Dendron vs Joplin (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Joplin grades higher than Dendron: 3.6 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Joplin grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Joplin
Open source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose
Which one is for you
Pick Dendron if
- Fits if you already live in VS Code and want your notes there
- Works for people who like notes as plain files in git
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't use an editor like VS Code, as there is no standalone app
- Not for you if you want notes on your phone or in a browser
- Too light for publishing: the homepage lists Dendron Publishing as a waitlist
- Tight if you dislike setup, because the dotted names and schemas take learning
Pick Joplin if
- Fits if you want your notes in open source apps and on storage you control
- Works for people leaving Evernote, as its export files come in with formatting and attachments
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want sync that works the minute you install, because you connect a storage service yourself
- Not for you if you'd forget a password, since encryption is off by default and a lost encryption password can't be recovered
- Tight if you want to share notebooks, as Cloud Basic can only join them and sharing or Email to Note needs Pro at 5.99€ a month
- Watch out: Cloud prices are in euros, Teams needs at least 2 users, and the web app and Cloud AI need a Cloud plan
- Watch out: the iPhone app sits at 4.1 from about 480 App Store ratings
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADendronGood | 3.6GPAJoplinExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AOpen source under Apache-2.0, and the pages we read list no paid plan. | AThe apps are free and open source and sync through storage you already pay for, in a category whose middle plan is $6 a month. If you want Joplin to host it, Cloud Basic is 2.40€ a month billed yearly, and students and teachers get half off. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with notes in files you keep yourself. | AFree outright: the desktop, mobile and terminal apps, with no cap on notes, syncing through your own Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3. Joplin Cloud is optional, and only the browser web app, publishing and shared notebooks need it. |
| Features | CHierarchies, schemas, templates, backlinks, graph view and vaults. The listing's gaps: it works inside an editor only and Dendron Publishing is a waitlist, not a product. | AMarkdown or rich text, notebooks, tags, full-text search everywhere, images, PDFs, audio, math, diagrams, a web clipper, optional end-to-end encryption, plugins, and Evernote exports that import with their attachments. And it does what rivals don't: you pick the storage it syncs to, and you can switch later. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It needs VS Code or VSCodium, plus schemas and git-backed vaults you set up yourself. | C4.1 from about 480 App Store ratings, squarely in C territory. You also choose and connect a sync service yourself, encryption stays off until you turn it on on one device, and a forgotten encryption password can't be recovered. |
| Platforms and integrations | CRuns wherever VS Code does on Mac, Windows and Linux. No phone or web app, and the pages give no operating system list. | AWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, a terminal app and clippers for Chrome and Firefox, plus Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, S3 and an extension API. The browser web app is the one piece that comes only with Joplin Cloud. |
| Best for | Markdown notes in VS Code for developers | free, open source notes synced your own way |
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: Dendron and Joplin. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dendron has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Joplin starts at about $2.68 a month and scores 3.3.
Joplin scores higher, and starts $2.68 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other note-taking apps on the chart, none scores higher than Dendron for less, and 3 score higher than Joplin for less.
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
Where they differ
- Joplin is self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Dendron also covers linked notes and templates.
- Joplin also covers web clipper.
At a glance
| Dendron | Joplin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic) |
| Free plan | Open-source software under the Apache-2.0 license; the pages we read list no paid plans. | The Joplin apps are free and open source, and can sync through your own Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3 storage. Joplin Cloud is an optional paid service. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of the paid plans; cancel during the trial and you are not charged. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Dendron | Laurent Cozic |
| Price read from | wiki.dendron.so | joplinapp.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dendron
- It works inside editors such as VS Code or VSCodium, so there is no standalone mobile or web app.
- The pages we read give no operating-system list; the platforms shown follow from VS Code support.
- Its homepage lists Dendron Publishing as a waitlist sign-up, not a product you can buy.
Joplin
- End-to-end encryption is not on by default, and a forgotten encryption password cannot be recovered.
- Joplin Cloud and Joplin Server Business prices are listed in euros.
- On Joplin Cloud Basic you can join a shared notebook but not share your own; that and Email to Note need Pro.
- The browser-based web app and Joplin Cloud AI (beta) are available only with a Joplin Cloud subscription.
Key features
Dendron
- Plain-text notes
- Notes are Markdown files that can be managed with git or edited in any text editor such as Vim.
- Hierarchies and lookup
- A single lookup command finds or creates notes and walks a dotted hierarchy, and refactors keep links intact when notes move.
- Schemas and templates
- Schemas describe the structure of a hierarchy, give autocomplete hints and apply templates to new notes.
- Backlinks and graph view
- Navigate through backlinks, headers and blocks, and view the knowledge base as a graph.
- Vaults and publishing
- Vaults are git-backed folders that can be shared, and a knowledge base can be exported as a static Next.js site.
Joplin
- Markdown notes and to-dos
- Notes and to-dos are written in Markdown or a rich text editor, organized into notebooks with tags, and found through full-text search on every platform.
- Multimedia, math and diagrams
- Notes can hold images, videos, PDFs and audio files, and math expressions and diagrams are created inside the app.
- Sync through a service you choose
- Notes synchronize through Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, S3 or the local file system, and switching from one service to another is supported.
- End-to-end encryption
- Synchronized notes can be end-to-end encrypted so that the sync service cannot read them. It is off by default and has to be enabled on one device first.
- Web clipper
- Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox save web pages and screenshots as notes.
- Plugins, themes and publishing
- Plugins, custom themes and an extension API change how the app works. With Joplin Cloud, a note can be published to a URL and notebooks shared for collaboration.
Plans
Dendron
Open source$0
Free to use, with the source on GitHub under Apache-2.0; notes stay as files you host yourself.
Joplin
Joplin appFree
The open source desktop, mobile and terminal apps, with sync through third-party storage and optional end-to-end encryption.
Joplin Cloud Basic2.99€
per month, or 28.69€ per year (2.40€ / month)
2 GB of storage and 10 MB per note or attachment, with note publishing, the web app and Joplin Cloud AI (beta). Can join shared notebooks only.
Joplin Cloud Pro5.99€
per month, or 57.48€ per year (4.79€ / month)
30 GB of storage and 200 MB per note or attachment, plus sharing notebooks, Email to Note and a custom publishing banner.
Joplin Cloud Pro 100 GB9.99€
per month, or 95.88€ per year (7.99€ / month)
Everything in Pro with 100 GB of storage space.
Joplin Cloud Teams7.99€
per user / month, or 80.28€ per user / year; minimum 2 users
50 GB of storage, with multi-user management, consolidated billing, share permissions and priority support.
Joplin Server Business3.33€
per user / month for 2-10 users, billed annually (40.00€)
Self-hosted server with source code available and no storage or attachment limits. 2.92€ per user for 11-50 users, 2.50€ beyond that.
Ways to pay less
Dendron
No public discounts listed.
Joplin
- Annual discount
Roughly 16% to 20% lower price when paying yearly
Basic works out to 2.40€ a month on yearly billing against 2.99€ monthly, Pro to 4.79€ against 5.99€, and Teams to 6.69€ per user against 7.99€.
- Education
50% Education Discount for students and teachers
Students and teachers who write in from a school or university email address get 50% off Joplin Cloud for a year, renewable for as long as they remain in education.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dendron or Joplin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dendron is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $2.68 a month for Joplin. Dendron is free, and Joplin starts at 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic).
Which has a free plan, Dendron or Joplin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Dendron and Joplin have a free plan.
Which platforms do Dendron and Joplin run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Joplin lists a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.