15 Best Note-taking Apps for Linux (Best Evernote Alternative)

So why have I started to write this content on the best Evernote alternative app or note-taking app for Ubuntu Linux? The answer is very simple: Evernote still does not offer any official client for Ubuntu or any Linux distros.

Here, I will be sharing a generic list of the Best 15 Evernote replacement clients for Linux, but one thing to remember is that you can use any of these note-taking apps as a standalone as it is on any Linux distribution. Before going to the list, you can see my previous article on Best 10 Linux Code Editors.

Best Note-taking Apps for Linux

As of now, Evernote does not officially support Linux, so the apps below may be used to create, modify, delete, and manage notes, tasks, or to-do lists. Many of these Evernote replacement apps support their cloud storage, whereas others support external cloud storage like Google Drives, Dropbox, etc.

Let’s not make it descriptive; we can go ahead with the list of best note-taking apps or Evernote alternative apps for Ubuntu Linux.

1. Joplin Desktop: An Evernote Alternative

Joplin is a free and open-source note-taking app for your Linux system. Evernote doesn’t yet provide a native Linux client for any Linux system so that you can use Joplin as an alternative to Evernote note-taking apps for Linux distros. This app lets you store all your notes and files in a remote, secure cloud platform so that you can access all those from anywhere and on any device.

Moreover, Joplin lets you collaborate your notes and files with your friends, family members, or even with your colleagues. You can save various file formats like multimedia notes, PDF files, images, web pages, and much more.

2. Simplenote

Simplenote is the best note-taking app for Linux right now. It provides all the features a modern and professional note-taking app must have. This is how it becomes the best Evernote alternative app for Linux. This simple and elegant app is designed and developed by the same company that developed WordPress – the Best blogging open-source platform, Automattic, Inc. So let’s have a glimpse of its important features.

Important features

• It is very easy to create or edit notes, tasks, or documents.
• The user can collaborate with other Simplenote users in real time.
• Supports for markup and note tags.
• The user can publish the link for public viewing.
• It supports all the major OS platforms, including Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, MacOS, and Web.
• One app rules them all, and it is the best alternative to Evernote for Linux.

3. Standard Notes

Standard Notes is another free and secure note-taking app for all the major systems like Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, etc. This app mainly focuses on user privacy and end-to-end encryption. It offers a cloud vault where you can store all your notes, which can be accessed from any device.

This app offers free subscriptions along with paid subscriptions if you need more exclusive features. However, a free plan is enough for most users to keep their notes and files secure.

4. Tomboy-ng (Next Generation)

Tomboy-ng is a free and lightweight note-taking app for Linux, Windows, and macOS. It offers various note-taking features like note import and export, redo and undo, note printing, spelling check, rich text markup, backup and snapshot, and much more. It also supports text highlighting, email linking, and automatic hyperlinks.

5. Notable – The Markdown-based Note Taking App

Notable is a markdown-based powerful note editor for Linux systems. It offers various markdown features like syntax highlighting, multi-cursors, minimap, etc. This app lets you store your notes on your local disk, which makes it portable, but you can still synchronize all those notes via third-party platforms like Dropbox or Git. Notable also provides a dark theme and zen mode that helps you concentrate on taking notes in a minimalistic interface with a great reading experience.

6. QOwnNotes

QOwnNotes is one of the best multi-platform supported note-taking and To-Do list-making apps for Linux, Windows, and macOS. It’s open-source software with an “Owncloud” system or “Nextcloud” integration.

Users can store all the notes on the desktop as simple plain text files. As I have said earlier, it supports both the desktop and mobile sync through the ownCloud or Nextcloud sync client. So, what does it mean to be a cloud client?

Users can write and edit all sorts of notes and to-do lists with QOwnNotes and have access or search on mobile devices or through the browser as web services.

7. Cherrytree Note-Taking App

So, here comes Cherrytree, one of the most admired note-taking wiki-style applications in the market for users who need to note down all their details and specifics to keep their lives organized and well-scheduled.

This open-source and free data managing app has all the customizable advanced features in combination with formatting texts, highlighting texts, and all other typical traits that will make the note-taking life more comfortable and better.

Rich text formatting, being one of the most important attributes of a note-taking app, is also attached to the feature of synchronizing the cloud services with this app.

Install in Ubuntu Linux

Run the below command to install this app in Debian or Ubuntu distro:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:giuspen/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cherrytree

8. Turtl – A Secure Encrypted Evernote Alternative

Turtl is a secure and privacy-focused note-taking Evernote replacement for Linux OS. You can use it for saving articles, bookmarking websites, project documentation, and much more. Users will get the look, feel, and experience similar to Evernote using this nifty software. Let’s have a look at its important features.

Important features

• Offers the use of the best cryptographic practices.
• Supports markdown.
• The user can convert the notes into HTML.
• It provides an opportunity to share the notes and contents with others through encrypted channels.
• Your privacy will not be compromised as it keeps all the documents and contents in an encrypted safe vault.

9. MedleyText

Medleytext is not just another note-taking app or alternative to Evernote. It’s made especially for the developers and programmers. General users can also use it without any special knowledge or coding.

Important features

• Open source and free cross-platform note-taking app.
• It supports many programming languages, including Javascript, CSS, HTML, and Markdown.
• Beautiful, modern, and intuitive user interface.
• It supports all the major platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.
• Lots of options for text formatting, including color, size, style, images, links, etc.
• Supports customizable keyboard shortcuts.
• Customizable UI, custom themes, fonts, etc.

10. Zotero

Zotero is a great Evernote alternative app for Windows, Linux, and MacOS. It’s basically a personal assistant which lets you create a personal content library. You can create, edit, and view all the notes and tasks from anywhere on any OS.

Moreover, it offers easy browser integration, which helps grab web content automatically. Literally, users can store anything, including text, images, web links, audio, videos, etc, with just a few keystrokes.

The content library can be organized and maintained using a tag system and Playlist collections. It also synchronizes all the contents and notes across all the devices. Data backup and restore are also available for offline archives.

Last but not least, Zotero provides a user-friendly atmosphere for collaboration tasks with other group members. You can create both public and private projects and, after completing the task, publish them for public viewing.

Install on Ubuntu

To install Zotero standalone from the PPA, run the following commands in a terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:smathot/cogscinl
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install zotero-standalone

11. RedNotebook

RedNotebook is powerful and features rich Evernote alternative note-taking software for Ubuntu. Mostly, it’s made with diary entries in mind. There is a calendar that helps you to put notes or tasks and lets you search by dates.

Important features

• Dairy-like note-taking app.
• Text can be formatted and supports images.
• Automatically grab web links.
• Notes can be exported as text, HTML, latex format, or pdf.
• The user can use tags for easy search.
• It supports all the major platforms, including Linux, Mac, and Windows.

12. Boostnote

Boostnote is also an open source and advanced note-taking editor app for developers and programmers, just like MidleText. With a little bit of advanced knowledge, it can be a great alternative to the Evernote app for Linux. This Evernote alternative note-taking app saves the content when you write, and this is how you never lose any notes or documents.

Important features

• Supports Markdown and LaTeX.
• A Beautiful and minimal design that can be decorated with color themes.
• It can be used offline; no internet is required to create any notes.
• Supports cross-platform, including Linux, Windows, and MacOS.
• Tag support and text highlighting.
• There are lots of themes for an eye-candy look and feel.

13. TagSpaces

Though TagSpaces is not that familiar with the world of note-taking apps or Evernote replacement apps, it’s still a feature-rich software for Ubuntu Linux. I might be wrong if I mention this app as the only note-taking app. Rather, it’s a complete data management software.

The user can organize and manage all the files of the system through this simple and highly customizable app. You can also organize your files with a tag system, which is helpful when quickly searching for files and documents.

14. Laverna

Laverna is an open source free note-taking app for Ubuntu, which is a great Evernote alternative for Linux. Its official Linux client is effective for making, editing, or deleting notes. This app does not provide any in-house cloud storage to keep or synchronize the notes. Rather, Dropbox can be used as linked cloud storage for saving all sorts of notes or documents. This is how the users get all the notes across the devices.

Important features

• Open-source Evernote alternative app or note-taking software for Ubuntu Linux.
• Offers easy integration with external cloud storage synchronization.
• Provides syntax highlighting and Markdown editing.
• The user can create notes and tasks.
• Provides distraction-free mode.
• End-to-end encryption.

15. Google Keep

Google Keep is the best alternative to Evernote and an independent note-taking app for all major OS, including Chrome OS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS devices. This online tool is developed and maintained by the giant technology company Google. Users can do almost everything that a fine note-taking software must have. You can install it as a standalone app or use a web app or extension on any system.

Important features

• It can capture or save anything a user can imagine, like text, web pages, documents, images, etc.
• Offers a voice recording memo.
• Can set reminders and easily integrate with the Google Calendar app.
• It is easy to share thoughts with others by using emails.
• A group of users can edit or create notes or tasks in one place at the same time.
• Various color palettes and leveling systems help to organize and search the required notes quickly.
• Can make a do list.

Finally, Insights!

Nowadays, note-taking apps are a must-have for any platform. And in this sector, Evernote was the best and unbeatable. But now things have changed. There are a lot of open-source note-taking apps available on the market that can be used as independent software or as an Evernote alternative for your Ubuntu Linux. Here I tried to include all the best alternatives to Evernote notes taking apps for Linux.

Don’t forget to share your experiences and choices when selecting the best Evernote alternative app with us in the comment section. Also, let me know if I missed any important apps to include on this list.