Joplin

ApplicationLaurent Cozic

Also called joplin app, joplin notes

Laurent CozicProductivity

An open-source notes app with Markdown and optional encryption. The process is Joplin.exe. It is not Obsidian.

What you need to know

Joplin is an encrypted-capable notebook. Obsidian is a Markdown vault.

Joplin.exe keeps notes in its own store and can encrypt sync. Obsidian reads a folder of files. Installing one does not open the other's library.

What is it?: Notes
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If Joplin.exe will not sync, I would check the sync target and the encryption password. I would not look for Obsidian.exe. That vault is a different product.

What is Joplin?

Joplin is an open-source note app. Joplin.exe is the Windows client. Notes can sync through Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, Joplin Cloud, or a file target. Obsidian opens a folder of .md files directly.

If you have never used it

If you want local Markdown notes you can encrypt and sync to a place you choose, this is Joplin, not Obsidian. Download it from joplinapp.org. Obsidian is a paid-company vault of Markdown files with a different plugin economy. Joplin stores notes in its own database and can export Markdown. It is also not OneNote.

What is it used for?

Markdown notes and notebooks

Notebooks inside Joplin's store. Obsidian uses a raw vault folder instead.

Optional end-to-end encryption

Joplin can encrypt the sync target. That flag is a Joplin feature Obsidian does not implement the same way.

Web clipper

A browser clipper saves pages into Joplin. That is not the Evernote clipper and not Send to OneNote.

Who is it for?

People who want open-source notes with encryption
Users who already sync Joplin to Nextcloud or Joplin Cloud
Anyone who should not open an Obsidian vault and expect Joplin notebooks

Current status

Actively developed. This article is the Windows desktop app, not Joplin Cloud admin.

How old is it?

Laurent Cozic started Joplin in 2017, around the same time Obsidian's later vault idea spread. Joplin is the open-source notebook with optional E2E sync. Obsidian (2019 public) is a different vendor. A page that treats them as one "Markdown app" fails the sibling-swap test.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Desktop

Mobile

Joplin Cloud

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Joplin.exe	Windows desktop app

Startup components

Joplin can start with Windows from its own setting. That is not Obsidian's startup option.

File locations

Common Joplin locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Programs\Joplin\Joplin.exe

File formats

Markdown exportJEXENEX importPDF

Common problems

Sync target conflict

Two PCs writing without sync finish can duplicate notes. That is Joplin sync, not an Obsidian vault merge.

People drop a .md folder on Joplin and expect a vault

Import Markdown if you need it. The default store is not Obsidian's folder.

Getting unstuck

Confirm Joplin.exe under the Joplin install folder

Obsidian.exe is the sibling people swap. Open file location if both are installed.

Install from joplinapp.org or the GitHub releases the site links

A "Joplin notes" search ad is the wrong file.

Write down the encryption password before you enable E2E

Joplin cannot recover that password. That is not an Obsidian plugin setting.

Alternatives

Obsidian, OneNote, and Notion overlap. Obsidian is the Markdown-vault sibling. Notion is a cloud workspace.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	joplinapp.org/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	joplinapp.org/help/ Vendor support
Official site	joplinapp.org/ Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

Local notes are light. A large attachment notebook wants disk more than a GPU.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Joplin official site · Vendor product page
Joplin help · Vendor support
Joplin GitHub · Source and releases
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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