Joplin vs Notion vs Note Cargo: Which is better? (2026)
Notion is an all-in-one cloud workspace with real-time collaboration. Joplin is a free open-source Markdown app with E2E encryption.
TL;DRNotion is an all-in-one workspace with databases and real-time collaboration. Joplin is an open-source Markdown app with E2E encryption and S3/WebDAV sync.
Note Cargo is web-based and stores Markdown in your own S3/R2 bucket.
Notion wins on collaboration. Joplin wins on E2E encryption and offline access. Note Cargo wins on simplicity and data ownership.
18
Note Cargo wins
17
Joplin wins
14
Notion wins
Feature
Joplin
Notion
Note Cargo
Pricing
Starting price
Free
$12/mo
$4
Pricing model
Free
Subscription
One-Time
Demo/Trial
Data & Privacy
You own your storage
Doesn't train on your notes
Open source
Sync All Devices
Device Theft Resistant
Unlimited Storage
Platform
Web app
Mobile app
Desktop app
Offline access
Bloated Features
MCP Support
Markdown & Portability
Markdown support
Export Data
Notes Linking
Codeblock
Collaboration
Real-time collaboration
Note sharing
Self-Hosting
Self-hostable
Low RAM usage
Modifiable code
No Database
Zero Dependency
Ready to switch to Note Cargo?
Self-hosted, Markdown-native, stored in your own S3/R2. One-time payment, no subscriptions.