Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Joplin VS ForthWrite

Compare Joplin VS ForthWrite and see what are their differences

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Joplin logo Joplin

Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a large number of notes organised into notebooks. The notes are searchable, tagged and modified either from the applications directly or from your own text editor.

ForthWrite logo ForthWrite

Email that sounds like you, and gets measurably more like you every week. Drafts in Gmail, Outlook, and the browser. Free to start.
Visit Website
  • Joplin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-20
  • ForthWrite Landing Page
    Landing Page //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Dashboard
    Dashboard //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite In Gmail
    In Gmail //
    2026-06-19
  • ForthWrite Pricing
    Pricing //
    2026-06-19

ForthWrite is an AI email writing assistant for Gmail and Outlook that learns your writing style from your real sent mail. The more you use it, the more it sounds like you. Get smart drafts in seconds, auto-draft replies before you open your inbox, and maintain your personal voice at scale. Free to start, no credit card required. Works inside Gmail and Outlook on the web.

How it works

ForthWrite captures your tone, sentence rhythm, and sign-offs from your actual sent emails, then uses that profile to generate drafts that match how you write, not a generic AI voice. Every draft you edit or send improves the model over time.

Key features

  • Auto-draft: replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Voice matching from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Recipient-aware drafts that adapt to who you are emailing
  • Prompt Lab for version-controlling and A/B testing your persona prompt
  • BYOK support: bring your own API key for Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Works in Gmail and Outlook on the web, plus a standalone browser widget
  • Training data export and full data portability

Who uses it

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, founders, and anyone who wants their inbox handled without sounding like a chatbot wrote it.

Pricing

Free tier includes 10 drafts per week with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $12/month and include unlimited drafts, custom persona prompts, and auto-draft.

Joplin

$ Details
free
Platforms
-
Release Date
-
Startup details

ForthWrite

$ Details
freemium $12.0 / Monthly (Standard plan)
Platforms
Web
Release Date
2026 June
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
City
San Diego
Founder(s)
Curtis Boortz
Employees
1 - 9

Joplin features and specs

  • Open Source
    Joplin is open source, which means the source code is freely available and can be modified or studied by anyone. This ensures transparency and provides the community with the ability to contribute to its development.
  • Cross-Platform
    Joplin is available on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, which allows users to access their notes and to-dos across different devices.
  • End-to-End Encryption
    Joplin offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring that your notes and data are securely encrypted and only accessible by you.
  • Rich Text Support
    Joplin supports Markdown, which allows users to create notes with rich text formatting, including headers, lists, checkboxes, images, links, and more.
  • Synchronization Options
    Joplin provides multiple options for synchronization, including cloud services like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Nextcloud, enabling users to keep their data in sync across devices.
  • Resource Management
    Joplin allows users to attach files, images, and other resources to their notes, making it a versatile tool for managing different types of information.

Possible disadvantages of Joplin

  • User Interface
    The user interface of Joplin can be less intuitive and visually appealing compared to other note-taking apps, which might lead to a steeper learning curve for new users.
  • Limited Collaboration
    Joplin is primarily designed for individual use and lacks extensive collaboration features found in other apps like Google Keep or Evernote, making it less suitable for team-based tasks.
  • No Native Web App
    Joplin does not have a native web app version, which can be a drawback for users who prefer accessing their notes through a browser without installing the desktop or mobile applications.
  • Sync Configuration
    Setting up synchronization options can be complex for some users, especially for those who are not familiar with cloud services or network configurations.
  • Resource Intensive
    Joplin can be resource-intensive, particularly when dealing with a large number of notes or attachments, which might affect performance on older devices.

ForthWrite features and specs

  • Voice Matching
    Learns from your real sent mail, not templates
  • Auto-draft replies
    Replies waiting in Gmail before you open your inbox
  • Batch-drafting
    Draft replies for your entire inbox with one click
  • Works in browser
    Gmail, Outlook, and web browsers
  • BYOK support
    Claude, OpenAI, Grok, Mistral, and more
  • Prompt Lab
    Version control and A/B test your persona prompt
  • Free tier
    10 drafts per week, no credit card required

Analysis of Joplin

Overall verdict

  • Joplin is highly regarded among users who appreciate open-source software and need a versatile note-taking solution. Its extensive features, along with active community support, make it a strong contender in the productivity software space.

Why this product is good

  • Joplin is an open-source note-taking and to-do application with features such as synchronization across devices, support for rich-text and Markdown, and a web clipper for saving web pages and screenshots. It prioritizes user privacy and data ownership by allowing notes to be stored on local devices or using secure sync options like Nextcloud, Dropbox, or OneDrive. Additionally, Joplin supports end-to-end encryption to protect user data.

Recommended for

  • Users who prefer open-source applications
  • Individuals seeking a secure and privacy-focused note-taking app
  • People who need cross-platform compatibility
  • Users who want to organize notes using Markdown
  • Anyone looking for an alternative to mainstream note-taking apps

Joplin videos

Joplin, a free, open source, self hosted syncing note taking alternative to Evernote and OneNote..

More videos:

  • Review - Joplin Is An Open Source Alternative To Evernote
  • Review - Joplin Desktop: Take Notes With A Rich Markdown Editor

ForthWrite videos

No ForthWrite videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Joplin and ForthWrite)
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
Writing Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Notes
100 100%
0% 0
Email
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Joplin and ForthWrite.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Next.js, React, Supabase, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Stripe, Vercel, Chrome Extensions API

What makes your product unique?

ForthWrite's answer:

ForthWrite learns your writing style from your actual sent mail, not a generic prompt. Every draft sounds like you wrote it because it was trained on how you actually write. It also auto-drafts replies before you open your inbox, so your email is partially handled before your day starts.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

ForthWrite's answer:

Most AI email tools give you a blank box and a "write for me" button. ForthWrite builds a voice profile from your sent history and gets more accurate with every draft you edit or send. Unlike ChatGPT or Gemini, it works natively inside Gmail and Outlook with no copy-paste. Unlike Lavender, it writes the draft, not just scores it.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Professionals who send high volumes of relationship-critical email and cannot afford to sound generic: lawyers, financial advisors, recruiters, account executives, consultants, and founders managing their own inbox.

What's the story behind your product?

ForthWrite's answer:

Built out of frustration with AI writing tools that produce text that sounds nothing like the person sending it, and as a way to handle large amounts of daily email. The core insight was that your sent mail is the best training data you already have, and no tool was using it.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Joplin and ForthWrite

Joplin Reviews

20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
Joplin is best defined as an open-source note-taking app. The app lets you take notes and access them anywhere as it backs all your notes on the cloud. You can create checklists, notes, and tables within Joplin or attach images and videos. In addition, Joplin supports diagrams and math functions, making it an inclusive note-taking app regardless of subject or topic.
Source: clickup.com
The 6 best note-taking apps in 2024
Not only is Joplin the best open source note-taking app on our list, but it's also the best free Evernote alternative too. For a number of reasons I'll explore below, I don't feel Evernote merits a spot on this list right now; however, because Evernote has been such a staple of the note-taking app space, most other apps compete by trying to be different. OneNote is awesome,...
Source: zapier.com
The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data
In order to synchronize Joplin among your devices, you need to set it up with one of several existing cloud services (such as Dropbox or OneDrive). You can also use Joplin Cloud, which is available in Joplinโ€™s paid plans: Basic, which includes 2GB storage space and 10MB per note or attachment, and Pro, which offers 30GB storage space, 200MB per note or attachment, and other...
10 Best Open Source Note-Taking Apps for Linux
It also supports alarms (notifications) for to-dos, End-To-End Encryption (E2EE) for security, allows for saving web pages and screenshots as notes using the web clipper extension available in Firefox and Chrome web browsers, and supports synchronization with cloud or file storage services such as services including Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Source: www.tecmint.com
The best encrypted note taking apps
Joplin is open-source, maintains Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows apps, and also offers built in cloud-sync functionality called โ€œJoplin cloud.โ€ Finally, Joplin scores highly on their use of end-to-end encrypted to keep all user notes private. For more convenience features Joplin offers a web clipper directly integrated into the notes app to allow for cataloging,...
Source: www.skiff.com

ForthWrite Reviews

  1. curtisboortz
    ยท Founder at ForthWrite ยท
    I built ForthWrite to fix generic AI email, and I still use it every day

    I built ForthWrite because I kept sending emails that sounded like they came from the same generic AI as everyone else. After launching it, I still use it for my own inbox every day, which is about the most honest endorsement I can give.

    The Chrome extension lives inside Gmail and Outlook on the web. Open a thread, hit Alt+Shift+D, and a draft comes back in your voice, not a template. The free tier is real: 10 drafts per week, no API key, no credit card. Voice matching is included on free, because that is the point.

    What keeps it useful compared to Gemini or a chat tab: it learns from what you actually send. Every edit you make before hitting send becomes a signal. Over time the drafts drift closer to how you really write, and the dashboard shows the improvement curve so you can see it happening.

    The web compose surface lets you draft from forthwrite.ai without installing anything, useful for people who want to try before committing to the extension.

    Standard adds recipient-aware and intent-aware drafting plus AI coaching. Pro adds auto-draft (replies waiting when you open Gmail), batch replies, and Prompt Lab for version-controlling your prompts. Teams adds a shared persona and seat-level analytics.

    ForthWrite is not for everyone. If you just need quick replies and tone does not matter, Gemini is free and already in your inbox. ForthWrite is for people where tone does matter: client communication, relationship-driven threads, external correspondence where sounding off costs something real.

    Disclosure: I am the founder and use it daily. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Jace.ai, Fyxer, Mailmeteor
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Drafts land inside gmail and outlook; no copy-pasting from a chat window|Voice matching is on the free tier, not paywalled behind paid plans|No api key, no credit card to start; free tier runs on a server-side proxy|Learns from every edit you make before sending; drafts improve over time|Full keyboard flow: alt+shift+d to draft in any thread, no mouse required|Byok on paid plans, 9 providers supported, keys encrypted at rest|Web compose at forthwrite.ai works without installing the extension at all
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    10 free drafts/week is enough to evaluate, not enough for a heavy inbox|Auto-draft, batch replies, and prompt lab all require the pro tier|Early-stage product; fewer third-party integrations than mature inbox tools|No mobile app: the extension and add-in are desktop-only (chrome on web, or the outlook desktop add-in)

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Joplin seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 358 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Joplin mentions (358)

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ForthWrite mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ForthWrite yet. Tracking of ForthWrite recommendations started around Jun 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Joplin and ForthWrite, you can also consider the following products

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

Superhuman - Superhuman is an email management tool.

Standard Notes - A safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life's work

Gemini - Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Google. Based on the large language model (LLM) of the same name, it was launched in 2023 in response to the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

Lavender - Realtime coaching for sales emails.