Joplin vs Markor
We give Joplin a 3.6 GPA and Markor a 3.0, out of 4.0. Joplin grades higher on features and platforms. Markor grades higher on ease of use. 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
How we grade them
| 3.6GPAJoplinExcellent | 3.0GPAMarkorVery 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. | AFree, open source under Apache 2.0, and no ads. There's no paid version to compare with the $5.99 a month that's typical for this category. |
| 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. | AThe whole app is free from F-Droid, GitHub or Google Play. Nothing is held back and nothing nags you to upgrade, because there's nothing to upgrade to. |
| 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. | BHighlighting and buttons for Markdown, todo.txt, Zim wiki, AsciiDoc, Org-Mode and CSV, a preview, export to HTML or PDF, and AES256 encryption for files. But there's no sync of its own, encryption skips pictures and attachments, and Org-Mode has no rendered view. |
| 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. | BNo App Store rating exists for an Android-only app, so a B is our ceiling. Install it and start typing into QuickNote. Getting the files onto another device is the fiddly bit, since that takes a separate sync app. |
| 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. | DAndroid only. The README calls it a text editor for Android and lists no iOS, desktop or web version. The files do open in any text editor elsewhere, if you move them yourself with Syncthing, Nextcloud or Dropbox. |
| Best for | free, open source notes synced your own way | plain-text notes and todo.txt on Android |
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 Markor. How we grade
Where they differ
- Joplin starts at 2.40€ per month, billed yearly at 28.69€ (Joplin Cloud Basic). Markor is free.
- Only Joplin lists a web app.
- Only Joplin lists Windows, macOS, Linux and iOS apps.
- Only Joplin lists a browser extension.
- Joplin is self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Joplin also covers web clipper.
- Markor also covers tasks.
At a glance
| Joplin | Markor | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 whole app is free, with no ads. The code is licensed under Apache 2.0 and the README describes it as openly developed free software. |
| 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 | Gregor Santner |
| Price read from | joplinapp.org | github.com |
| 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
Markor
- Android users who keep notes as Markdown or plain-text files
- People who already use the todo.txt format for tasks
- Pairing with Syncthing, Nextcloud or Dropbox to reach the same files elsewhere
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.
Markor
- Android only: the README describes Markor as a text editor for Android and lists no iOS, desktop or web version.
- There is no built-in sync. The README says Markor will stay an offline app and that a separate sync client has to move the files.
- Encryption covers a file's text only, not pictures or attachments, and needs Android Marshmallow or newer.
- Org-Mode support is limited to syntax highlighting and editing buttons; there is no rendered view for it.
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.
Markor
- Plain-text files in many formats
- Markdown, todo.txt, Zim wiki text, AsciiDoc, Org-Mode, CSV and plain text get syntax highlighting and format-specific buttons, and the files open in any other text editor.
- Notebook, QuickNote and To-Do
- Notebook is the root folder for documents and can sit anywhere on the file system. QuickNote is a single Markdown file for fast capture and To-Do is a todo.txt file.
- todo.txt task lists
- Each line is a task, with @contexts and +projects for grouping. Finished tasks are marked with an x and can be moved to a separate done file.
- Preview and export to HTML or PDF
- Documents can be previewed, converted and shared as HTML or PDF. Markdown follows the CommonMark specification, with optional math rendering through KaTeX.
- Share Into
- Text and links shared from other apps can be appended to QuickNote, To-Do or a recent file, or saved to a new one, with URL tracking parameters removed.
- File encryption
- Text files can be encrypted with AES256 under a password set in the settings. The companion jpencconverter tool decrypts the same files on a desktop.
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.
Markor
Markor$0
The full app from F-Droid, the GitHub releases page or Google Play. The project recommends F-Droid for installing and updating.
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.
Markor
No public discounts listed.
