Evernote vs QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes is a focused open-source note-taking alternative that substantially covers Evernote’s primary note capture, organization, search, synchronization, and reuse workflow, but emphasizes plain-text Markdown files and user-controlled sync rather than multimedia notes and hosted collaboration.
Decision guide
The practical reasons to choose either option, based on documented capabilities.
Choose QOwnNotes if
- Self-hosting and control of your data are a priority and QOwnNotes covers your required workflows. Its source code uses the GPL-2.0 license.
Stay with Evernote if
- You rely on capabilities that are different, missing, or not yet documented for QOwnNotes.
Feature fit
What QOwnNotes covers
- Note capture and editing
- Search and retrieval
- Folders, tags, and subfolders
- Markdown-based organization
- Cross-device synchronization
- Web capture
- Todo-list management
- Note sharing
What’s different or missing
- Broad multimedia capture including native images, documents, scans, and audio note artifacts
- Advanced search across attachments, images, handwriting, and scans
- Calendar-linked notes
- Built-in real-time collaborative editing
- Built-in transcription and meeting summarization
Project snapshot
- GitHub stars
- 5,841
- Contributors
- 121
- Language
- C++
- Last commit
- Aug 15, 2026
- Latest release
- Aug 15, 2026
Categories: Calendars & Scheduling, Document Collaboration, Note Taking, Task Management
Sources and editorial review7 linked sources
Public documentation supports this comparison. Automation assists collection and classification; editorial standards and corrections remain the responsibility of Kris.
QOwnNotes is a plain-text file notepad and todo-list manager with Markdown support and Nextcloud / ownCloud integration.
repository description · github.comThe notes are stored as plain text markdown files and are synced with Nextcloud's/ownCloud's file sync functionality.
readme · github.commultiple note folders can be used
readme · github.comsub-string searching of notes is possible and search results are highlighted in the notes
readme · github.comQOwnNotes Web Companion browser extension to add notes from the selected text and other features
readme · github.comsupport for hierarchical note tagging and note subfolders
readme · github.comsupport for sharing notes on your Nextcloud / ownCloud server
readme · github.com
