I’m an avid note-taker, and for years, I’ve used several note-taking apps, including open-source options and even Notion. Notion, at one point, felt like a second brain holding my dashboards, linked databases, content pipelines, reading trackers, and more. The only problem was that it stopped feeling like an efficient note-taker the moment I realized I was spending too much time trying to maintain the system.
When I switched to QOwnNotes, it initially felt like a downgrade because I was digging into plain text files and folders. But this constraint came with clarity. It became easy to focus on what mattered most — writing, organizing, and retrieving information efficiently — because I was no longer focusing on databases to design or views to optimize.
I started writing again
Removing databases removed decision fatigue
As far as structural information is concerned, it’s hard to beat Notion. The tool makes it possible to model almost anything thanks to linked databases, rollups, filters, and custom properties. However, the downside to this level of robustness is that every new workflow becomes a structural decision. So I find myself constantly wondering if it should be a database, a property, or a filtered view. I often have to adjust the schema for changes that should be minor.
The export design of Notion, which flattens databases into CSVs, doesn’t help; it eliminates relational context and linked references. This architecture made more complex systems more fragile outside the Notion platform.
QOwnNotes is fundamentally different. Its notes exist as independent Markdown files, eliminating the need to maintain properties, schema migrations, and architectural friction before data capture. Its design ensures folders and tags bring organization. This is a simple, filesystem-native architecture. It allows me to transition from designing a workspace to writing, naming, and moving on.
My notes became files first and app content second
The filesystem replaced the platform as the source of truth
Notes created on QOwnNotes are stored in real directories of my choosing as .md files. Even though I recently switched to self-hosting Nextcloud, and it now holds a lot of these files, I can open them in Vim, VS Code, or any Markdown editor.
If you work across platforms as I do, QOwnNotes instantly becomes a great option because it has apps that work on GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows. This eliminates any fears associated with notes tied to single ecosystems. Even on my mobile devices, I can open notes using any Markdown editor that is connected to my synced folder, though I default to Nextcloud Notes on Android. This level of flexibility ensures that, rather than changing note apps to fit my workflow, any workflow I choose can adapt to my files.
QOwnNotes ensures that note titles are taken from the note’s first line. This may seem inconsequential, but it was a feature that seriously changed my habits. It made naming part of writing and encouraged clear, descriptive titles.
Organization comes from retrieval speed, not visual layout
The most important aspect of note organization is fast retrieval. QOwnNotes enables this with substring search, which finds queries even when they appear inside larger text. Because your files are local, the search results feel instantaneous.
QOwnNotes tagging is also robust, with options to assign multiple tags and create hierarchies. The tool also allows note filtering directly from the tag panel. Even though there are no relational databases, you get two independent organizational dimensions using QOwnNotes’ subfolders and tagging architecture.
It supports customizable keyboard shortcuts and includes a Vim mode. A standout feature is the Diff dialog, which shows what a file looked like before, what it looks like now, and highlights the differences. This helps you spot when there has been a change to your file from outside the app. This feature allows me to trust my archive.
Capture became frictionless again
The web companion and Markdown-first flow simplified intake
The problem with Notion is that adding information may require me to decide where it must belong in a database. That very decision makes me hesitate. QOwnNotes simplifies the capture architecture. I can directly send selected text to any note using QOwnNotes Web Companion. This extension is gradually becoming as invaluable as some of the browser extensions I install on every new computer. Using the extension, notes are saved as Markdown, avoiding schema and tagging decisions that Notion might require.
My notes can hold basic checkboxes (- [ ]). I integrate the Nextcloud Tasks backend to perform deeper task management. With this integration, I don’t need to force my projects into a unified dashboard just to keep them connected, since it supports creating and linking Nextcloud Deck cards from within notes.
One of the biggest benefits of the Markdown-first design is that my captured content is portable. Since I switched to QOwnNotes, I’ve stopped worrying about how a capture fits into a broader architecture; the “capture first, organize later” approach eliminated the barrier to note-taking.
Customization in QOwnNotes is spatial, not structural
I rearranged the interface instead of rebuilding my system
You may assume that a simpler tool is rigid, but this is not the case with QOwnNotes. It has dockable panels that I often float, stack, or rearrange. It also allows me to customize its toolbars. Dark mode, Markdown preview, spellchecking, tab support, distraction-free mode, full-screen mode, and typewriter mode are some of the features that make it truly flexible.
Because it’s written in C++ and optimized for low resource usage, it has become an easy option when I need to work on some of my older computers. And if I truly want to go lightweight, I stick to the portable version that runs from a USB stick.
If you want more control, QOwnNotes’ scripting support allows you to automate actions and integrate the OpenAI completion API within scripts if you choose. It also makes migration easy by providing robust import tools for Evernote and Joplin.
The tool that expects less and lets me do more
I still see Notion as a great collaboration choice. It’s the note app I would reconsider in a heartbeat if I were running a team. However, it carries an unnecessary level of abstraction when the goal is personal knowledge management, writing drafts, and maintaining a long-term archive.
QOwnNotes makes me feel like my note app isn’t expecting so much from me and is willing to work on my terms, not the other way around.
I’m done with OneNote — here’s what I’m using now
I left OneNote not for something better, but for something that fit how I think and work today.
