What is the difference between Mem and Joplin?

Mem is best for People who want AI-organized notes, while Joplin is best for Privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking. Mem starts at $14.99/mo and Joplin starts at Free.

Is Mem or Joplin cheaper?

Mem starts at $14.99/mo with a free tier. Joplin starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Joplin?

Both Mem and Joplin offer free tiers.

Mem vs Joplin

Mem is AI-powered note-taking that automatically organizes and surfaces relevant information, while Joplin is open-source note-taking with end-to-end encryption, Markdown support, and sync via any cloud. The biggest difference up front: Joplin is free, while Mem starts at $14.99/mo. Mem is built for people who want ai-organized notes, whereas Joplin targets privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking.

At a glance

	Mem	Joplin
Best for	People who want AI-organized notes	Privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking
Starting price	$14.99/mo	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
AI Organization	✓	—
Backlinks	✓	—
E2E Encryption	—	✓
Markdown	—	✓
Open Source	—	✓
Smart Search	✓	—
Templates	✓	—
Webclipper	—	✓

Mem

Strengths

Includes AI Organization as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows
Includes Smart Search as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows
Limited free tier — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes backlinks alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan has meaningful restrictions: limited free tier
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Moving notes out to another platform can be difficult — export options vary
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Mem → Full review

Joplin

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Moving notes out to another platform can be difficult — export options vary

Try Joplin → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Joplin is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Mem starts at $14.99/mo, but Limited free tier. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Mem offers AI Organization, Backlinks and Smart Search that Joplin lacks. Joplin brings E2E Encryption, Markdown and Open Source that Mem does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Joplin is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Mem is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Mem's biggest strengths are: includes ai organization as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows. includes smart search as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows. Joplin's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development.

Watch out for: With Mem, users commonly note that free plan has meaningful restrictions: limited free tier. With Joplin, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Mem if...

You need a tool built for people who want ai-organized notes
You specifically need AI Organization and Backlinks
You care about includes smart search as a core feature, purpose-built for note taking workflows
The free tier works for you: limited free tier

Choose Joplin if...

You need a tool built for privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking
Budget is a hard constraint — Joplin is free, Mem is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need E2E Encryption and Markdown
You care about open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development