Joplin vs Lockbook
We give Joplin a 3.6 GPA and Lockbook a 3.2, out of 4.0. Joplin grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. Lockbook grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money.
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
Lockbook
Open-source encrypted notes app with Markdown and drawing
How we grade them
| 3.6GPAJoplinExcellent | 3.2GPALockbookVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe apps are free and open source, and you can sync them through storage you already have. If you'd rather not, Joplin Cloud Basic is 2.40€ a month billed yearly (28.69€) for 2 GB. Students and teachers get 50% off. | APremium is $2.99 a month for 30 GB, which is the cheap end of notes apps here. It's the only paid plan and it has the same features as Free, so you're only ever paying for space. You buy it inside the app. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe desktop, mobile and terminal apps are all free and open source, and sync works through your own Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3. Joplin Cloud is optional. Only the browser web app, publishing and shared notebooks need it. | BFree has every feature: sharing and collaboration, Markdown, drawing and offline mode. The limit is storage, 25 MB of it. That goes a long way on plain text and not far at all once you add drawings and files. |
| Features | AMarkdown or rich text, notebooks, tags and full-text search on every platform. Notes hold images, PDFs, audio, maths and diagrams. There's a web clipper, optional end-to-end encryption, plugins and themes, and Evernote exports import with their attachments. | BEncryption that covers file names too, a Markdown editor, an SVG canvas, sharing with read or write access, offline use and a command-line client. Solid. But the site says it's in its infancy, and document history, comments and a browser clipper are listed as coming soon. |
| Ease of use | C4.1 from about 480 App Store ratings, under our line for a B. You pick and connect a sync service yourself. Encryption is off until you enable it on one device first, and a forgotten encryption password can't be recovered. | BPick a username and you're in, with no email or password. Do look after the secret key it gives you, a 24-word phrase, because it's the only way in and can't be recovered. No App Store rating is on record, so a B is as high as we go. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus a terminal app and clippers for Chrome and Firefox. It syncs through Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV or S3, and there's an extension API. The web app comes only with Joplin Cloud. | BNative apps for iPhone, Mac, Windows, Linux and Android, plus a command-line client, and you can self-host the server. There's no web app, and the listing shows no integrations. |
| Best for | free, open source notes synced your own way | encrypted Markdown notes and sketches, cheaply |
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 Lockbook. How we grade
Where they differ
- Joplin starts at 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic). Lockbook starts at $2.99 per month.
- Only Joplin lists a web app.
- Only Joplin lists a browser extension.
- Joplin also covers web clipper.
At a glance
| Joplin | Lockbook | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic) | $2.99 per month |
| 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. | 25 MB of storage with sharing and collaboration, Markdown and drawing support, and offline mode. |
| 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 | Lockbook LLC |
| Price read from | joplinapp.org | lockbook.net |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Joplin
- People who want open source notes synced through their own storage
- Privacy-minded users who want end-to-end encrypted sync
- Leaving Evernote: its export files import with formatting and attachments
- Markdown writers who work across Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile
Lockbook
- People who want notes and files the provider cannot read
- Markdown writers who also sketch or keep files beside their notes
- Developers who want a command-line client and open formats
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.
Lockbook
- The free plan holds 25 MB. The only paid plan is 30 GB for $2.99 a month, bought inside the app.
- The secret key is the only way into an account and cannot be recovered if it is lost.
- There is no web app: the site lists native apps for iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux and Android, and a CLI.
- The site says the product is in its infancy; document history, comments and a browser clipper are listed as coming soon.
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.
Lockbook
- End-to-end encryption
- Content, including file names, is encrypted on the device. The vendor's staff can see only what the server needs, such as file counts, document sizes and the shape of the file tree.
- Key-based accounts
- Signing up takes a username and creates a secret key, shown as a 24-word phrase or a QR code. No email, phone number or password is collected.
- Markdown editor and SVG canvas
- Notes are written in Markdown and drawings are saved as SVG, both open formats that other tools can read. PDFs and images can be previewed.
- Sharing and collaboration
- A file or folder can be shared with read or write access, and the recipient can place it anywhere in their own file tree. Only the owner is billed for the space it takes.
- Native apps, offline support and a CLI
- Each platform has its own native client that works offline and syncs later. A command-line client keeps an encrypted local store and syncs on request.
- Self-hosting
- The server can run on your own infrastructure. Accounts on a self-hosted server cannot collaborate with users on the main Lockbook server.
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.
Lockbook
Free$0
25 MB of storage with sharing and collaboration, Markdown and drawing support, and offline mode.
Premium$2.99
per month
30 GB of storage with the same features as Free. It is bought inside the app; the US App Store lists it as a $2.99 in-app purchase.
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.
Lockbook
No public discounts listed.
