Joplin vs Memos

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

Memos

• Self-hosters who want quick notes on a server they control
• Short, frequent notes and logs rather than long structured documents
• Developers who want to script note capture through an API

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.

Memos

• The project runs no hosted service, so you need to operate and back up a server yourself or use an instance someone else runs.
• No native mobile or desktop apps are listed; phones and computers use the web app, which can be installed as a PWA.
• Import is marked as work in progress and accepts only a Memos export ZIP; imports from other note apps are not supported.
• Memos are not arranged in folders or notebooks, and a Space does not let several people edit the same memo.

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.

Memos

Timeline of Markdown memos

Memos are written in Markdown with code highlighting, tables, task lists, math and diagrams, and need no title or folder before saving.

Search, tags, calendar and map

Find a memo by its text, nested #tags, the day it was written or the place attached to it. Views save a filter expression for reuse.

Per-memo visibility and Spaces

Each memo is private, open to signed-in users, public or limited to a Space. Spaces gather members and memos in one feed but do not grant shared editing.

Self-hosted in one container

Runs with Docker, Kubernetes or a binary for Linux, macOS or Windows, and keeps data in SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL on infrastructure you control.

API, webhooks and MCP server

REST and gRPC APIs cover the product's features, signed webhooks fire when memos change, and a built-in MCP endpoint lets AI assistants search and write memos.

Web Clipper and Telegram capture

A browser extension for Chromium-based browsers and Firefox saves pages, selections and images as Markdown, and a Telegram bot forwards messages into Memos.

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.

Memos

• Memos software$0

  Every feature, including sharing, Spaces, the API and all three database backends. Hosting is arranged and paid for separately.

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.

Memos

No public discounts listed.