DEVONthink alternatives · Note-Taking
Free alternatives to DEVONthink
DEVONthink has no free plan. 123 of the 146 other note-taking apps in this directory are free or have a free plan.
DEVONthink is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates. 36 of them have no paid plan at all; the rest pair a free plan with paid ones.
123 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 9, 2026 · Where the facts come from
The 12 closest to DEVONthink
- Free plan · from $99/yr
Evernote
Note-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search
What is free: 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 spaces, 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1 GB of storage, 1 connected external calendar and sync on 1 device.
- Evernote starts at $99 per year (about $8.25 a month), or $14.99 billed monthly. DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- Evernote has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Evernote lists Windows and Android apps.
- DEVONthink can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Free plan · from $4/mo
Obsidian
Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device
What is free: The app is free without limits on desktop and mobile, with no sign-up, and a commercial license is not required for work use. Sync and Publish are optional paid add-ons.
- Obsidian starts at $4 per user / month, billed annually (Sync Standard add-on). DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- Obsidian has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Obsidian lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free plan · from $8.99/mo
LiquidText
Document review workspace that links excerpts to notes
What is free: Basic: free PDF reading, annotation, excerpts linked to notes, pinch search and highlight view, mind maps and notes export. Multi-document projects, inking and tagging need Pro.
- LiquidText starts at $8.99 per month, paid annually (LIVE). DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- LiquidText has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only LiquidText lists a Windows app.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free plan · from $79 one-time
Octarine
Local Markdown notes app with daily notes, views and optional AI
What is free: Personal: the WYSIWYG editor, unlimited workspaces, daily and weekly notes, graph view, full-text search, templates, 4 themes and txt export. The vendor says the core features will always be free.
- Octarine starts at $79 one-time purchase. DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- Octarine has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Octarine lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free plan · from $29 one-time
NotePlus
Native Markdown notes app with kanban boards and AI chat
What is free: Free to download and use without a license. The pricing FAQ says the unlicensed app has no limits at present and that some functions will be limited in future releases. Hub is part of a license.
- NotePlus starts at $29 one-time purchase (Basic license, 1 computer). DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- NotePlus has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only NotePlus lists a Windows app.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free
QOwnNotes
Open-source Markdown notes app with Nextcloud and ownCloud support
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- QOwnNotes is free. DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- QOwnNotes has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only QOwnNotes lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Reflect
Open-source daily notes app with backlinks and local Markdown
What is free: The Mac app is free and open source, with no subscription or account required. The iPhone and iPad app needs a paid subscription.
- Reflect starts at $9.99 per month, or $99 per year, for the iPhone and iPad app. DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- Reflect has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Reflect is open source, according to its own site.
- Free plan · from $1.99/mo
UpNote
Cross-platform notes app with a lifetime purchase option
What is free: Free to use and sync across all your devices, limited to 50 notes with basic features. Attachments, tables, locks and export need Premium.
- UpNote starts at $1.99 per month, or $39.99 once for lifetime (Premium). DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- UpNote has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only UpNote lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free
Tolaria
Free, open-source desktop app for Markdown knowledge bases
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- Tolaria is free. DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- Tolaria has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Tolaria lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free plan · from $14.99 one-time
MiaoYan
Native Mac Markdown notes app with a split editor and preview
What is free: The open-source Mac edition is free under the MIT license through Homebrew or GitHub Releases. The README says it now receives fixes only, with new features going to the App Store edition.
- MiaoYan starts at $14.99 one-time purchase (App Store edition). DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- MiaoYan has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Only DEVONthink lists a browser extension.
- Free
NoteGen
Open-source Markdown notes app that organizes captures with AI
What is free: Everything. There is no paid plan.
- NoteGen is free. DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- NoteGen has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only NoteGen lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
- Free plan · from $0.99 one-time
Zettel Notes
Android Markdown note app built around the Zettelkasten method
What is free: The main app is free with no ads and includes Markdown notes, repositories, backlinks, encryption, templates and all four sync methods. The Location and Todo.txt plugins are free too.
- Zettel Notes starts at $0.99 one-time for the cheapest paid plugin; most are $2.99 to $5.99. DEVONthink starts at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
- Zettel Notes has a free plan. DEVONthink does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Zettel Notes lists an Android app.
- Only DEVONthink lists a web app.
111 more that are free or have a free plan
- Understory
- MindForger
- Capacities
- Logseq
- Bear
- Notesnook
- RemNote
- Supernotes
- mymind
- Dynalist
- TheBrain
- Memos
- Curio
- FSNotes
- Tangent Notes
- Beaver Notes
- Notes Writer
- GitJournal
- Notenik
- Bangle.io
- Bebop
- Marknote
- Tana Outliner
- Microsoft OneNote
- Google Keep
- Goodnotes
- Notability
- Joplin
- Simplenote
- Standard Notes
- Workflowy
- Zoho Notebook
- Drafts
- Amplenote
- Trilium Notes
- SiYuan
- Noteshelf
- MyScript Notes
- Agenda
- CollaNote
- Fabric
- Saga
- Bike Outliner
- Tot
- Heynote
- Cryptee
- FUTO Notes
- Notewise
- Notein
- Markor
- Quillpad
- Cleft
- Relanote
- VNote
- Zavala
- Noteey
- Blinko
- SilverBullet
- flatnotes
- Jotty
- NoteDiscovery
- Zim
- AllMyNotes Organizer
- RightNote
- NoteCase Pro
- SnipNotes
- Noticky
- Notion
- Anytype
- Craft
- Apple Notes
- Samsung Notes
- AFFiNE
- TiddlyWiki
- ColorNote
- AudioPen
- Twos
- Lockbook
- Linwood Butterfly
- Squid
- Noteful
- Kilonotes
- Freenotes
- Penbook
- ZoomNotes
- Orgzly Revived
- Fossify Notes
- NotallyX
- Sublime
- Bundled Notes
- Inkpad Notepad
- WeNote
- CherryTree
- Simple Sticky Notes
- Notezilla
- Stickies
- KeyNote NF
- TreeSheets
- Strflow
- Inkflow
- Coppice
- Stickier
- AppFlowy
- Xournal++
- Mimiri Notes
- Saber
- Rnote
- Flexcil
- Cloud Outliner
- Stylus Labs Write
- DeepNotes
Common questions
Is there a free alternative to DEVONthink?
Yes. Evernote, Obsidian, LiquidText, Octarine, NotePlus, QOwnNotes, Reflect, UpNote and 115 more are free or have a free plan.
Does DEVONthink have a free plan?
DEVONthink has no free plan. DEVONthink is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $99 one-time license, with 2 Mac seats and 1 year of updates.
When was this checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Oct 9, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to DEVONthink: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.