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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to BlockNote – a “Notion-style” block-based text editor

Hi HN! BlockNote (demo @ https://blocknote-main.vercel.app) is my shot at creating an extensible, block-based editor (similar to Notion, Coda, etc.). Featuring different block types, animations (try changing block types, indenting, etc), menus, placeholders, collaboration and more you expect from a good editor. I'm on a journey to build a decentralized, live-programmeable and collaborative block-based editor [1] that syncs over Matrix [2], and unfortunately found that there's still not a great Open Source text editor component on par with something Notion's editor, which is why I…

BlockNote is an open-source, block-based text editor for web applications, similar to Notion or Coda. It supports multiple block types, animations, menus, and placeholders, built on Prosemirror and TipTap. The editor… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. BlockNote – a “Notion-style” block-based text editor launched in 2022; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    A beautiful text editor that just works. Easily add an editor to your app that users will love. Customize it with your own functionality like custom blocks or AI tooling.

    2023 · blocknotejs.org · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    A collaborative editor for notes, tasks, and wikis

    2017 · notion.so · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    Hey! I made Heynote entirely for my own use case. For many years, I always had an Emacs instance running with the scratch buffer open, even long after I had abandoned Emacs as my programming editor in favor of more recent IDE:s. The simplicity of having just one big scratch buffer appeals to me, but I still want to separate the different things I jot down somehow (without using tabs or similar). Previously, my solution was to insert a bunch of blank lines between the notes, but hitting C-A would still select the entire buffer. That's why I came up with the concept of "blocks", which turned…

    2023 · heynote.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    Collaborative block-based editor → ready to drop in your app

    2025 · tiptap.dev · its alternatives →

  5. 5
    Notelet▲348

    Create a website or blog with Notion.

    2020 · notelet.so · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    An expressive and collaborative document editor

    2015 · notion.so · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    A clean Markdown editor with a smooth, block-based UX

    Apr 2026 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8
    Notea▲288

    Free self-hosted open source note taking app, like Notion

    2021 · cinwell.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    An open-source text editor for web designers by Adobe

    2014 · github.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10
    Kraa 1.0▲359

    Hi HN! Excited to share the public beta of Kraa – a web-based markdown editor. It's aiming to be distraction-free and has strong separation of the document's styling from the experience of writing it — while still alowing for rich customization. Example of a leaf with custom styles: https://kraa.io/kraa/examples/echolibrary Curious about your feedback in hopes of improving Kraa before the planned launch later this year.

    Dec 2025 · kraa.io · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    Inspired by the design and UI/UX of apps like Notion, and utility of open-source apps like StackEdit, I decided to create a minimalistic, local-only WYSIWYG Markdown editor. Some features worth highlighting: - Monaco editor and Prettier integration for code snippets - Tables (apparently the holy grail of WYSIWYG editing) - Embeds (for CodePen, CodeSandbox and YouTube, most useful for HTML or JSON exports) - Accepts Markdown paste-in, and "exports"/generates HTML, Markdown and JSON outputs - Collaboration (with real-time awareness and initial commenting system, available only when…

    2023 · editor.vrite.io · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    I wanted to see how far I could go building a notes app using only what modern browsers already provide – no frameworks, no storage APIs, no build step. What it does: Single HTML file, no deps, 111 loc Notes live in the URL hash (shareable links!) Auto-compressed with CompressionStream Plain-text editor (contenteditable) History support Page title from first # heading Respects light/dark mode No storage, cookies, or tracking The entire app is the page source. https://textarea.my/

    Dec 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13IM

    Hi HN, Since 2019, I’ve been working on a writing platform designed for creating complex documents (e.g., theses). I personally use it for everything as it also allows to classify documents in categories so you can organize them efficiently. As of a few months ago, the app is also available in the browser, and you can now invite coworkers to collaborate on a document in real time. The app is somewhat inspired by LyX. It offers an intuitive, modern editor, but users don’t need to know any LaTeX. When it’s time to export, they can choose from a range of templates (IEEE paper, thesis, etc.). A…

    2025 · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Hey hacker news, I've worked on a note/wiki app nights and weekends for almost two years. While still missing some essentials and polish, I'm happy with the progress and some of my use cases: personal CRM, work notes, and a place to write/record funny things my kid says. I bought into the hype a few years ago with linking apps but quickly grew tired of spinners and steep learning curves, so I started over with a text box and my HTML skills from twenty years ago. Then Chatgpt came out, giving me the tools to add a bit of magic and dig into my stance on simplicity even more. I'd love…

    2024 · grugnotes.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15OA

    Hi HN! I got so frustrated with modern WYSIWYG editors that I started to play around with building my own. The problem I had was simple: I wanted a low-tech way to type styled text, but I didn't want to load a complex 500KB library, especially if I was going to initialize it dozens of times on the same page. Markdown in a plain was the best alternative to a full WYSIWYG, but its main drawback is how ugly it looks without any formatting. I can handle it, but my clients certainly can't. I went down the ContentEditable rabbit hole for a few years, but always came to realize others had solved it…

    2025 · its alternatives →

  16. 16
    Notepin▲349

    Extremely simple note-taking

    2017 · notepin.co · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    Thank you for your comments, just some context: - The app is available for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and the Web. - The Web version is implemented as a Progressive Web Application that is very responsive, local first, offline first, can be installed, and is entirely free to use. - Native (hybrid) versions do not require subscription fees and have small one-time payment. - You can store your notes in Git using any Git provider such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. However, it has the best built-in integration with GitHub. Self-hosted scenarios like Gitea are also…

    2024 · about.noteshub.app · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    A simple note taking app with focus on keyboard shortcuts.

    2019 · blocknote.xyz · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Open-source text-editor

    2024 · yoopta.dev · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Decentralized note keeping app

    2019 · notekeeper.vyse.in · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    Write like Notion. Save as Markdown. Ready for AI.

    2025 · tty215.github.io · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Create rich, interconnected notes with blocks

    2024 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    Hi HN – we first launched Supernotes[1] to HN in April 2020, and since then Tobias and I (it's just the two of us) have put in the work to make what we hope is an amazing note-taking app. Although the note-taking / personal knowledge management landscape is incredibly competitive at the moment (with lots of great apps adding great new features every day), we think that with the newly released Supernotes 2 we're keeping pace and delivering a unique and satisfying knowledge management experience. Here's the combination of features that make us stand out: - a powerful markdown-based…

    2022 · supernotes.app · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    Your handwritten notes straight to Notion. In seconds.

    2024 · note-this-down.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →