A question buyers ask AI

Are there any note apps that keep everything as plain files on my own disk but still sync across devices?

Measured in 1 answer, last on Nov 10, 2026. Only the passages that name a brand are shown.

Brands in the answers

BrandNamed inRecommended inPositiveAvg. position
Obsidian100%100%100%—
Syncthing100%100%100%—
Logseq100%0%100%—
Joplin100%0%0%—

Where each answer names a brand

Answer 1 · Nov 10, 2026 · 5 sources cited
ObsidianRecommendedSite citedpositive
“### 1. — Best overall Obsidian official website”
+ standard Markdown files

“- Every note is a standard .md (Markdown) file.”

+ local folder storage

“- Files live in a folder on your computer, called a vault.”

+ editable with any text editor

“- You can edit them with any text editor.”

+ cross-platform support

“- Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.”

+ links, tags, backlinks, graphs and plugins

“- Supports links between notes, tags, backlinks, graphs and plugins.”

+ supports external synchronisation tools

“Obsidian explicitly supports using external synchronisation tools.”

LogseqSite citedpositive
“### 2. — Best for connected thinking Logseq official website”
+ Markdown or Org-mode file storage

“- Stores information in Markdown or Org-mode files.”

+ daily journaling

“- Excellent for daily journaling.”

+ backlinks and knowledge graphs

“- Supports backlinks and knowledge graphs.”

+ open-source

“- Open-source.”

+ local file storage

“- Supports local file storage.”

+ personal knowledge base

“It's particularly interesting if you like building a personal knowledge base rather than simply keeping notes.”

JoplinSite citedmixed
“### 3. — Best for traditional notes Joplin official website”
+ open-source

“- Open-source.”

+ offline-first

“- Offline-first.”

+ notebooks, tags, attachments and Markdown

“- Supports notebooks, tags, attachments and Markdown.”

+ synchronisation services

“- Supports synchronisation through Nextcloud, WebDAV, Dropbox and other services.”

− not ordinary Markdown files for working notebook

“One distinction: Joplin uses its own local storage rather than keeping your entire working notebook as ordinary Markdown files.”

SyncthingRecommendedSite citedpositive
“## The synchronisation solution: Syncthing Syncthing official website”
+ synchronises ordinary folders

“- Synchronises ordinary folders between your devices.”

+ no cloud storage account required

“- Doesn't require a cloud storage account.”

+ no central cloud server storage

“- Doesn't store your files on a central cloud server.”

+ encrypted transfers

“- Encrypts transfers between devices.”

+ cross-platform support

“- Works across Windows, macOS and Linux, with Android support through community-maintained apps.”

+ direct device-to-device exchange

“Your devices exchange files directly, including over the internet.”

− not a backup

“One important caveat: Syncthing is not a backup.”

Sources the answers cite

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