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Joplin VS Reference.com

Compare Joplin VS Reference.com and see what are their differences

PrivacyNotes
Zero-knowledge encrypted notes, tasks, journals, files, and passwords in one app. Your keys never leave your device. One-time price, no subscription. Hosted in Switzerland. sponsored
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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

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.

Reference.com logo Reference.com

Reference.com is the #1 question answering service that delivers the best answers from the web and real people - all in one place.
  • Joplin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-20
  • Reference.com Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-27

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.

Reference.com features and specs

  • Comprehensive Information
    Reference.com provides a broad range of information across various topics, making it a versatile resource for quick fact-checking and general knowledge.
  • Search Functionality
    The website features a user-friendly search bar that allows users to quickly find information on specific queries without navigating through multiple categories.
  • Accessible Language
    Content on Reference.com is often written in clear and accessible language, making it easy for users of all ages and education levels to understand.
  • Free Access
    Most of the content on Reference.com is available for free, allowing users to access a wealth of information without any subscription or cost barriers.

Possible disadvantages of Reference.com

  • Advertisements
    The site contains numerous advertisements, which can be distracting and may detract from the user experience by slowing down page load times.
  • Generalized Information
    Due to its broad focus, some information on Reference.com can be generalized and may lack depth compared to specialized resources.
  • Source Credibility
    The credibility of the information can vary, as Reference.com aggregates content from a variety of sources, some of which may not be highly reputable.
  • Lack of Academic References
    The website does not consistently provide sources or citations for its information, which can be a drawback for users seeking verified academic references.

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

+ Add

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

Reference.com videos

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

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Joplin and Reference.com)

Joplin

Reference.com

Note Taking
100 100%
Note Taking
0% 0
Languages
0 0%
Languages
100% 100
Notes
100 100%
Notes
0% 0
Translation Management
0 0%
Translation Management
100% 100

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 Reference.com

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...
Source: www.theverge.com
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

Reference.com Reviews

We have no reviews of Reference.com yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Joplin seems to be a lot more popular than Reference.com. While we know about 358 links to Joplin, we've tracked only 13 mentions of Reference.com. 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)

  • Show HN: Files.md โ€“ open-source alternative to Obsidian
    What is this providing over similarly Markdown based open source note taking applications like Joplin? (https://joplinapp.org/) I've been a huge fan of the fact that my backend sync infrastructure is my own self-hosted S3 bucket with local clients handling the presentation layer. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • An Introduction to Obsidian
    Shout out to Joplin (https://joplinapp.org/), which I use on a daily basis. It does most of what Obsidian does but has a free sync version where you just use your cloud drive as the storage. The main thing missing, from what I've found, is that it does do the "notes mind map". But I never really found that useful. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Ditching Obsidian and building my own
    I use Joplin (https://joplinapp.org) on mobile and pc(windows and Linux). Joplin has a free encrypted sync via OneDrive. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Why I switched from obsidian: A real developerโ€™s story and what Iโ€™m using now
    Joplin Official Website My current workhorse for fast, reliable notes. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (February 2025)
    Thanks! I built the editor using Tiptap (https://tiptap.dev/) does something similar. I'll think about this for sure, especially since I've been thinking of making it possible to save and read local files. If you'd like to try Gorby, send me an email and I'll be happy to give you a free license code :). - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

Reference.com mentions (13)

  • Name a player who is a โ€œlegendโ€ for your team, but was never that good
    This wasn't for my team but, I was looking in this comment section for any mention of Billy Butler. Couldn't find any after maybe 2-3 minutes of looking. I remembered him being better than his stats on baseball-reference.com say he is. Maybe that was because I used to play a lot of MLB 2K11 when I was a younger. Source: over 3 years ago
  • [Newbie] Is my Powered USB Hub too close to my HF+ Discovery?
    You can use WSJT-X,FLDigi,and other programs with the sdr software,but I'm no help there,as I use ham transcievers for digital. Look on radio https://reference.com for just about anything that you're interested in. It even has a state by state section.along with a database for cities and counties. You can spend a long time on that site,and learn a lot. Source: over 3 years ago
  • [US] This or That? - Which of these baby animals is known as a pup? [08-15-2022]
    I think a lot of this depends on the site from where Microsoft culls their answers. For rat, the first that pops up when selecting it says a baby rat is a "kit," but if you search, it changes. Squeaks and nibbles says, "A baby rat is called a kitten or a pup," whereas reference.com says "a baby rat is called a pup.". Source: about 4 years ago
  • Michael Kay on the Rich Eisen Show: "The #Yankees will not overpay for Aaron Judge, Based on what I've been hearing around Aaron Judge wants to be the highest paid position player, and would want $36M+ a year"
    Baseball reference.com shows him at 0 runs on defense, so perfectly average. NOt sure what you're looking at. I suppose statcast? I will have a look there. Source: about 4 years ago
  • The conspiracy chart. Flat earth is exactly where I expected to find it.
    The TOP response (reference.com) says 800f open air to 1500 ideal. Source: about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Joplin and Reference.com, 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.

Microsoft Translator - Microsoft Translator is your door to a wider world.

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

Crowdin - Localize your product in a seamless way with Crowdin's translation management software

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.

Google Translate - Google's free service instantly translates words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages.

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