OneNote is a well-designed note-taking software, however after trusting my knowledge to Microsoft and Google for years, I’ve determined to try to reclaim some privateness. That is how I switched to a privacy-focused, self-hosted note-taking app.

The difficulty with OneNote

Regardless of its perks, I am actively making an attempt to keep away from applications created by Microsoft, particularly when it includes storing knowledge within the cloud.

So, after I went in search of a extra privacy-friendly alternative, I wanted one thing that had about the identical options as OneNote.

  • It wanted to have a tag system.
  • It wanted to have a method to subdivide notes.
  • I wished one thing that might maintain photos or permit me to attract.
  • Privateness-conscious cloud choices have been a necessity.

Joplin does every part OneNote does

Observe-taking apps will not be uncommon, and there are a ton of nice ones on the market. Notion and Obsidian are each extraordinarily standard and really strong.

Nevertheless, I wished one thing a bit extra trimmed down than both of these choices. Obisidian would not make it simple to self-host your personal Obsidian server.

Person holding a smartphone running Obsidian next to a laptop displaying its logo, with a sync icon connecting both devices.


How to Sync Obsidian Notes For Free

With or with out the cloud.

Finally, I landed on Joplin.

Joplin is surprisingly good for writing

I set out in search of a note-taking app, however I by accident discovered one which doubles as a writing app too.

Joplin has full assist for Markdown, which makes formatting my drafts painless. And, since Joplin additionally helps inline attachments, I may even add essential screenshots and diagrams as I write.

I haven’t got to marvel what one thing goes to seem like—I can simply see it immediately.

The Joplin edit with its Markdown capabilities highlighted.

Moreover, the person interface could be very minimalist. In some methods, it jogs my memory of apps like FocusWriter that attempt to decrease visible litter to assist make specializing in the duty at hand simpler.

Joplin has plugins

I have never wished too many additional bells and whistles with Joplin, because the whole level was to maintain issues easy. Nevertheless, if Joplin lacks one thing you need, there are dozens of plugins available from the website or within the app itself.

Joplin has two synchronization choices

Cloud-sync of some type is a should for any note-taking app as of late, since I want to have the ability to simply transfer between my desktop and my laptop computer with out worrying about the place any given piece of data is.

Joplin really has two other ways which you could strategy syncing your recordsdata, however each are extra privacy-friendly than what you get with OneNote.

Configuring Joplin to connect with the cloud

If you would like, you possibly can configure Joplin to routinely hook up with common consumer cloud services like DropBox or OneDrive. There may be additionally a Joplin cloud subscription that’s provided by Joplin’s builders.

Joplin cloud is available in 3 completely different tiers: Fundamental ($4/month), Professional ($7/month), or Groups ($9.50/month).

When you’re simply doing primary note-taking, then primary might be a great possibility. If you are going to connect quite a lot of photos to your notes, otherwise you wish to share or collaborate on a notice with different Joplin customers, you may have to go for the Professional or Groups plan as an alternative.

No matter you select, the file that’s used to synchronize Joplin between units is encrypted end-to-end, which signifies that even when somebody intercepts the file or has it saved on their servers, they cannot learn the content material. That signifies that your notes are protected and safe, even when somebody compromises your cloud account.

Setting it up is as simple as going into Joplin’s settings, getting into the data in your cloud supplier of alternative, and going by the setup wizard.

The Joplin cloud options.

Self-hosting Joplin

The Joplin server itself could be very light-weight. I run one on my Proxmox server and even after I’m utilizing the app it barely makes use of any system sources.

Fortuitously, Joplin Server is available directly from Docker Hub. Which means your whole setup course of solely requires that you just run a handful of instructions and tweak some settings to your liking.


Joplin is not the one nice app you possibly can self-host when you’re seeking to lower subscription prices. Utilizing solely an outdated Home windows 10 PC, you possibly can run dozens of various companies that may exchange every part from Google Images to Microsoft Phrase. Additionally it is an ideal software to placed on a low-power mini-PC.

The MINISFORUM UN1250 on a white background.

Model

MINISFORUM

Storage

1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD (Max 2TB), 2.5-inch SATA port

CPU

Intel I5-1250P (12C/16T)

Reminiscence

DDR4 16GB (Max 64GB)

Ports

1 x 2.5G RJ45 Port, 1x HDMI, 1x USB3.2 Sort-C, 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x USB3.2, 2 x USB 2.0, 1x Audio Jack

Graphics

Intel® Iris Xe Graphics

The MINISFORUM UN1250 is a small mini PC designed for mild work, like primary picture and video enhancing, doc drafting, and different primary duties.
 



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