Alternatives · Note-Taking

Notable alternatives

As of Nov 13, 2026, the best Notable alternative for most people is Obsidian (3.6 GPA), second in our ranking of note-taking apps. It's also the best free one.

Notable compared with 5 alternatives: Obsidian, Joplin, Inkdrop, FSNotes and Simplenote.

Notable is free to use. 4 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.

Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

At a glance

Tool	Price	Free plan	Runs on
NotableThis tool	Free	Free	macOS, Windows, Linux
Obsidian	Free plan · from $4/mo	Yes	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
Joplin	Free plan · from €2.40/mo	Yes	Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
Inkdrop	Free trial · from $8.31/mo	Trial only	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
FSNotes	Free plan · from $4.99 one-time	Yes	macOS, iOS
Simplenote	Free	Free	Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Price against what you get

Notable has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 4 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.

Obsidian, Joplin and Simplenote score higher without starting lower.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

The best score at each price
Has a free plan
No free plan

The full chart of note-taking apps, and the best at every price

How each one differs from Notable

Obsidian
Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device
- Obsidian starts at $4 per user / month, billed annually (Sync Standard add-on).
- Obsidian also lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension.
- Obsidian is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Obsidian also covers linked notes and whiteboard.
Suits: People who want their notes as plain Markdown files they control
Obsidian vs Notable Obsidian pricing and details
Joplin
Open source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose
- Joplin starts at 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic).
- Joplin also lists a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension.
- Joplin is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Joplin also covers web clipper.
Suits: People who want open source notes synced through their own storage
Joplin vs Notable Joplin pricing and details
Inkdrop
Markdown note app for developers with encrypted sync
- Inkdrop starts at $8.31 per month, billed annually ($99.80 per year).
- Inkdrop has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Notable.
- Inkdrop also lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension.
- Inkdrop is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Inkdrop also covers web clipper.
Suits: Developers keeping technical notes in Markdown
Inkdrop vs Notable Inkdrop pricing and details
FSNotes
Open-source Markdown notes app for Mac and iPhone
- FSNotes starts at $4.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $8.99 one-time for Mac.
- FSNotes also lists an iOS app.
- FSNotes lists no Windows and Linux apps, which Notable has.
- FSNotes is open source, according to its own site.
- FSNotes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
Suits: Mac and iPhone users who want notes kept as plain Markdown files
FSNotes vs Notable FSNotes pricing and details
Simplenote
Free plain-text notes that sync across every major platform
- Simplenote is free.
- Simplenote also lists a web app and iOS and Android apps.
- Simplenote is open source, according to its own site.
- Simplenote also covers linked notes.
Suits: Plain-text notes synced across phone, desktop and browser at no cost
Simplenote vs Notable Simplenote pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in Notable

Desktop only: the site lists mobile apps and a web app as work in progress that will need a paid subscription.
Built-in sync, version control and plugins are marked as future features on the site.
Sync today means using a third-party service such as Dropbox or Git over the notes folder.

Notable pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to Notable?

The alternatives to Notable in this directory are Obsidian, Joplin, Inkdrop, FSNotes and Simplenote. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Notable.

Is there a free alternative to Notable?

Yes. Simplenote is free to use. Obsidian, Joplin and FSNotes have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which Notable alternatives work on Android?

The Notable listing does not include an Android app. Obsidian, Joplin, Inkdrop and Simplenote list one.

Which Notable alternatives work on iOS?

The Notable listing does not include an iOS app. Obsidian, Joplin, Inkdrop, FSNotes and Simplenote list one.

Is there an open-source alternative to Notable?

Joplin, FSNotes and Simplenote are described as open source on their own sites.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

How this page was made

Where any alternative here is in our top three note-taking apps, the best for most people is the highest placed of them: the top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades. Otherwise the page names the highest-graded alternative in the same category as Notable, the one its listing names first winning a tie. The best free one is the highest-graded alternative that is free or has a free plan (a free trial does not count), with its catch quoted from its listing where the listing states a short one. The GPA is the average of our five grades for each tool.
The alternatives are the tools Notable’s listing names as its closest substitutes, and the tools whose listings name Notable.
Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing, which names the pages they were read from.
The differences are worked out from those listings.
The chart sets each tool’s starting price against our own grades for features, ease of use and platforms.

Read the method All note-taking apps

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