GitJournal vs Orgzly Revived
We give GitJournal a 2.8 GPA and Orgzly Revived a 3.0, out of 4.0. GitJournal grades higher on platforms. Orgzly Revived grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GitJournal
Mobile Markdown notes app that syncs through any Git repository
Orgzly Revived
Org mode outliner for notes and to-do lists on Android
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAGitJournalGood | 3.0GPAOrgzly RevivedVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is pay what you want, from $31.99 once on the US App Store, or from $1.99 a month in instalments that turn into the one-time purchase. No subscription. That's less than a year of a typical notes app here. On iPhone, add $3.99 for the app itself. | AFree, with the source on GitHub under the GNU General Public License version 3 or newer. There's no paid version, against a typical $5.99 a month for paid plans in this category. |
| Free plan and trial | BBasic is free on Android, with folders, basic search, a raw editor and dark mode. But tags, backlinks and multiple repos all need Pro. And on iOS there's no free version at all: Basic is a $3.99 download. | AThe whole app is free from Google Play, F-Droid or GitHub. Nothing is locked. The one difference between builds is that Dropbox sync is only in the Google Play version. |
| Features | BSync over SSH with any Git host, plain Markdown files with optional YAML headers, everything available offline, and [[Name]] links between notes. The gaps are on the listing too: encrypting notes isn't supported yet, the graph view is experimental, and tags sit behind Pro. | BOutlines with TODO and DONE states, tags, priorities, scheduled and deadline times, repeating tasks, an agenda view and a query language to filter all of it. Solid for tasks in plain text. But sync is started by hand, and a notebook changed on both sides can only be fixed by forcing a load or a save. |
| Ease of use | CThere's no GitJournal account, but you do need a Git repository and SSH access wired up before anything syncs. Easy for a developer, a wall for everyone else. No App Store rating is on record to go by. | BIt's Android only, so there's no App Store rating on record and a B is our ceiling. It's a normal install and you can outline straight away. The learning comes later, with search expressions like ad.DAYS and setting up a sync repository. |
| Platforms and integrations | CAndroid and iOS only. It works with GitHub, GitLab, Gitea and Gogs, and the same files open in Obsidian, Notable or Foam on a computer. But those are other people's tools. GitJournal itself has no desktop or web app. | DAndroid only. The FAQ says there's no iOS version, and no desktop or web app is offered. The files themselves travel, through Dropbox, a WebDAV service such as Nextcloud or a local folder, and open in Emacs or any text editor. |
| Best for | phone notes that sync through your own Git repo | Org mode notes and to-dos on an Android phone |
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: GitJournal and Orgzly Revived. How we grade
Where they differ
- GitJournal starts at $1.99 per month in installments, or $31.99 one-time (US App Store minimums). Orgzly Revived is free.
- Only GitJournal lists an iOS app.
- GitJournal can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- GitJournal also covers Markdown, linked notes and daily notes.
- Orgzly Revived also covers tasks.
At a glance
| GitJournal | Orgzly Revived | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $1.99 per month in installments, or $31.99 one-time (US App Store minimums) | Free |
| Free plan | Basic is free on Android: basic search, dark mode, raw editor, folder support, and custom default file names and note metadata. On iOS the Basic app is a $3.99 download. | The whole app is free. Its source code is on GitHub under the GNU General Public License version 3 or newer. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Vishesh Handa | Orgzly Community |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | orgzlyrevived.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
GitJournal
- Developers who already keep notes in a Git repository
- People who want phone notes as plain Markdown files they control
- Pairing a phone with Obsidian or Foam on the desktop
Orgzly Revived
- Emacs Org mode users who want their files on an Android phone
- People who keep notes and tasks as plain text they control
- Syncing notebooks through Dropbox, Nextcloud or a local folder
Worth knowing
GitJournal
- Tags, backlinks, Zen mode and multiple repositories need Pro, and on iOS even the Basic app is a $3.99 download.
- The store listings say encrypting notes is not supported yet.
- The site offers only Android and iOS apps; on a desktop the same files are edited with other tools such as Obsidian, Notable or Foam.
- The Google Play listing was last updated on Aug 27, 2024, and the website's copyright notice ends in 2022.
Orgzly Revived
- Android only: the FAQ says there is no iOS version, and no desktop or web app is offered.
- Synchronization is manual, and a notebook changed on both sides can only be resolved by forcing a load or a save.
- Dropbox sync is missing from the F-Droid build; it is only in the Google Play version.
- Git sync is labelled experimental.
Key features
GitJournal
- Sync with any Git host
- Notes sync over standard SSH with a Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Gogs or a custom or self-hosted provider. No GitJournal account is required.
- Markdown files with optional YAML
- Notes are standard Markdown or plaintext files, optionally with a YAML header, so they stay readable outside the app with no import or export step.
- Offline first
- All notes are available offline on the device, and they are organized into folders.
- Wiki links and backlinks
- Typing [[Name]] links one note to another, and backlinks show which notes point at the current one. Backlinks need Pro, and the graph view is experimental.
- Multiple editors and views
- The same Markdown notes can be edited in several editors, including a raw editor, and the note list can be displayed in different views to suit the task.
- Works with desktop tools
- Because the repository holds ordinary files, it also opens in Obsidian, Notable, Foam or a terminal, and can be used to manage Hugo, Jekyll or Gatsby sites.
Orgzly Revived
- Outliner for notes and to-dos
- Notes sit in an outline inside notebooks and can carry states such as TODO and DONE, tags, priorities, and scheduled, deadline and event times.
- Plain-text Org mode files
- Notebooks are written as plain-text files in Org mode's file format, so the same files can be read and edited in Emacs or another text editor.
- Sync repositories
- Notebooks sync with a directory on the device, Dropbox, any WebDAV service such as Nextcloud or, experimentally, Git. Sync is started by hand with the Sync button.
- Search expressions
- A query language finds notes by state, notebook, tag, priority and scheduled, deadline, event, closed or created period, joined with AND, OR and NOT and sorted by chosen properties.
- Agenda view
- Adding ad.DAYS to any query groups the results by day for that many days, in the manner of org-agenda, sorted chronologically within each day.
- Repeated tasks and links
- Org-mode repeater syntax moves a task's date forward when it is marked done. Notes can link to web pages, files, other notes and whole notebooks.
Plans
GitJournal
Basic (Android)$0
Basic search, dark mode, raw editor, folder support, and customizable default file names and note metadata.
Basic (iOS)$3.99
one-time purchase on the US App Store
The same Basic feature set as a paid download for iPhone and iPad.
Pro, monthly installments$1.99 - $9.99
per month, pay what you want (US App Store)
Tags, backlinks, custom home screen, Zen mode and multiple repos. After 12 months or the minimum yearly amount it becomes the one-time purchase.
Pro, one-time purchase$31.99 - $54.99
one-time, pay what you want (US App Store)
Permanently enables every Pro feature now in GitJournal and any added in the following 12 months.
Orgzly Revived
Orgzly Revived$0
The full app from Google Play, F-Droid or the GitHub releases page. Dropbox sync is only in the Google Play version.
Ways to pay less
GitJournal
- Lifetime license
Pro as a one-time purchase, no subscription
GitJournal's pricing page says there are no subscriptions: a one-time purchase permanently enables all current Pro features plus those added in the following 12 months.
- Other savings
Reduced Pro price on request
The pricing page invites anyone who cannot afford Pro, or finds its price too high, to email the developer to work out a plan.
Orgzly Revived
No public discounts listed.
