---
title: "Compare · tnotes"
description: "tnotes compared with 12 note-taking tools — Apple Notes, Dendron, Joplin, jrnl, Logseq, nb, Neorg, Notion, Obsidian, Org mode, Vimwiki, Zettlr: storage format, "
canonical: https://tnotes.app/compare
---

# \# tnotes vs other note-taking tools

Honest, feature-by-feature comparisons. Most of these tools are good; the question is whether you want notes as plain files you can drive from a terminal. Each page ends with a recipe for using both on the same folder where that is possible.

| Tool | Runs in the terminal | \[\[Wikilinks\]\] | Headless CLI | JSON output for scripts / agents | Sync | Open source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| tnotes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs Apple Notes](/compare/tnotes-vs-apple-notes)desktop app | ✗ | ~ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| [tnotes vs Dendron](/compare/tnotes-vs-dendron)editor plugin | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs Joplin](/compare/tnotes-vs-joplin)desktop app | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs jrnl](/compare/tnotes-vs-jrnl)CLI | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs Logseq](/compare/tnotes-vs-logseq)desktop app | ✗ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs nb](/compare/tnotes-vs-nb)CLI | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs Neorg](/compare/tnotes-vs-neorg)editor plugin | ✓ | ~ | ✗ | ✗ | ~ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs Notion](/compare/tnotes-vs-notion)web app | ✗ | ~ | ✗ | ~ | ✓ | ✗ |
| [tnotes vs Obsidian](/compare/tnotes-vs-obsidian)desktop app | ~ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ✗ |
| [tnotes vs Org mode](/compare/tnotes-vs-org-mode)editor plugin | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs Vimwiki](/compare/tnotes-vs-vimwiki)editor plugin | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ~ | ✓ |
| [tnotes vs Zettlr](/compare/tnotes-vs-zettlr)desktop app | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ~ | ✓ |

✓ yes · ~ partial · ✗ no. Full matrix, sources and dates on each page.

-   [tnotes vs Apple NotesApple's built-in rich-text notes app, synced through iCloud across iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web; zero setup, no files you can point a tool at.](/compare/tnotes-vs-apple-notes)
-   [tnotes vs DendronVS Code extension for hierarchical Markdown notes named a.b.c.md, in maintenance mode since February 2023.](/compare/tnotes-vs-dendron)
-   [tnotes vs JoplinOpen-source Evernote-style notes and to-dos with end-to-end encrypted sync, desktop, mobile and terminal clients.](/compare/tnotes-vs-joplin)
-   [tnotes vs jrnlPython command-line journal: timestamped entries in one plain-text file, natural-language dates, optional AES encryption.](/compare/tnotes-vs-jrnl)
-   [tnotes vs LogseqOutliner-style knowledge base with daily journals, block references and a plugin API; file graphs are Markdown or Org files, the newer DB graphs are SQLite.](/compare/tnotes-vs-logseq)
-   [tnotes vs nbSingle-script Bash CLI for notes, bookmarks and archives with git versioning, \[\[links\]\], tags and encryption.](/compare/tnotes-vs-nb)
-   [tnotes vs NeorgNeovim plugin for structured notes, tasks and journals in its own .norg format, parsed by tree-sitter.](/compare/tnotes-vs-neorg)
-   [tnotes vs NotionHosted workspace of pages and databases with real-time collaboration, a REST API and an official MCP server; content lives on Notion's servers, not in files.](/compare/tnotes-vs-notion)
-   [tnotes vs ObsidianDesktop and mobile Markdown knowledge base built around \[\[links\]\], a graph and a large plugin ecosystem.](/compare/tnotes-vs-obsidian)
-   [tnotes vs Org modeEmacs major mode for outlines, TODOs, agendas and literate documents in its own .org plain-text format.](/compare/tnotes-vs-org-mode)
-   [tnotes vs VimwikiA personal wiki inside Vim: linked text files with their own syntax, a diary, todo lists and HTML export, for people who already live in Vim.](/compare/tnotes-vs-vimwiki)
-   [tnotes vs ZettlrElectron Markdown editor for academic writing: citations, Pandoc export and a Zettelkasten layer on plain files.](/compare/tnotes-vs-zettlr)