this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2024
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I am looking for a note talking app to keep work notes in. My requirements are:

  • Allow hierarchical organization of notes (like project1, project1/build, project1/configure) and easy to navigate to different notes.
  • Allow basic formatting (heading, code block).
  • Run locally
  • (Optionally) Have a table of contents for quick navigation

Obsidian looked promising and had the additional benefit of storing notes in Markdown format for easy export. Unfortunately, I would need to buy a commercial license in order to store work-related information.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Joplin

Fits all your criteria


You can try mobile version demo here


πŸ‘€ OSX theme


🐹 on lemmy [email protected]

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I have heard good things about logseq and the other obsidian alternatives but in the end I never had the opportunity to try them

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Microsoft OneNote?

Or maybe something from Omnigroup?

https://www.omnigroup.com

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I will take a look at Omnigroup.

With OneNote, I have 2 issues:

  1. It has a rigid 3 level note organization (Notebook, Section, Page) and I cannot embed notes at different levels of the hierarchy.
  2. The version I have does not work offline (I have to sign in to a Microsoft account to launch the program).
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

My first thought was OmniOutliner. Not cheap, but it’s best in class for sure.

For cheaper/free alternatives, go to alternativeto.net and make sure to use the filters (OS, open source, etc.)

[–] frosch 2 points 5 months ago

Zettlr is a bit similar to Obsidian and FOSS, but imo lacks a bit in the hierarchical options.

I really like Anytype, too. Also Foss, can run/store everything locally but they also offer hosted plans. It has a different paradigm where everything is typed. But this offers a lot possibilities (linking things, using sets and collections)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I have used Zettlr a lot in the past and switched to Obsidian for my general work notes. Both retain the folder structure and would fit your needs for hierarchical organisation. Just load your desired folder as project/vault and you are done.

Obsidian has better backlinks and tagging workflow and a lot of nice plugins for productivity.

Zettlr dev states it is for (academical)writing and therefore will not focus on productivity features.

For Projects I prefer Logseq, as it creates a natural structure very easily and fast. The downside for me is the non standard markdown.