Foam vs Notesnook (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Notesnook grades higher than Foam: 3.2 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Foam grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Notesnook grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Notesnook
Open source, end-to-end encrypted notes on every platform
Which one is for you
Pick Foam if
- Fits if you already live in VS Code and keep notes as Markdown files
- Works for people who want notes in Git with no vendor lock-in
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as there isn't one
- Not for you if you don't use VS Code, since it runs only inside that editor
- Watch out: it is a code editor with notes added, which is heavy for a quick shopping list
- Watch out: it sends anonymous usage data and follows VS Code's telemetry setting
Pick Notesnook if
- Fits if you want encrypted notes on a mix of devices without paying
- Works for people who want open source apps and a sync server they could host themselves
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your notes are full of photos and scans, as free allows 50 MB of uploads a month and 10 MB per file
- Tight if you organize with lots of tags, because free stops at 50 tags, 50 notebooks and 10 active reminders
- Not for you if you want one plain price, since the website shows local prices with tax, and ours come from the US App Store
- Watch out: the 14-day trial needs a payment method, and the prepaid 5-year plan has no trial
- Pricey if you need room for attachments, as 10 GB a month means Pro at $69.99 a year
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAFoamGood | 3.2GPANotesnookVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source with no subscription. You also need VS Code, which the docs call free. | BEssential is $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year on the US App Store. That sits inside the lowest-priced quarter of this category, which ends at $2.99, and well under the $6 middle. What it buys is mostly storage, though: 1 GB a month instead of 50 MB. Students get Pro for $19.99 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | AEverything is free, with no plan limits and no paid tier. | BFree forever, no card, unlimited encrypted notes on unlimited devices. A text note-taker could live here for years. Not an A, because the caps are real ones you can reach: 50 notebooks, 50 tags, 10 active reminders and 50 MB of attachments a month. |
| Features | CWikilinks, backlinks, a graph view, daily notes, templates and Git-based sync. It has no mobile app, and the docs offer capture from a phone only as a workaround through other apps. | BIt covers the job: an editor with tables, task lists, code, math and attachments, notes that link both ways, a vault behind a second password, reminders, a Chrome and Firefox clipper, publishing a note as a web page, and an inbox API. Everything is encrypted, but Standard Notes and Joplin do that too. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You install VS Code and the extension, and it works as plain files and commands, which suits developers more than most note-takers. | B4.7 from about 670 App Store ratings, short of the 1,000 ratings an A needs behind it. The encryption happens without you doing anything. The plans take a minute to compare, as they differ mostly in storage numbers. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, Windows and Linux desktops only, through VS Code. A command-line tool with an MCP server exists, but nothing for phones or the web. | AWindows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and the web, plus a clipper for Chrome and Firefox. An inbox API lets Zapier, IFTTT or your own script drop notes in, encrypted with your key. That's the full set. |
| Best for | linked Markdown notes inside VS Code | private, encrypted notes that are free to keep |
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: Foam and Notesnook. How we grade
Price against what you get
Foam has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Notesnook starts at $1.67 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3.
Notesnook scores higher, and starts $1.67 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 Foam for less, and 2 score higher than Notesnook 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
- Notesnook is self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Foam also covers daily notes and templates.
- Notesnook also covers notes and web clipper.
At a glance
| Foam | Notesnook | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Essential) |
| Free plan | Everything is free; the project says it has no subscriptions. | Free forever, no card: unlimited encrypted notes on unlimited devices, with 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB per file, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 10 active reminders. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial on monthly and yearly plans; a payment method is required. The 5-year plan has no trial. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Foam | Streetwriters (Private) Ltd. |
| Price read from | docs.foam.md | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 2, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Foam
- It runs inside VS Code, so you install the editor as well as the extension.
- The docs describe mobile capture as a workaround through other apps; there is no Foam mobile app.
- It collects anonymous usage data and follows VS Code's telemetry setting.
Notesnook
- The free plan allows 50 MB of attachment uploads a month and 10 MB per file, and caps notebooks and tags at 50 each.
- Paid tiers mainly raise storage and limits: Essential gives 1 GB a month, Pro 10 GB and Believer 25 GB.
- Prices on notesnook.com are localized by country and shown with tax; the dollar prices here come from the US App Store listing.
- The 5-year plan is prepaid and does not include the 14-day trial.
Key features
Foam
- Wikilinks and backlinks
- Link notes with double brackets; a Connections panel shows what links to the current note.
- Graph view
- Visualize how your notes connect to one another.
- Daily notes and templates
- Create timestamped daily notes and standard note templates.
- Plain Markdown files
- Notes are ordinary Markdown files you own, with embeds, block anchors, tags and footnotes.
- Git and publishing
- Sync through source control and publish to GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel and other hosts.
- Command line and MCP server
- A CLI includes an MCP server for AI clients; it is read-only unless writes are allowed.
Notesnook
- End-to-end encryption
- Everything is encrypted on the device with XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 before it syncs, so the servers hold only data they cannot read.
- Rich editor
- The editor handles tables, task lists, outlines, code blocks, maths formulas, images and file attachments, with Markdown support.
- Vault and app lock
- The app can require a fingerprint, PIN or password to open, and a vault puts selected notes behind a second password.
- Linked notes
- Notes link to one another, and each note lists both the notes it points to and the notes that reference it.
- Web clipper and published notes
- An open source clipper for Chrome and Firefox saves pages or selections into notes. A single note can be published as a web page, optionally behind a password.
- Reminders and Inbox API
- Reminders can be set on any note and fire from the device. An inbox API lets Zapier, IFTTT or your own script add notes, encrypted with your key.
Plans
Foam
Foam$0
Free, open-source VS Code extension. You also need VS Code, which the docs call free.
Notesnook
Free$0
Unlimited notes and devices, 50 MB of attachment storage a month, 10 MB file size, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and 100 versions per note.
Essential$1.99
per month, or $19.99 per year (US App Store prices)
1 GB of storage a month, 100 MB file size, 500 notebooks and tags, 50 active reminders and 1,000 versions per note.
Pro$6.99
per month, or $69.99 per year (US App Store prices)
10 GB of storage a month, 1 GB file size and unlimited notebooks, tags, colors and reminders. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.
Believer$8.99
per month, or $89.99 per year (US App Store prices)
25 GB of storage a month and 5 GB file size, with every limit removed. Also sold as a prepaid 5-year plan.
Ways to pay less
Foam
No public discounts listed.
Notesnook
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
The pricing page labels yearly billing as 2 months free. On the US App Store, Essential is $19.99 a year against $1.99 a month, and Pro is $69.99 against $6.99.
- Education
Pro for $19.99 a year for students and educators
Students and educators can apply with an EDU email address or an official document to get Notesnook Pro for 19.99 USD per year. It lasts one year and can be reclaimed.
- Other savings
Prepaid 5-year plans for Pro and Believer
Pro and Believer can be paid for five years at a time, at a lower monthly rate than the standard yearly price shown on the pricing page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Foam or Notesnook?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Foam is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $1.67 a month when paid by the year for Notesnook. Foam is free, and Notesnook starts at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Essential).
Which has a free plan, Foam or Notesnook?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Foam and Notesnook have a free plan.
Which platforms do Foam and Notesnook run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Notesnook 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.