# nb review (2026): is it any good? > Command-line note, bookmark and knowledge base tool in one script Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. nb is a note-taking, bookmarking and archiving tool that runs in the terminal and in a local web view. Items are plain text files in formats such as Markdown and Org, with tags, wiki-style links, todos and Git-backed versioning and sync. The whole program is one shell script. - **Category:** Note-Taking Apps - **Made by:** xwmx - **Website:** https://xwmx.github.io/nb/ - **Runs on:** macOS, Linux, Windows - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you want a window to click in, as it is command line and a local web view. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, nb is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** No price is listed; the project's GitHub page shows an AGPL-3.0 license. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | nb | $0 | Open-source command-line tool installed from a package manager or as a script; no paid tier is listed. | Read from https://xwmx.github.io/nb/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with nb before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Terminal users who want notes and bookmarks in version-controlled plain text - People who want to write in Vim, Emacs, VS Code or any other editor ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. nb is a command-line tool for notes, bookmarks and todos that keeps everything as plain files with Git behind it. It is free and open source, but it needs a Unix-like shell, and there is no phone app or hosted service. - **Value for money: A.** Open source and free, installed from a package manager or as one script. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright, with no paid tier listed. - **Features: B.** Notes, 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: D.** No store rating on record. It runs in a terminal, and some features need Pandoc or a Chrome browser. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** macOS and Linux programs, and on Windows only through WSL, MSYS or Cygwin. Works with Git, Vim, Emacs and VS Code. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from nb's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among note-taking apps - nb's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 88 of the 169 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 38. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 114 of 169) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - nb has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/note-taking ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** nb is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could make: Notes, Markdown, bookmarks, linked notes and tasks: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Git, Pandoc and Vim among them. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Git, Pandoc, Vim, Emacs, VS Code, Homebrew **Tags:** Notes, Markdown, Bookmarks, Linked notes, Tasks, Open source ## Alternatives - [Dnote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dnote): Free, open-source terminal notebook with optional self-hosted sync. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dnote-vs-nb) - [Notenik](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notenik): Free Mac notes app with Markdown, custom fields and outlining. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/nb-vs-notenik) - [Joplin](https://toolgpa.com/tools/joplin): Open source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/joplin-vs-nb) - [QOwnNotes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/qownnotes): Open-source Markdown notes app with Nextcloud and ownCloud support. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/nb-vs-qownnotes) - [Zim](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zim): Desktop wiki that keeps linked pages as plain text files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/nb-vs-zim) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://xwmx.github.io/nb/ - https://github.com/xwmx/nb Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/nb Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).