Joplin vs Paperless-ngx: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Evernote. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Joplin | Paperless-ngx | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~46k | ~26k |
| Tech stack | Node.js, PostgreSQL, React Native | Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Redis |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote | Evernote |
Joplin has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Joplin
Cross-platform encrypted notes, a free alternative to Evernote.
Pros
- Real end-to-end encryption, not just in transit
- Mature native apps on all 3 major platforms
Things to consider
- Running your own sync server (Joplin Server) is an extra step compared to the paid cloud
- Interface is more functional than visually polished
Paperless-ngx
Digital document archive with OCR, no paid scanning app subscription needed.
Pros
- Turns years of physical paperwork into something searchable in seconds
- Very active community, integrates well with network scanners
Things to consider
- OCR is CPU-intensive; very long documents can take a while
Key features
Joplin
- Markdown notes with optional end-to-end encryption
- Native desktop, mobile and web apps, all synced
- Community plugins and themes
Paperless-ngx
- Automatic OCR with text and language recognition
- Automatic tagging and correspondent matching by rules
- 'Consume' folder to scan and forget
Already know which one you prefer?
Add it to your Stack Builder and generate a ready-to-deploy docker-compose.yml alongside the rest of your stack.
Go to Stack Builder