What is the difference between Notion and Joplin?

Notion is best for Teams that want docs, wikis, and project tracking in one tool, while Joplin is best for Privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking. Notion starts at $8/user/mo and Joplin starts at Free.

Is Notion or Joplin cheaper?

Notion starts at $8/user/mo with a free tier. Joplin starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Joplin?

Both Notion and Joplin offer free tiers.

Notion vs Joplin

Notion is all-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis, project management, and databases, 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 Notion starts at $8/user/mo. Notion is built for teams that want docs, wikis, and project tracking in one tool, whereas Joplin targets privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking.

At a glance

	Notion	Joplin
Best for	Teams that want docs, wikis, and project tracking in one tool	Privacy-focused users wanting open-source note-taking
Starting price	$8/user/mo	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
AI Assist	✓	—
Databases	✓	—
Docs	✓	—
E2E Encryption	—	✓
Markdown	—	✓
Open Source	—	✓
Templates	✓	—
Webclipper	—	✓
Wiki	✓	—

Notion

Strengths

Incredibly flexible — databases, docs, wikis in one tool
Beautiful, clean interface
Strong template ecosystem
Good API for integrations

Weaknesses

Can be slow, especially with large workspaces
Steep learning curve for non-technical users
Offline support is limited
Search could be better

Try Notion → 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. Notion starts at $8/user/mo, but Free for personal use, limited blocks. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Notion offers AI Assist, Databases and Docs that Joplin lacks. Joplin brings E2E Encryption, Markdown and Open Source that Notion does not have.

Team fit: Notion is geared toward any size teams, while Joplin is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

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

Where each tool shines: Notion's biggest strengths are: incredibly flexible — databases, docs, wikis in one tool. beautiful, clean interface. Joplin's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development.

Watch out for: With Notion, users commonly note that can be slow, especially with large workspaces. With Joplin, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Notion if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want docs, wikis, and project tracking in one tool
You specifically need AI Assist and Databases
You care about beautiful, clean interface
Your team size fits the any size profile Notion is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for personal use, limited blocks

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, Notion 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