DailyTxT vs RedNotebook
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
RedNotebook
Free desktop diary that stores entries as plain text files
Free
Where they differ
- DailyTxT is free. RedNotebook is free.
- Only DailyTxT lists a web app.
- Only RedNotebook lists Linux and Windows apps.
- DailyTxT is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- DailyTxT also covers Markdown.
In commonFree planOpen sourceDaily notesTemplates
At a glance
| DailyTxT | RedNotebook | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the MIT license. You run it on your own server with Docker; there is no paid hosted service, and the author accepts donations through Buy Me a Coffee. | Free Software under the GPL with no paid version or feature limits. The downloads page accepts voluntary donations in US dollars or euros. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | PhiTux | Jendrik Seipp |
| Price read from | github.com | rednotebook.app |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
DailyTxT
- Self-hosters who want a private diary on their own server
- Households sharing one instance with separately encrypted accounts
- People who write in Markdown and attach photos or files to each day
RedNotebook
- Linux and Windows users who want a diary kept as plain text on their own disk
- People who tag entries with #hashtags and search across years of them
- Writers who want their journal exported to plain text, HTML or LaTeX
Worth knowing
DailyTxT
- There is no hosted version beyond a live demo: you run it with Docker and look after TLS, updates and backups yourself.
- Encryption is done on the server, not end to end in the browser; the README says search would not work otherwise.
- There are no native mobile or desktop apps; phones use the responsive web app, which installs as a PWA.
- The author does not guarantee backward compatibility, and moving from version 1 means following the migration steps.
RedNotebook
- There are no mobile apps or web version, and macOS has no official support, only Homebrew or source builds to try on your own.
- There is no built-in encryption or lock; the help suggests an encrypted folder or an encrypted home partition.
- Sync is not built in: using it on several computers means keeping the journal folder in Dropbox, Syncthing or on a server.
- Word clouds are missing from version 2.x on Windows, and there is no direct PDF export.
Key features
DailyTxT
- Encryption on the server
- Entries and files are encrypted with ChaCha20-Poly1305 before they reach storage, using a per-user key unlocked by a key derived from the password. The admin cannot read them.
- Markdown editor
- Entries are written in Markdown with a live preview and saved automatically. A read mode shows a month's entries without the editor.
- File uploads and image viewer
- Any file can be attached to a day, up to 500 MB each, and is stored encrypted. Images are recognized and shown in a gallery with a full-screen view.
- Tags, search and templates
- Entries take tags, search covers any word, tag or file name, and custom templates can be created, including a default template.
- Map and GPX tracks
- Locations can be pinned to each day and viewed on a map. The map also shows GPX files when they are available.
- Multi-user, admin panel and export
- One instance holds several accounts, each with its own encryption key. An admin panel manages users and registration, and entries export to HTML with their files.
RedNotebook
- Formatted daily entries
- Text can be bold, italic, underlined or struck through, with lists and links. You write in an edit mode and read the result in a preview mode.
- Hashtags, search and word clouds
- Entries are tagged with #hashtags and found with search-as-you-type. Clouds show the most common words and tags, though not in version 2.x on Windows.
- Templates
- There is one template for each day of the week plus any number of named templates, all kept as editable text files in a template directory.
- Images, files and links
- An Insert menu adds images, files and links at the cursor. Inserted items are linked to, not copied into the journal directory.
- Plain-text storage and backups
- A journal is a directory of plain text files, one per month. Entries save automatically, and a Backup command packs the journal into a zip archive.
- Export
- The journal exports to plain text, HTML or LaTeX. A PDF is made by printing the HTML export from a browser or compiling the LaTeX file.
Plans
DailyTxT
Self-hosted$0
The complete web app as a Docker image for AMD64 and ARM64, with multiple user accounts on your own server.
RedNotebook
RedNotebook$0
The complete desktop journal for Linux and Windows, with every feature included.
