Categories
✍️ Free Productivity and Note-Taking Software
These free productivity and note-taking tools are selected for durable everyday use: free core features, minimal ads or tracking, and practical data ownership. Start here when comparing alternatives to Notion, Evernote, classic task apps and local note systems.
18 tools
ActivityWatch
Automatically records where your time went, uploading not one byte
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
Fluent Reader
Read RSS immediately — no server to set up
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
FreshRSS
You decide what you read — no algorithm involved
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Cross-platform
Loop Habit Tracker
Habit tracking with no notifications spam, no fees, no network
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
MarkText
A free, open-source Markdown editor with real-time preview and a clean interface
- Open Source
- Offline
- Cross-platform
- No Ads
Super Productivity
Tasks, pomodoro and time tracking in one app, with no subscription
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
Vikunja
The same tasks as a list, a board, a Gantt chart or a calendar
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Cross-platform
wallabag
Save articles to read later — and they are genuinely saved
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Cross-platform
WeKan
Trello you host yourself, with the cards and data in your hands
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Cross-platform
AppFlowy
The open-source Notion alternative that keeps your data in your hands
- Open Source
- No Ads
- Offline
- No Sign-up
Joplin
Open-source, offline-first note-taking with end-to-end encrypted sync
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
Logseq
An open-source outliner with bidirectional links to grow your knowledge graph
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
Obsidian
A local-first knowledge base — your notes stay yours
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
- No Sign-up
SoloMD
A free, open-source Markdown editor — one file, one window, just write
- Open Source
- No Tracking
- Offline
- Cross-platform
Standard Notes
End-to-end encrypted notes with free unlimited-device sync
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Cross-platform
Trilium Notes
A hierarchical note app built for large personal knowledge bases
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
Zettlr
A one-stop Markdown workbench for researchers and writers
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
Zim Desktop Wiki
A plain-text desktop wiki for managing notes the way you use a wiki
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline