Marknote vs QOwnNotes
We give Marknote a 3.2 GPA and QOwnNotes a 3.6, out of 4.0. QOwnNotes grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Marknote
KDE's rich text note-taking app that saves notes as Markdown files
Free
QOwnNotes
Open-source Markdown notes app with Nextcloud and ownCloud support
Free
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAMarknoteVery good | 3.6GPAQOwnNotesExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source, from KDE. The app page lists no paid edition at all, just a donate link. Paid plans in this category typically start at $5.99 a month, so there's nothing to weigh up here. | AFree and open source under the GPL. The project says it generates no revenue and runs on donations through PayPal, GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay. There's nothing to buy. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free, with no paid tier to bump into later. KDE takes donations if you feel like giving something back. | AThe full desktop app, the Web Companion extension and the Android app are all free. No paid tier exists, so there's no limit to run into. |
| Features | BA formatted editor that saves Markdown, notebooks with their own icon and colour, wiki-style links, full-text search, quick sketches, and export to PDF, HTML and ODT. Solid basics. But there's no built-in sync, and subfolders have to be made in a file manager, not in the app. | AHierarchical tags, subfolders, [[Note]] links with backlinks, AES-256 encryption for single notes, and a browser clipper. With Nextcloud or ownCloud you can restore old versions and trashed notes and share notes publicly. Scripts install from an in-app repository, and there's a built-in MCP server. |
| Ease of use | BThere's no App Store rating to go on, so a B is our ceiling. On Linux it's a normal install from Flathub or your distribution's packages, and the editor is WYSIWYG, so you don't have to type Markdown symbols. | BNo store rating to go on, so a B is our ceiling. On a computer it's install, pick a folder, write. It gets more involved once you want sync, since the app doesn't sync by itself and leans on a Nextcloud or ownCloud client. |
| Platforms and integrations | CStable releases are Linux only, which on its own would be a D. Windows and macOS get nightly installers that KDE labels unstable, so we've gone one higher. There's no Android or iOS app, and the only hook-up listed is KRunner on the Plasma desktop. | BLinux, macOS and Windows, a Chrome and Firefox extension, and hooks into Nextcloud, ownCloud, OpenAI and Groq. The Android app is an APK from GitHub that needs a Nextcloud server running Notes, and the site lists no iOS app. That keeps it off the A. |
| Best for | simple Markdown notes on a Linux desktop | Markdown notes on a desktop, paired with Nextcloud |
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: Marknote and QOwnNotes. How we grade
Where they differ
- Marknote is free. QOwnNotes is free.
- Only QOwnNotes lists an Android app.
- Only QOwnNotes lists a browser extension.
- QOwnNotes also covers web clipper.
In commonFree planLinuxWindowsmacOSOpen sourceLocal-firstNotesMarkdownLinked notes
At a glance
| Marknote | QOwnNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free, open-source software from KDE under the GPL-2.0-or-later license. The app page lists no paid edition; KDE takes donations. | Free and open source under the GPL. The project says it generates no revenue and accepts donations through PayPal, GitHub Sponsors and Liberapay. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | KDE | Patrizio Bekerle |
| Price read from | apps.kde.org | qownnotes.org |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Marknote
- Linux and KDE Plasma users who want a simple notes app
- People who want notes kept as Markdown files in a local folder
- Writers who prefer a formatted editor to raw Markdown syntax
QOwnNotes
- Nextcloud or ownCloud users who want a desktop Markdown notes app
- People who keep notes as plain files that any editor can open
- Users who want to script and rearrange their notes app
Worth knowing
Marknote
- Stable packages are for Linux; the Windows and macOS builds on the KDE page are nightly installers described as unstable and meant for testing.
- The KDE app page lists Linux, Windows and macOS only, and mentions no Android or iOS app and no built-in sync between devices.
- Subfolders, added in version 1.6.0, cannot yet be created inside Marknote; they have to be made in a file manager.
- The Snap Store's stable channel shows version 1.3.0, last updated in April 2025, while Flathub carries 1.6.0.
QOwnNotes
- The app does not sync notes or attachments itself; syncing across devices depends on a Nextcloud or ownCloud sync client or another file-sync tool.
- The Android app is installed as an APK from its GitHub release page and needs a Nextcloud server running the Notes app. The site lists no iOS app.
- The browser extension works only while the desktop app is running.
- Current builds need Windows 10 or macOS 13 or later; the older Qt5 builds cannot use the built-in updater.
Key features
Marknote
- Rich text editor backed by Markdown
- Notes are formatted in a WYSIWYG editor with bold, italic, underline and strikethrough text, headings, lists, checkboxes, images and tables, and stored as Markdown files.
- Notebooks
- Notes are grouped into notebooks, each with its own icon and accent color and a count of the notes inside. Notes move between notebooks by drag and drop.
- Source mode
- Since version 1.5 a source mode shows the raw Markdown in place of the rich text view. Version 1.5.1 added syntax highlighting to it.
- Links between notes
- Wiki-style links, added in version 1.5, connect one note to another and can look up notes in other notebooks.
- Search and command bar
- Version 1.5 added full-text search and replace, and since version 1.6 the command bar searches for notes across all notebooks. A KRunner plugin opens notes from the Plasma desktop.
- Sketches and export
- A quick sketch dialog adds drawings to a note, and notes can be exported to formats including PDF, HTML and ODT.
QOwnNotes
- Plain Markdown files
- Notes are plain-text Markdown files in a folder you pick, so existing text files work without an import and any other editor can open them.
- Nextcloud and ownCloud integration
- Restores older note versions and trashed notes from the server, shares notes publicly, creates Nextcloud Deck cards and manages server to-do lists.
- Tags, subfolders and wiki links
- Hierarchical tags and note subfolders, plus optional [[Note]] links with autocomplete, heading anchors, aliases and backlinks.
- Web Companion browser extension
- A Chrome and Firefox extension clips selected text or a screenshot of a page into a note and manages bookmarks kept in notes.
- Scripting and AI support
- Scripts install from an in-app repository. Opt-in AI support takes Groq and OpenAI keys, and a built-in MCP server lets outside agents search and fetch notes.
- Optional note encryption
- AES-256 encryption of individual notes is built in, and scripts add Keybase or PGP as alternative encryption methods.
Plans
Marknote
Marknote$0
The full app for Linux through distribution packages, Flathub or the Snap Store. Windows and macOS builds are nightly installers that KDE labels unstable.
QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes$0
The full desktop app for Linux, macOS and Windows, plus the Web Companion extension and the Android app.
