Open source Obsidian alternatives, licence by licence
Last checked: 3 November 2026
Obsidian itself is not open source — it is free to use, closed-source software. If open source is the reason you're leaving, these are the alternatives that actually qualify, with the exact licence of each.
Fully open source
- Logseq — AGPL-3.0. Local Markdown files, journals, graph, queries. Closest to an Obsidian vault.
- Joplin — AGPL-3.0. Notes database with encryption, strong sync options, real mobile apps.
- SiYuan — AGPL-3.0. Block editor, built-in daily notes, Docker self-hosting.
- AppFlowy — AGPL-3.0. Team workspace with pages and databases, self-hostable.
- TriliumNext — AGPL-3.0. Self-hosted, hierarchical, scriptable; the living fork of Trilium.
- Zettlr — GPL-3.0. A writer's desk over plain Markdown files.
The one that is only partly open
AFFiNE is labelled “open-core” here on purpose: its client is MIT-licensed, but its server and enterprise parts are proprietary. Plenty of lists call it simply “open source”. That is wrong, and it matters if open source is your reason for moving.
Open source is not the same as alive
A licence doesn't maintain an app. Dendron and Reor were open source too — Dendron has been silent since 2025-06-01 and Reor's repo was archived on 2026-03-07 (both checked 3 Nov 2026). Every tool listed above had a repository push within days of that check. Pick open and alive: see the alive-or-dead table.