Evernote is useful tool to capture your idea. It’s more than a personal note like everyone think. We can do a lot of things with Evernote like creating a draft, make a shopping list, save an interesting link etc.
Currently, there are about 150 millions of people using Evernote to organize their information and works. So, it’s easy enough to conclude that Evernote is one of the most popular — and yeah, helpful — mobile apps.
But still, there are some people who keep going to look for another replacement. There are various of reasons to this. But, chance that they want to take control of their information. Or, probably they curious enough to see Evernote-like’s source code and want develop the similar app for a specific need.
I have met some open source apps similar to Evernote. If you want to move away from Evernote for the open source one, here are the list of the apps you can consider.
1.Turtl
Turtl has functionality similar to Evernote. You can do a lot of things with this app such as take notes, bookmark websites, store documents, and even share stuff with other users. The only different is that this app is open source. And, since it’s open source you don’t need to worry about your privacy.
Turtl is an cross platform and available for Android, Linux, Windows and Mac (iPhone is coming soon). If you create a draft on your Android device, you can continue it from other device you have. Helpful. Turtl’s code is licensed GPLv3 which means you can download and run your own Turtl server personally or in your company’s Intranet. You can get the Turtl’s source from its GitHub page.
2. Permanote
You may little bit disbelief if I tell you there is an open source iPhone app. But, Permanote is one of the exceptions. This is basically an paid app but you can learn how its work by accessing its source code from GitHub.
It’s too far to compare Permanote with Evernote because of this app only offers a specific feature to help you create notes. This app will be helpful if your work requires you to write more often. You can create and organize some draft while you are on the go with this app. You can also connect to your Dropbox account to backup your works.
3. Paperwork
If you really need an alternative app that really close to Evernote, Paperwork is the one you need. The features offered by this app are similar to Evernote. Organizing your notes with Paperwork is easier because of it lets you to put your notes to a notebook. You also allowed to add some tags over your notes to make it easy for you to explore them another day.
Paperwork also support for file attachment. You can add images of PDF files on your notes. Paperwork’s source code also available on GitGub.
4. Brainstorm
In Brainstorm, you notes are called boards. This app offers a live preview of what you’re writing. This app doesn’t offers any complex features. It is similar to Permanote with its specific feature to help create notes. Unfortunately, Brainstorm doesn’t offers you a better way to organize your works. It has no notebook but you are allowed to add some tags over your notes. Instead, you are unable to save your notes without adding one or more tags.
If you are curious enough, you can also see Brainstorm’s source code from GitHub.
5. Laverna
The Laverna’s interface is close enough to Evernote. You will see your notes and notebooks available on the left side of the app. So far, no mobile app available for this app. For now it’s only available for desktop based platform including Windows, Mac and Linux. You can also set your self-hosted version if it’s needed. In Laverna, you can format your notes with Markdown. Don’t worry if you don’t know Markdown. You can add formatting with a click using Laverna’s toolbar. If you want to see the Laverna’s source, you can visit its GitHub page.