Jotty report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 9, 2026
Best for notes and checklists on a server you run
Jotty is a free, open-source app for notes and checklists that lives on your own server, with everything saved as Markdown files in one folder. It packs in a lot, from Kanban boards to note encryption to sharing with the family. But you have to host it yourself, and you can't create or edit anything offline.
Who Jotty is for
- Great if you run a home server and want notes and checklists in one app on it
- Handy when a household or small group wants to share lists without using someone else's cloud
- Good for people who want their data as Markdown files in a folder, not in a database
Who Jotty is not for
- Skip it if you don't want to run Docker, because there's no hosted version to sign up for
- Not for you if you write on trains and planes, as editing offline isn't supported
- Too light for phone-first people, since there's no native app
Why Jotty gets a 3.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree and open source under AGPL-3.0, with no paid plans at all. The site says the project is fully and forever open source. You provide the server, and donations are optional.
- AFree plan and trialThe full app is free: notes, checklists, Kanban, encryption, sharing, sign-in options and the API. Nothing is kept back, because there's no paid plan to keep it for.
- AFeaturesA rich-text editor that saves Markdown, checklists that grow into Kanban projects with a time tracker and calendar, wikilinks and @mentions that work both ways, a 2D or 3D map of your links, encryption per note and sharing by public link. That's a lot for free.
- DEase of useIt has to be self-hosted. Docker Compose is the recommended route, with a Proxmox script and an Unraid template as other ways in. And the developer advises backing up the data folder before every feature update, so there's upkeep too.
- BPlatforms and integrationsA web app with a REST API, an optional MCP server for AI clients, and sign-in through OIDC or LDAP. There's no native app. The PWA caches pages you've already visited, but creating or editing offline isn't supported.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Jotty's own pages on 9 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/jotty#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/jotty.svg" alt="Jotty: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>What is Jotty?
Jotty, written jotty·page by its developer, is a free, open-source app for notes and checklists that you host on your own server. Everything is stored as Markdown files in a single data folder, with no database to maintain. It pairs a rich-text Markdown editor with checklists that can grow into Kanban task projects, and adds linking between items, note encryption, multi-user sharing and a REST API.
Jotty is free to use. See every plan
Good for
- Self-hosters who want notes and checklists in one app
- Households or small groups sharing lists on their own server
- People who want their data as Markdown files, not in a database
Worth knowing
- It has to be self-hosted: Docker Compose is the recommended route, with a Proxmox script and an Unraid template as alternatives.
- There is no native app. The PWA caches pages already visited, but creating or editing items offline is not supported.
- The developer advises backing up the data folder before every feature update, since those can change data structures.
- The MCP server for AI clients is a separate container that has to be run alongside Jotty.
Key features
- Checklists and task projects
- Simple checklists have progress bars, nested categories, drag and drop and bulk add. Task projects add Kanban boards with custom statuses, a time tracker and a calendar view for due dates.
- Rich-text notes in Markdown
- A WYSIWYG editor built on TipTap saves GitHub Flavored Markdown, with code highlighting, callouts, diagrams, tags and a switch to the Markdown source.
- File-based storage
- Checklists and notes are Markdown files and users and settings are JSON, all in one data folder with no database. Backing up an instance means copying that folder.
- Links and the brain view
- Wikilinks and @mentions connect notes and checklists in both directions. A 2D or 3D map shows how items connect and suggests links that have not been made.
- Note encryption
- Any note can be encrypted with a passphrase using XChaCha20-Poly1305 or with PGP keys, and the file stays encrypted on disk until you choose to decrypt it.
- Sharing, sign-in and API
- Items can be shared with other users on the instance or by public link, with OIDC, LDAP and MFA sign-in. A REST API and an optional MCP server allow automation.
Jotty pricing
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Free and open source under AGPL-3.0, with no paid plans. The site says the project is fully and forever open source; you provide the server, and donations are optional.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Jotty | $0 | The full app as a single Docker image, with a Proxmox community script and an Unraid template as other ways to install it. |
Read from jotty.page on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Jotty before you buy.
Works with
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- Jotty vs SilverBullet
Free plan · from $50/yr
Common questions
Is Jotty free?
Yes. Jotty is free to use. Free and open source under AGPL-3.0, with no paid plans. The site says the project is fully and forever open source; you provide the server, and donations are optional.
How much does Jotty cost?
Jotty lists one plan. Jotty: $0. Prices were read from jotty.page on Oct 9, 2026.
What platforms does Jotty work on?
Jotty is available on Web.
Does Jotty have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Jotty is listed for Web.
Does Jotty have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Jotty is listed for Web.
Is Jotty open source?
Yes. Jotty is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
What does Jotty integrate with?
Jotty's listing names Docker, Proxmox VE, Unraid, Authentik, Keycloak, Okta, Claude and Cursor. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Jotty?
Jotty is made by fccview.
What are the alternatives to Jotty?
The closest alternatives to Jotty in our directory are flatnotes, Memos, Trilium Notes, SilverBullet and NoteDiscovery. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Jotty.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026.