Work · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Koala

Free, open source and web based bear alternative.

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 1 we have checked on their own sites, 1 of them free or with a free tier. Koala launched in 2022; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1
Bear▲600
A beautiful, flexible writing app for notes and prose
2016 · its alternatives →
2
Bear 2▲403
Simple, powerful, private Markdown notes
2023 · its alternatives →
3
Bear▲22
Bear is a beautiful writing app for crafting notes and prose
2016 · its alternatives →
4
NotesHub: cross-platform, Markdown-based note-taking app▲147
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 →
5
Bear – Minimal blogging platform▲685
Free, no-nonsense, super-fast blogging
2020 · bearblog.dev · its alternatives →
6
OpenNotas▲379
The best personal note-taking app, fast, secure & free
2024 · opennotas.io · its alternatives →
7
Evernote Web - Oct 2014▲435
Dictate notes, perform searches, and see recent content.
2014 · evernote.com · its alternatives →
8
Bear▲38
Beautiful writing app for notes and prose
2016 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
9
An open source alternative to Evernote (Self Hosted)▲241
An open source, markdown-based, self-hosted note taking webapp. - batnoter/batnoter
2022 · github.com · its alternatives →
10
GomScope▲63
Supercharge your Bear notes
2021 · gomscope.com · its alternatives →
11
Kompad▲278
An open-source note-taking app for devs
2024 · kompad.hudy9x.com · its alternatives →
12
Notea▲288
Free self-hosted open source note taking app, like Notion
2021 · cinwell.com · its alternatives →
13
NotesHub 2.x▲74
Markdown based note-taking app with git sync & kanban boards
2023 · about.noteshub.app · its alternatives →
14
NotesHub 3.3▲135
Fully cross-platform, Markdown-based note-taking app
2024 · about.noteshub.app · its alternatives →
15
Bamboo▲114
Markdown notes with AI under your control
Jul 2026 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
16KN
Kobble – Notes app that saves directly to GitHub▲179
2017 · kobble.io · its alternatives →
17
Koala ▲68
A service that gives people rewards for doing user testing.
2015 · its alternatives →
18
NotePlan 3▲264
Native (Mac & iOS) note-taking based on local Markdown files
2020 · noteplan.co · its alternatives →
19
Ivory for Mac▲159
A magnificent app for Mastodon
2023 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
20
Cheetah Note▲111
A notes app that's more than just a word processor ✍️
2018 · cheetahnote.com · its alternatives →
21
Tempad▲214
Subscription-Free, Synced & Secured Markdown Notes.
2017 · 2france.nl · its alternatives →
22
Oatsfree▲249
Free, open-source, and on device meeting notetaker
Sep 2026 · ariso.ai · its alternatives →
23
Grafobook▲83
An offline, free and open source note taking app for Android
2021 · play.google.com · its alternatives →
24
Kollate▲134
Bookmarking and note taking. For free.
2019 · 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 →