European note-taking apps

Capture ideas and build a knowledge base with privacy-first European tools.

Switching from
Notion Evernote Apple Notes Confluence Google Docs Google Keep

Note apps hold your ideas, plans, and private thoughts. That is personal, so where the notes live matters. European and open tools keep them under EU law. Joplin and Standard Notes encrypt your notes, so only you can read them. Joplin is free and open-source, and you choose where your notes are stored. Your knowledge base stays yours, not a company's.

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Carefully selected European alternatives, some links may earn us a small commission.

1
Top Pick

Joplin

France EU 100 · Certified European

Open-source note-taking app created by French developer Laurent Cozic. Supports end-to-end encryption, Markdown, web clipping, and sync via Joplin Cloud (France-hosted) or self-hosted. Available on all platforms with a rich plugin ecosystem.

Replaces: Notion , Evernote , Apple Notes

See Joplin details
2

XWiki

France EU 100 · Certified European

French open-source enterprise wiki founded in 2004 in Paris. Used by Amazon, Lenovo, and governments across Europe for knowledge management and collaboration. Self-hostable with full data sovereignty. Also the company behind CryptPad.

Replaces: Notion , Confluence , Google Docs

See XWiki details
3

Tuta Notes

Germany EU 100 · Certified European

End-to-end encrypted note-taking built into Tuta Mail by German company Tutao GmbH. Post-quantum TutaCrypt encryption. Notes stored on own German servers. Included in all Tuta plans including free.

Replaces: Notion , Evernote , Apple Notes , Google Keep

See Tuta Notes details
4

Standard Notes

Switzerland EFTA 95 · Certified European

End-to-end encrypted note-taking app acquired by Proton AG in April 2024. Now running on Proton's Swiss infrastructure. Open source, independently audited four times, self-hostable. 300,000+ active users. Continues operating as a standalone product under Proton ownership.

Replaces: Notion , Evernote , Apple Notes , Google Keep

See Standard Notes details
5

Anytype

Switzerland EFTA 68 · Mostly European

Anytype is a local-first, encrypted workspace and private alternative to Notion. Notes stay on your device and sync peer-to-peer, so even the company can't read them. Legally Swiss, with its team based in Berlin.

Replaces: Notion

See Anytype details

Popular comparisons

Notion
Notion Labs Inc.
Note-taking
Evernote
Evernote Corporation
Note-taking
Apple Notes
Apple Inc.
Note-taking
Confluence
Atlassian Corporation
Note-taking
Google Docs
Alphabet Inc.
Office suite
Google Keep
Alphabet Inc.
Note-taking

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Start somewhere.

Switching everything overnight is not realistic. Start where it matters most: your email, your cloud storage, your business tools. Replace one thing at a time.

Browse the directory → Find European alternatives to the tools you use every day Replace a Big Tech tool → Tell us what you're using, we'll show you what to switch to Degoogle your life → Swap Google's services for private European alternatives

The European Alternative already exists.
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