CherryTree vs RightNote
We give CherryTree a 3.4 GPA and RightNote a 3.0, out of 4.0. CherryTree grades higher on the free plan and platforms. RightNote grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CherryTree
Hierarchical desktop notes with rich text and code highlighting
Free
RightNote
Windows note organizer with pages, trees and several note types
Free plan · from $29.95 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.4GPACherryTreeVery good | 3.0GPARightNoteVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt's free software under the GPL, version 3 or later. Every download on the project page costs nothing, and the only money mentioned is a link to a donation page. | AStandard is $29.95 once and Professional is $59.95 once, each with 12 months of updates. Both come in under a year of the $5.99 a month that's typical here, and the software keeps working after the updates stop. A further year of Professional updates is $34.95. |
| Free plan and trial | AAll of it is free: the Windows installer and portable archive, the Linux packages and the macOS installer. There's no paid tier to hold anything back. | BThe freeware version is free for personal and commercial use, with rich text, code and memo notes, live search, tags and AES note protection. But it has no spell checker, no images or tables in the editor, and no spreadsheet or attachment notes. The paid versions get a 30-day trial. |
| Features | BNested nodes, rich text, code with syntax highlighting, images, embedded files, LaTeX equations and find and replace across the whole tree. Solid. But tables only hold plain text, there's no sync of its own on the listing, and the online manual is described as old and discontinued. | APages that each hold a tree of notes, with rich text, code with syntax highlighting, spreadsheets, attachments, outlines, task lists and journals as note types. Search highlights results as you type, and Professional reads inside attached PDF, Word and Excel files. A hotkey clips text from other programs. |
| Ease of use | BInstall it, make a document and start adding nodes. There's no App Store rating on record to go by, so a B is as high as we go. Don't lean on the manual, which the project page calls old and discontinued. | BNo store rating to go on, so a B is our ceiling. It's a normal Windows install, and there's a portable build that runs from a USB stick. The homework is working out which of the three versions has the note types you want. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac and Linux, with a portable Windows build and Linux packages from PPA to Flatpak and Snap. There's no official mobile app. The project page points to SourCherry, a third-party Android project, and the listing shows no integrations. | DWindows only. To see notes on a phone, Mac or browser you sync selected notes to Evernote and read them there, and that's limited to the Professional version. It also imports and exports Excel files. |
| Best for | a free notes tree that lives in one file | filing notes in deep trees on a Windows PC |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CherryTree and RightNote. How we grade
Where they differ
- CherryTree is free. RightNote starts at $29.95 one-time purchase (Standard license).
- Only CherryTree lists macOS and Linux apps.
- CherryTree is open source, according to its own site.
- RightNote can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- RightNote also covers daily notes, tasks and spreadsheets.
In commonFree planWindowsLocal-firstNotes
At a glance
| CherryTree | RightNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $29.95 one-time purchase (Standard license) |
| Free plan | Free software under the GNU GPL version 3 or later. Every download on the project page is free; the site only links to a donation page. | Freeware version: rich text, source code, memo and link notes, live search, tags, note encryption and a portable build, free for personal and commercial use. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day fully functional trial of the paid versions |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Giuseppe Penone and Evgenii Gurianov | Bauerapps |
| Price read from | giuspen.net | bauerapps.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
CherryTree
- Keeping structured notes and code snippets in one local file
- Linux, Windows and macOS users who want the same notebook app on each
- Moving notes out of older outliners such as KeepNote, Tomboy or Zim
RightNote
- Windows users who file notes in deep, multi-level trees
- Evernote users who want their notes arranged in a tree
- Keeping spreadsheets, code and text notes in one notebook
Worth knowing
CherryTree
- There is no official mobile app; the project page points to SourCherry, a third-party Android project.
- Password protection is available only for single-file storage, and an unprotected copy is extracted to a temporary folder while the document is open.
- Tables are limited to cells of plain text.
- The project page describes the online user manual as old and discontinued.
RightNote
- Windows only; reaching notes from a phone, Mac or browser relies on Evernote Sync, which is limited to the Professional version.
- A license includes 12 months of updates. The software keeps working afterward, but more updates need an upgrade license ($34.95 for Professional).
- The freeware version has no spell checker, spreadsheet or attachment notes, or the Rich view editor with images and tables.
- Journal, outline and task list notes, multi-notebook search and saved web pages need Professional at $59.95.
Key features
CherryTree
- Tree of nodes
- Notes are nodes that nest to any depth and can be rearranged by drag and drop. Text and images can link to other nodes, anchors, files, folders and web pages.
- Rich text and code
- Rich text nodes sit alongside code nodes and codeboxes with syntax highlighting, and code can be run through a configurable terminal command.
- Images, tables, files and math
- Inserts images that can be resized and rotated, simple tables with CSV import and export, embedded files and rendered LaTeX equations.
- Single-file or multi-file storage
- A document is one XML or SQLite file, or a set of files and directories. Single-file documents can be password protected using 7-Zip.
- Import and export
- Imports HTML, plain text and files from apps such as KeepNote, Zim, Tomboy, NoteCase and KeyNote, and exports to HTML, plain text and PDF.
- Find and replace across the tree
- Searches or replaces within one node, a node and its subnodes, or every node, and can build a table of contents from headings.
RightNote
- Pages and note trees
- A notebook holds any number of pages and each page has its own hierarchical tree of notes. Folder notes tag their child notes automatically.
- Several note types
- A note can be rich text, a plain memo, source code with syntax highlighting or a file link. Paid versions add spreadsheet, attachment, outline and task list notes.
- Live full-text search
- Results appear highlighted as you type. Professional searches every notebook at once and indexes attached and linked PDF, Word and Excel files.
- Evernote Sync
- Professional syncs selected notes with Evernote, including images, checkboxes and attachments, so they can be reached from phones, Macs and browsers.
- Note protection
- The content of selected notes, trees or whole notebooks can be protected with AES encryption.
- Clipping and portable use
- A global hotkey clips text from other applications, a screen capture tool saves clips into notes, and a portable build runs from a USB stick.
Plans
CherryTree
CherryTree$0
The full app as a Windows installer or portable archive, Linux packages (PPA, .deb, AppImage, Flatpak, Snap) and a macOS installer.
RightNote
Freeware$0
Rich text, source code, memo and link notes with live search, tagging, AES note protection and screen capture.
Standard$29.95
one-time, single license with 12 months of updates
Adds the Rich view editor with images and tables, a spell checker, spreadsheet and attachment notes, Excel import and export, and note links.
Professional$59.95
one-time, single license with 12 months of updates
Adds Evernote Sync, search across all notebooks, indexed attachments, saved web pages, and journal, outline and task list notes.
Ways to pay less
CherryTree
No public discounts listed.
RightNote
- Lifetime license
Professional Lifetime upgrades license
A $139.95 license gives lifetime upgrades for RightNote Professional instead of 12 months. It requires an earlier purchase of a Pro license.
