7 Best European Alternatives to Obsidian (2026), Compared

The best European alternative to Obsidian is Joplin (France): it is free, open source, stores notes in Markdown, has plugins and apps for every device, and syncs with end-to-end encryption – through Joplin Cloud in Paris or your own Nextcloud. If you want a local-first knowledge graph instead of a notebook app, pick Anytype from Switzerland, which encrypts everything on your device.

I wrote this ranking for people who like what Obsidian does – local Markdown notes, links between them, plugins – but would rather use software from a European company. Obsidian is made by Dynalist Inc., a Canadian company: its terms say the service is operated from offices in Canada and governed by the laws of Ontario. The app itself is free and keeps your notes on your device, so the question is less about privacy than about where your paid services live and who you depend on. Obsidian Sync, for example, runs on DigitalOcean, a US cloud provider, even if you choose the Frankfurt region. I compared twelve note-taking apps and kept seven that are made in Europe. For each one you get who is behind it, what it costs, what users say and what you lose compared with Obsidian.

What are the best European alternatives to Obsidian?

If you only have a minute: these are the European note-taking apps I would switch to from Obsidian, in order. Each one is reviewed in detail below.

1. Joplin (France) – free, open-source Markdown notes with plugins and encrypted sync. Best for most people leaving Obsidian.
2. Anytype (Switzerland) – a local-first, end-to-end encrypted knowledge base on every platform. Best for a private second brain.
3. Zettlr (Sweden/Germany) – a free Markdown editor that works on your folders, with citations. Best for writers and researchers.
4. Capacities (Germany) – networked notes built from objects, hosted in the EU. Best for a polished cloud app.
5. Bear (Ireland) – a beautiful Markdown app for Mac, iPhone and iPad. Best for Apple users.
6. Nextcloud Notes (Germany) – Markdown notes saved as files in your own Nextcloud. Best for self-hosters.
7. CryptPad (France) – encrypted Markdown and documents in the browser. Best for writing together privately.

Obsidian alternatives compared

Prices from public pricing pages. Affiliate links and sponsored placements are labelled.

“Data hosted in” shows where each app’s sync or cloud service keeps your notes, based on the vendor’s own pages and a DNS and ASN lookup of its domains (25 Oct 2026). Apps that only work on your device are marked as such.

How I compared the Obsidian alternatives

I looked at twelve note-taking apps and kept seven made by companies or projects based in Europe. The order is driven by how much of Obsidian you keep after switching – local files, Markdown, links, plugins and apps for every device – then by privacy and data sovereignty, then by price. Concretely, I weighed five things:

• Jurisdiction and ownership – where the operator is registered, who is behind it and where its sync servers are.
• Feature match with Obsidian – Markdown, local storage, linking between notes, plugins, and apps for desktop and phone.
• Data portability – whether you can import your vault and get your notes out again in an open format.
• Privacy and encryption – end-to-end encryption, open source code, and whether a US cloud or US AI service is involved.
• Price – what the app costs, and what sync between devices costs on top.

I left out five popular apps because their operators are not European. Logseq raised its seed round from US investors and does not name a European company. Standard Notes joined Proton in 2024, but its own terms still say it is operated by Standard Notes Ltd., located in the United States, under US law. AFFiNE is run by Toeverything Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, Notesnook’s terms fall under the laws of Pakistan, and Tana is sold by Tana Inc. All data comes from the vendors’ own pricing, about, legal, privacy and documentation pages, GitHub and Trustpilot, checked on 25 October 2026.

The best European alternatives to Obsidian, reviewed

Every European note-taking app below gets the same treatment: who is behind it, what users say, what it replaces from Obsidian and what it does not, its pros and cons, and my opinion on who should switch to it.

1. Joplin

The closest European match for Obsidian – free, open source, Markdown, plugins and encrypted sync

Joplin was created by Laurent Cozic; the first versions came out in 2017. The paid sync service, Joplin Cloud, is owned by a French company simply called JOPLIN, registered in Nancy (RCS Nancy 919 395 087), and its terms are governed by French law. Joplin says all Joplin Cloud data and servers are in Paris. My lookup shows the servers run on Amazon Web Services (AS16509) in Paris – a US cloud provider, but in an EU region.

What users say. Joplin’s Trustpilot profile has 3.7/5 from a single review, so it tells you very little. A better signal is GitHub, where the Joplin project has about 56,100 stars – one of the most-followed open-source note apps.

What it replaces from Obsidian – and what it doesn’t. Joplin is free and open source, stores notes in Markdown, and has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Like Obsidian, it can be extended with plugins and themes. Sync is where it beats Obsidian on price: you can sync for free through your own Nextcloud, Dropbox or OneDrive, with end-to-end encryption, or pay for Joplin Cloud from €2.40 a month. It also imports Evernote and OneNote. What you lose: Joplin imports your vault rather than opening it in place – your folders become notebooks inside Joplin – and its pages do not mention a graph view or canvas like Obsidian’s.

Facts: Operator France (Nancy) · app first released 2017 · app: free and open source (AGPL) · Joplin Cloud Basic €2.40/month billed yearly (€28.69/year) or €2.99 monthly, 2 GB · Pro €4.79/month yearly, 30 GB · free trial on paid plans · end-to-end encryption · imports Markdown, Evernote and OneNote.

Switching from Obsidian: easy – import your vault as a Markdown directory on the desktop app, and the folder structure is kept as notebooks.

My take: Joplin is the safest switch: it is free, open source, works on every device and lets you choose where your notes sync – including your own Nextcloud, which takes US clouds out of the picture entirely. It feels more like a notebook than a knowledge graph, but for most people that is a fair trade. Best for: most people leaving Obsidian who want Markdown, plugins and mobile apps. Not for: people who rely on Obsidian's graph view and canvas.

Visit joplinapp.org →

2. Anytype

A local-first, end-to-end encrypted knowledge base from a Swiss association

Anytype is made by Any Association, a Swiss association with its address in Zug (c/o Sielva Management AG). Its EU representative is Anylab GmbH in Berlin, and its terms are governed by Swiss law. Your data lives on your devices first; the sync and backup nodes run on dedicated servers in data centres in the EU, and the website itself runs on OVH in France (AS16276).

What users say. Anytype’s Trustpilot profile has 3.7/5 from a single five-star review, which praises the free, encrypted and cross-platform approach. One review is not a meaningful sample.

What it replaces from Obsidian – and what it doesn’t. Anytype keeps Obsidian’s two biggest ideas – your notes stay on your device and work offline, and everything can be linked – and adds things Obsidian charges for or leaves to plugins: free encrypted sync between devices, databases, shared spaces and chat. Apps exist for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. Everything is end-to-end encrypted; Anytype says even it cannot see your content, and you can self-host the sync network with Docker. Importing a vault is supported: notes become objects, wiki links become links, tags and front matter become properties. What you lose: your notes are no longer plain Markdown files in a folder (you can export to Markdown), embeds and plugin syntax such as Dataview must be cleaned up before import, and if you lose your key, your data is gone. The code is published on GitHub, but under the Any Source Available License 1.0 rather than a classic open-source licence.

Facts: HQ Switzerland (Zug) · free plan: yes (100 MB remote storage, 10 shared channels, unlimited private ones) · Plus $4/month billed yearly or $5 monthly (1 GB), Pro $8/month yearly (10 GB), Ultra $16/month yearly (100 GB) · 30-day money-back guarantee · end-to-end encryption · sync nodes in the EU · self-hosting possible · 50% off for students.

Switching from Obsidian: moderate – the Obsidian importer keeps links, tags and front matter, but you need to remove embeds and plugin syntax first.

My take: Anytype is the most private way to keep Obsidian’s local-first, linked way of working, and sync is free. It sits second because you give up the plain-file vault that makes Obsidian so portable – but if encryption and mobile apps matter more to you than files, it is the better pick. Best for: privacy-minded users who want a linked, local-first second brain on every device. Not for: people who want to keep a folder of plain Markdown files.

Visit anytype.io →

3. Zettlr

A free Markdown editor that works on your own folders – built for writing and research

Zettlr was started in 2017 by Hendrik Erz as a passion project. It is now run by a steering committee and developed, in its own words, between Sweden and Germany. It is free and open source under GPL v3, funded by donations, and has no company or cloud behind it. The website runs on netcup in Nuremberg, Germany (AS197540); the app itself works offline on your computer.

What users say. Zettlr’s Trustpilot page did not load when I checked. On GitHub the project has about 13,500 stars, a solid community for a free desktop app.

What it replaces from Obsidian – and what it doesn’t. Zettlr works the way Obsidian does at its core: you point it at folders of Markdown files on your computer, and your notes stay exactly where you put them. It supports Zettelkasten-style links between notes and a graph view, and adds things Obsidian needs plugins for: citations from Zotero, JabRef and Juris-M in over 9,000 styles, and Pandoc-based export to journal templates and presentations. There is no telemetry. What you lose: Zettlr is desktop only (Windows, macOS, Linux) with no mobile app on its pages, it has no sync of its own and no plugin store like Obsidian’s.

Facts: Developed in Sweden and Germany · started 2017 · price: free · open source (GPL v3) · Windows, macOS, Linux · works on local Markdown folders · Zotero, JabRef and Juris-M citations · no telemetry.

Switching from Obsidian: easy – open your existing vault folder in Zettlr; your files stay where they are.

My take: Zettlr is the only app here that can open your Obsidian vault without converting anything, and for academic writing it is better than Obsidian out of the box. It ranks third only because there is no mobile app – put your folder in a European cloud such as Nextcloud if you need the files elsewhere. Best for: writers, students and researchers who work on a computer. Not for: people who need their notes on the phone.

Visit zettlr.com →

4. Capacities

A polished, EU-hosted app for networked notes built from objects

Capacities is made by Capacities Labs GmbH in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany (HRB 735669, managing director Steffen Bleher). It describes itself as independent and funded by users rather than VCs, with a fully remote team across Europe. Your data is hosted in certified EU data centres on encrypted disks, with backups in several locations in Europe; the web app sits behind Cloudflare.

What users say. Capacities’ Trustpilot page did not load when I checked, so I have no user rating to report.

What it replaces from Obsidian – and what it doesn’t. Capacities keeps Obsidian’s linked thinking – link anything to anything, backlinks, daily notes – but organises notes as objects (people, books, projects, meetings) with their own properties instead of files in folders. It surfaces places where you wrote about something but never linked it, and runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. What you lose: it is a cloud app, not local files; it is not end-to-end encrypted; and its optional AI features send selected content to external AI providers, which its privacy policy says may be outside the EU. The free plan caps media uploads at 5 GB plus 100 MB a month.

Facts: HQ Germany (Freiburg) · free plan: yes (unlimited objects, 5 GB media then 100 MB/month) · Pro $9.99/month, 16% off yearly · Believer from $12.49/month · data in EU data centres · not end-to-end encrypted · full export to standard formats · student discount.

Switching from Obsidian: moderate – your notes move from files into Capacities’ object model, so expect to restructure.

My take: Capacities is the nicest-looking app on this list and a clear step up from folders if you think in people, projects and sources. It sits fourth because it is the opposite of Obsidian’s local-file philosophy – your notes live on its servers, unencrypted, albeit in the EU. Best for: people who want a polished, structured second brain and do not need local files. Not for: anyone who wants their notes encrypted or offline-first.

Visit capacities.io →

5. Bear

A beautiful Markdown note app for Mac, iPhone and iPad from Dublin

Bear is made by Shiny Frog Ltd, registered at 60-63 Dawson St, Dublin, Ireland, according to its privacy policy. The team is spread across Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, the UK and Japan. Bear does not run its own note servers: sync uses Apple’s CloudKit, so your notes sit in your iCloud account – a US provider. The website runs on Akamai’s Linode cloud in Frankfurt (AS63949).

What users say. Bear’s Trustpilot profile is unclaimed and has 3.7/5 from a single review – not enough to judge. Bear is mainly sold through Apple’s App Store.

What it replaces from Obsidian – and what it doesn’t. Bear is a Markdown app with a clean editor, tags, note encryption and app locking, and it exports to Markdown, TextBundle and plain text even on the free version. Bear Pro adds iCloud sync, PDF, HTML and DOCX export, themes and OCR search inside PDFs and images. What you lose: it only runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad – no Windows, Linux, Android or web – it has no plugins, and notes live in Bear’s database rather than a folder of files. Encryption in iCloud uses Apple’s keys unless you turn on Apple’s Advanced Data Protection.

Facts: HQ Ireland (Dublin) · free version: yes (no sync) · Bear Pro $2.99/month or $29.99/year (local App Store prices vary) · 7-day free trial · Mac, iPhone, iPad · sync through Apple iCloud (CloudKit) · free export to Markdown and TextBundle.

Switching from Obsidian: moderate – easy if you only use Apple devices, impossible if you need Windows or Android.

My take: Bear is the most pleasant app here to write in, and the company is in the EU. But sync depends on Apple’s US cloud and the app ignores everything outside Apple’s world, which is why it sits in the middle of the list. Best for: Apple users who mainly want to write and organise notes beautifully. Not for: anyone with a Windows PC or Android phone.

Visit bear.app →

6. Nextcloud Notes

Markdown notes saved as plain files in your own Nextcloud – self-hosted or with a European provider

Nextcloud Notes is an app for Nextcloud, the open-source cloud platform from Nextcloud GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany (HRB 227086, managing director Frank Karlitschek). Its authors are Nextcloud GmbH and contributors, and the app is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Your notes live wherever your Nextcloud runs – on your own server or with a hosting provider you choose. The nextcloud.com website runs on Hetzner in Helsinki, Finland (AS24940).

What users say. Nextcloud has 2.7/5 from 51 reviews on Trustpilot, but that profile covers the whole Nextcloud platform, not the Notes app. Users praise the control and the app ecosystem; complaints are about sync problems, desktop client bugs and how hard self-hosting can be.

What it replaces from Obsidian – and what it doesn’t. Nextcloud Notes saves every note as a Markdown file in your Nextcloud, so any Nextcloud client can open and edit it – close to Obsidian’s plain-file idea, but on a server you control. There are mobile apps for Android and iOS, categories to organise notes, and an API that other apps use. What you lose: it is a simple notes app – no graph, no backlinks and no plugins – and you need a Nextcloud account first, either self-hosted or from a provider.

Facts: Developer Germany (Stuttgart) · price: free app, you need a Nextcloud server · open source (AGPL-3.0) · Markdown notes stored as files · Android and iOS apps · current version 6.1.0 for Nextcloud 33 to 35.

Switching from Obsidian: moderate – copy your Markdown files into the Notes folder of your Nextcloud; links and plugins will not carry over.

My take: Nextcloud Notes is the most sovereign option here: plain files, open source, on a server you pick. It replaces only the note-taking part of Obsidian, though. Many people use it together with Joplin, which can sync through Nextcloud too. Best for: people who already run Nextcloud or want full control of their notes. Not for: anyone who wants Obsidian's linking and plugins.

Visit apps.nextcloud.com →

7. CryptPad

End-to-end encrypted Markdown and documents in the browser, from Paris

CryptPad is made at XWiki, a company based in Paris, France. It is free software under AGPL-3, has been supported by French and European research grants since 2016, and aims to be funded mainly by subscriptions and donations. The flagship instance, cryptpad.fr, runs on OVH in Roubaix, France (AS16276).

What users say. CryptPad.fr has 3.6/5 from a single review on Trustpilot; the reviewer likes the encryption but would like a mobile app and a better interface.

What it replaces from Obsidian – and what it doesn’t. CryptPad gives you a Code/Markdown editor next to rich text, spreadsheets, kanban boards, slides, whiteboards and forms – all end-to-end encrypted in the browser, and easy to share for writing together in real time. That is something Obsidian does not do well. What you lose: it is a web app with no linked-notes model, no graph and no plugins, and there is no native mobile app.

Facts: HQ France (Paris) · free account on cryptpad.fr: yes · paid plans on cryptpad.fr from €5 to €100 a month · open source (AGPL-3) · end-to-end encrypted · runs on OVH in France · can be self-hosted.

Switching from Obsidian: hard as a full replacement – best used next to another app for shared, encrypted documents.

My take: CryptPad is not a second brain, which is why it is last. But if you used Obsidian to share notes with others, it fills that gap with real encryption and French hosting. Best for: teams and families who want to write Markdown together privately. Not for: people looking for a personal knowledge base.

Visit cryptpad.org →

What European note-taking apps cost compared with Obsidian

Obsidian itself is free; you pay for Sync, Publish or a commercial licence. Most European alternatives are also free to use, and several sync for free – which makes them cheaper than Obsidian once you want your notes on more than one device.

Prices as shown on each vendor’s pricing page on 25 October 2026, in the currency shown there. Capacities shows 16% off for yearly billing. Bear’s App Store prices vary by country.

How to switch from Obsidian to a European note-taking app

1. Back up your vault. Your Obsidian notes are plain Markdown files in a folder – copy that folder somewhere safe before you start.
2. Clean up plugin syntax. Dataview queries, Templater fields and embeds only work in Obsidian. Convert or remove them, especially before importing into Anytype.
3. Import or open the vault. Zettlr opens the folder as it is; Joplin imports it as a Markdown directory; Anytype has an Obsidian importer; for Nextcloud Notes, copy the files into your Notes folder.
4. Set up sync. Choose Joplin Cloud, your own Nextcloud or the app’s built-in sync, and turn on end-to-end encryption where it is offered.
5. Keep Obsidian for a while. Run both apps side by side for a few weeks, then cancel Obsidian Sync or Publish once everything is in place.

Obsidian alternatives: FAQ

My verdict: which European note-taking app to switch to

Most people leaving Obsidian should go to Joplin: it is free and open source, keeps your notes in Markdown, has plugins and apps for every device, and lets you sync with end-to-end encryption through Joplin Cloud in Paris or your own Nextcloud. If you want a private, local-first second brain with free sync, choose Anytype from Switzerland. If you mostly write on a computer and want to keep your vault folder exactly as it is, Zettlr opens it without changing anything.

Whatever you choose, keep a copy of your Markdown folder – it is the reason switching away from Obsidian is easy, and it will make your next switch easy too.