Notesnook review: Is this the best notes app for Linux? 

Discover how Notesnook compares to Joplin and Standard Notes with sharing, encryption, and cross-platform sync.

Finding the right notes app feels impossible when sync constantly breaks or sharing isn’t an option. In this video from Learn Linux TV, you’ll learn how Notesnook became Jay’s go-to solution after years of jumping between Joplin and Standard Notes.

Jay reviews Notesnook, an open source notes application that competes with Joplin and Evernote. He shares his journey through different notes apps: Joplin had all the features he needed but sync constantly broke and caused data loss, while Standard Notes worked perfectly except it couldn’t share notes with others. Notesnook fills that gap.

The app offers clean editing with essential formatting options (headings, lists, bold, italics), supports tabs for editing multiple notes simultaneously, and organizes content through nested notebooks that function like folders. Sharing is straightforward, you right-click a note, publish it, and get a shareable URL with optional password protection or self-destruct timers. However, real-time collaboration isn’t implemented yet, though it’s high on the roadmap.

Jay highlights solid sync performance (no issues so far, unlike his Joplin experience) and well-implemented theming, unlike Standard Notes where some community themes broke the UI entirely. The biggest downsides: no plugin support, the free plan is extremely limited, and you can’t self-host your sync server yet (though that feature is planned). As of this review, pricing runs $20-$90/year depending on the plan.

Key takeaways

• Sharing works, collaboration doesn’t yet – You can publish notes with password protection and expiration timers, but multiple people can’t edit the same note simultaneously.
• The free plan won’t cut it for most users – Most of Notesnook’s useful features require a paid subscription starting at $20/year, making it harder to justify than alternatives.
• Self-hosted sync is coming but not here – HomeLab users who want to control their own sync server will need to wait, though the feature is on the official roadmap.

Notesnook won’t appeal to plugin enthusiasts or those wanting self-hosted sync right now, but it delivers a clean, focused notes experience with reliable sync and easy sharing. Jay’s review makes it clear this app prioritizes simplicity over feature overload.

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