Report

Should I Use Joplin?

joplinapp.org·Analyzed 15 hours ago·9/19/2026·Based on 14 sources

Joplin, the open source note-taking application

Worth it

Buy if you want a free, private, cross-device notes app and can tolerate a no-frills UI.

Free open-source Evernote alternative: great value for personal notes, weak for teams; self-hosters must patch server CVEs.

Confidence: Medium

4.8/5

G2 rating

5 reviews

Free

Starting price

Joplin Cloud Basic ~€2.40/mo

Yes

Free tier

Apps fully free; Cloud sync is paid

Yes

Open source

Community-developed on GitHub

Value for money

Core apps free; paid sync undercuts rivals

Ease of use

Excellent user satisfaction, but no-frills UI

Feature depth

Solid core plus plugins; fewer built-ins than rivals

Support quality

Active community forum; no vendor SLA

Security posture

Multiple CVEs incl. server privilege escalation

Pros

Completely free, open source, no subscription for the core apps¹⁴
Cross-platform: desktop apps plus mobile
Paid sync cheaper than Standard Notes
'Excellent' user satisfaction in third-party comparisons^⁵
Plugin ecosystem extends core note features

Cons

'No-frills' experience next to polished rivals^⁶
Vocal Reddit minority dislikes it; sentiment is mixed^³
Users report sync stopping under certain conditions
Weak web app pushes users toward alternatives
Repeated CVEs undermine trust for sensitive notes^⁹

Gotchas

highSelf-hosters must patch fast: server privilege-escalation fix shipped only in version 3.3.3.¹¹
mediumJoplin Cloud raised prices after years of flat pricing; budget for increases.^⁸
mediumFree app means community-only support; managed hosting costs extra via third parties like Elestio.
mediumSome users report sync stopping entirely after detecting their setup; test sync early.

Best for

Privacy-focused individual note takers
Evernote refugees on a budget
Self-hosters
Cross-device markdown notes

Not for

Teams needing real-time collaboration
Web-first users — weak web app
Buyers wanting vendor SLAs and support
Sensitive-data teams that won't patch promptly

Pricing

Free (apps)

All desktop and mobile apps
Open source, community supported

Joplin Cloud Basic

~€2.40/mo

Joplin Cloud sync
Web app access

Security

Open-source project with several CVEs, including a 2.8.8 remote command execution and a Joplin Server privilege escalation fixed in 3.3.3; patch promptly if self-hosting.

Remote command execution in Joplin 2.8.8Advisory describes an external attacker able to execute commands; fixed in later versions.¹⁰
Privilege escalation in Joplin ServerVia user patch endpoint; addressed in version 3.3.3.¹¹
CVE-2026-22810 — path traversalPath traversal vulnerability listed on NVD.^⁹
CVE-2026-34600 — information disclosureInformation disclosure vulnerability tracked in SentinelOne's database.¹²