Joplin vs Khoj (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Joplin grades higher than Khoj: 3.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Joplin grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
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 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
Pick Khoj if
- Fits if you use Obsidian or Emacs and want AI over notes you already have
- Works for people comfortable running Docker who want documents to stay on their own machine
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, because Khoj Cloud was shut down on April 15, 2026
- Not for you if you won't run Docker or Python, since there's no one-click install
- Watch out: commercial model APIs such as OpenAI bill you separately
- Tight if you want updates: the company says it is now focusing on Open Paper and Pipali
How we grade them
| 3.6GPAJoplinExcellent | 2.2GPAKhojFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CThe software is free and open source, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. Commercial model APIs bill separately, so the real cost depends on the model you pick. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BThe self-hosted software costs nothing and has no caps. There is no hosted trial left, since the cloud service was sunset. |
| Features | 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. | CChat over your files, search by meaning, Markdown, org-mode, PDF and Word support, agents and automations. The company says it is now focusing on its other products. |
| Ease of use | 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. | DNo store rating on record. Setup means Docker or pip plus an AI model, and on Windows the documented Docker route runs through WSL2. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, a desktop app on Mac, Windows and Linux, and Obsidian, Emacs and WhatsApp. No iPhone or Android app is listed. |
| Best for | free, open source notes synced your own way | AI chat over your own notes, self-hosted |
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: Joplin and Khoj. How we grade
Price against what you get
Joplin starts at about $2.68 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Khoj has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
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, 3 score higher than Joplin for less, and none scores higher than Khoj 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 end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Joplin also covers notes and web clipper.
- Khoj also covers chat assistant and AI search.
At a glance
| Joplin | Khoj | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic) | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | The self-hosted software is free and open source; you pay for any AI model API you connect. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the paid plans; cancel during the trial and you are not charged. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Laurent Cozic | Khoj Inc. |
| Price read from | joplinapp.org | app.khoj.dev |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Khoj
- Khoj Cloud was sunset on April 15, 2026; the docs still mention it, but only self-hosting remains.
- The company says it is now focusing on its other products, Open Paper and Pipali.
- Self-hosting needs Docker or pip plus an AI model, and commercial model APIs bill separately.
- On Windows the documented Docker setup runs through WSL2.
Key features
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.
Khoj
- Chat with your notes
- Ask questions and Khoj answers from files you shared, and from the web when relevant.
- Natural-language search
- Find notes and documents by meaning rather than exact words, with search-as-you-type.
- Many file types
- Indexes Markdown, org-mode, PDF, plaintext and Word files and Notion pages.
- Your choice of model
- Works with OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini keys, or a local model through Ollama or an OpenAI-compatible server.
- Several interfaces
- Use it from the web, a desktop companion app, Obsidian, Emacs or WhatsApp.
- Agents and automations
- The homepage describes building agents and scheduling automations.
Plans
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.
Khoj
Self-hosted$0
Run the open-source server yourself with Docker or pip; connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or a local model.
Ways to pay less
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.
Khoj
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Joplin or Khoj?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Khoj is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $2.68 a month for Joplin. Joplin starts at 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic), and Khoj is free.
Which has a free plan, Joplin or Khoj?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Joplin and Khoj have a free plan.
Which platforms do Joplin and Khoj run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Joplin lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app and 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.