicity and privacy. It’s a super simple solution for taking and managing notes, but it’s also built with modern design principles and secure synchronization in mind. It runs on desktop (including Mac, Windows, and Linux), mobile (iOS and Android), and also has a fully functional browser-based version, so you can access your notes from pretty much any device. The codebase is also transparent and inspectable by the community.

Notesnook supports end-to-end encryption by default, so your content is encrypted before it ever leaves your device, and only you hold the keys. Unlike cloud-based tools that store your data on their servers, Notesnook is local by default with an option for cloud sync, but storage is limited on the free plan. Overall, its architecture prioritizes privacy, letting you choose between local storage, the official sync server, or a self-hosted instance.

I like Notesnook for its balance between accessibility and capability. It’s minimal and doesn’t try to be an all-in-one workspace, but it’s also rich in features I actually need. It’s well-positioned for users who need a reliable and private home for their notes and reference materials, making it the perfect fit for students, creators, knowledge workers, or anyone who wants a dependable digital notebook.

Notesnook has great organizational features

Just the right amount of organization

Notesnook has a very streamlined organizational system. To start with, it has a simple tag feature that works pretty much the same way it does across all note-taking apps. There’s a dedicated space at the top of the note where you can create and add tags, and you can also navigate to the tag list in the left panel, where your notes will be categorized by their tags.

It also has notebooks, which work a bit differently from the folder structure I’m used to in AFFiNE. You can create as many notebooks as you want, and to get your notes into the relevant ones, you have to “link” them to a notebook. It’s basically the same thing as organizing your notes into a folder hierarchy, except you can link a note to multiple notebooks simultaneously instead of sticking to a rigid hierarchy.

Notesnook has a couple more extras that make organization and navigation easier. You can add notes to a favorites folder and also pin them, which is perfect for documents you revisit often. Depending on how you’ve formatted the text, Notesnook lets you navigate your documents through the table of contents in the right-side panel, which has collapsible headers and subheaders. This panel also shows you which notes are linked where, plus, there’s a version history. Lastly, there’s a global search function that lets you search and locate your documents with keywords.

Notesnook has plenty of formatting options

Keep your notes structured

Notesnook has all the usual stuff you’ll find in a notes app for formatting. This includes rich text editing like bold and italic, header options, text color, text size, a few font options, numbered lists, bullets lists, checklists, hyperlinking, and paragraph alignment. It’s actually more similar to what you’ll find in Google Docs than in Notion or AFFiNE.

Given that Notesnook is a block-based editor, you’ve also got a couple of block insert options - this can be accessed via the plus icon in the top left of the page. From here, you can add things like task lists, code blocks, quotes, images, attachments, tables, and math formulas. Keep in mind that this option is reserved for the paid tiers.

Notesnook is serious about data privacy

All your notes are protected

Unlike both Notion and AFFiNE, Notesnook gives you a couple of privacy and security features for your notes. You can create something called a vault, which holds any notes you assign to that vault. This is done by turning on the Lock feature on a note, which stores it in your password-protected vault.

Another cool feature is the View Only mode, which doesn’t let anyone with a link edit your note, and only view them. You can also securely publish encrypted notes via the Monograph feature - this ensures you’re in full control of who gets access to your published works.

A better option for notes that you want to keep private

While I do love AFFiNE for its feature-rich and intuitive interface, and Notion is still a solid tool, Notesnook is by far the more privacy-focused notes option. You can self-host it, secure every note even if they’re published, and organize your work into a structured system. It’s the ideal option for capturing personal notes or storing confidential information.