What is the main difference between Joplin and Zen?

Joplin and Zen are both note-taking tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Joplin or Zen?

The choice between Joplin and Zen depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Joplin to Zen?

Migration between Joplin and Zen is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Joplin vs Zen

Learn how Joplin and Zen differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these note-taking tools is best for you.

Joplin

Cross-platform note-taking app with end-to-end encryption, Markdown support, web clipping, and sync via Dropbox, OneDrive, or Joplin Cloud.

Visit Joplin Read more

56,025stars+354(+0.6%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
4 hours ago
Repository age
10 years
Version
v3.6.15
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
laurent22/joplin

Sponsor Joplin ongithub.com

Zen

Minimal note-taking app storing Markdown notes in local SQLite database. Features instant search, flexible tagging, keyboard shortcuts, and offline access.

Visit Zen Read more

1,163stars+39(+3.5%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
4 days ago
Repository age
2 years
License
AGPL-3.0
Repository
sheshbabu/zen

Detailed Comparison

Both Joplin and Zen have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Joplin wins

Community & Popularity

Joplin significantly outpaces Zen in community adoption with 56,025 stars compared to 1,163 stars on GitHub. This 48.2x difference suggests Joplin has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Joplin has 6,235 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Zen wins

Growth Momentum

Zen is growing faster, adding 39 stars in the last 30 days (+3.5%) against adding 354 stars for Joplin (+0.6%). Zen is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Joplin last updated 4 hours ago and Zen 4 days ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, JSX. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Joplin uses Bash, Typescript, Python, SCSS, C, Rust, Objective-C, Java, Swift, C++, Ruby, Kotlin, MATLAB while Zen leverages Golang.

Joplin wins

Project Maturity

Joplin has been in development longer, starting 10 years ago, compared to Zen which began 2 years ago. This 8.2-year head start suggests Joplin may have more mature features and established processes.

Zen wins

Licensing

Zen is licensed under AGPL-3.0, while Joplin's license terms are not publicly specified.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Note-Taking. However, they also have distinct specializations: Joplin also focuses on Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), Secure & Encrypted Notes.

Joplin wins

Hosting & Deployment

Joplin provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while Zen may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.