Joplin vs nb (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Joplin grades higher than nb: 3.6 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Joplin grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. 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
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 nb if
- Fits if you live in a terminal and want your notes as files under Git
- Works for people who also save bookmarks and todos in the same place
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a window to click in, as it is command line and a local web view
- Skip it if you are on Windows without WSL, MSYS or Cygwin
- Watch out: some features need Pandoc, Chromium or Chrome installed
- Too light for sharing, as there is no phone app or hosted service
How we grade them
| 3.6GPAJoplinExcellent | 2.8GPAnbGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AOpen source and free, installed from a package manager or as one script. |
| 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. | AFree outright, with no paid tier listed. |
| 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. | BNotes, bookmarks with cached pages, todos, tags, wiki links, encryption, Git sync and a local web view, all from one script. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in that job. |
| 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. It runs in a terminal, and some features need Pandoc or a Chrome browser. |
| 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. | CmacOS and Linux programs, and on Windows only through WSL, MSYS or Cygwin. Works with Git, Vim, Emacs and VS Code. |
| Best for | free, open source notes synced your own way | plain-text notes and bookmarks in a terminal |
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 nb. 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. nb 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 nb 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 self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Joplin also covers web clipper.
- nb also covers linked notes, tasks and bookmarks.
At a glance
| Joplin | nb | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | No price is listed; the project's GitHub page shows an AGPL-3.0 license. |
| 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 | xwmx |
| Price read from | joplinapp.org | xwmx.github.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
nb
- It needs a Unix-like shell; on Windows it runs through WSL, MSYS or Cygwin.
- Some features rely on optional tools such as Pandoc and Chromium or Chrome.
- There is no mobile app or hosted service on its site.
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.
nb
- Plain-text storage
- Notes are text files in Markdown, Org, LaTeX, AsciiDoc or any other format, written in the editor you choose.
- Git versioning and sync
- Notebooks are Git-backed, giving revision history and syncing through a Git remote.
- Bookmarks with cached pages
- Saved pages are stored as Markdown for local full-text search, with Wayback Machine lookup for broken links.
- Encryption
- Notes and bookmarks can be password-protected.
- Wiki links, tags and todos
- Items link with [[wiki-style]] links, take #tags, and can hold todos with tasks.
- Local web browsing
- A locally served web view lets you read notes and bookmarks in a terminal or GUI browser.
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.
nb
nb$0
Open-source command-line tool installed from a package manager or as a script; no paid tier is listed.
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.
nb
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Joplin or nb?
As of Nov 13, 2026, nb 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 nb is free.
Which has a free plan, Joplin or nb?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Joplin and nb have a free plan.
Which platforms do Joplin and nb run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Joplin lists a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list 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.