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Joplin

COLLAB
Velocity3.8

Open-source note-taking and to-do application with end-to-end encryption and multi-device sync

joplinapp.org ↗

Joplin adds AI chat, semantic search, and an MCP server — local-first notes just became an AI knowledge hub.

privacyopen-sourceai-integrationknowledge-managementcross-platformlocal-first
◆Current state
Joplin is a privacy-first, open-source note-taking app with strong cross-platform sync, end-to-end encryption, and an active plugin ecosystem. Version 3.7 marked a sharp pivot: the app shipped an AI chat panel, semantic search, and a built-in MCP server — features that let LLMs read and write your notes either via Joplin Cloud AI or a locally-hosted model, with no data leaving your machine in the local case. The open-source, offline-first positioning is now a genuine differentiator against closed AI-first note tools.
◆Where it's heading
Joplin is evolving from a sync-and-edit foundation toward a local-first AI knowledge base. The MCP server, semantic search, and plugin LLM API introduced in 3.7 collectively turn Joplin into a node in agentic workflows — not just a document store. Prior releases (3.2–3.6) systematically closed the gap with commercial note apps on UX, mobile parity, and import fidelity; 3.7 signals the team is now ready to build on that foundation with AI capabilities that respect the privacy guarantees users came for.
◆Prediction
The most likely next move is maturing the 3.7 AI features out of beta and expanding Joplin Cloud AI as a revenue driver, while the plugin API's new LLM hooks spawn third-party automation tools. The Rocketbook and HTR integrations announced in late 2024 are still outstanding; expect one of those to land in 3.8 or 3.9 as the partnership with the French government institution matures.

◆Recent moves

  1. 10d ago

    What's new in Joplin 3.7

    ⚡ SPARK

    Joplin 3.7 is the release that transforms the app from a sync tool into an AI knowledge hub — AI chat, semantic search, an MCP server, and whiteboards all ship together, backed by a local-model path that keeps notes off third-party servers.

    View source ↗
  2. 4mo ago

    What's new in Joplin 3.6

    Joplin 3.6 delivered the visual Markdown editor that long-time users wanted — formatting renders as you type, not just in the viewer — alongside YouTube embeds, a substantially better OneNote importer, and sync conflict fixes. These are the UX refinements that reduce the friction gap with commercial note apps, setting the stage for 3.7's AI layer to land on a polished foundation.

    View source ↗
  3. 6mo ago

    Introducing our Warrant Canary

    Joplin introduced a cryptographically signed warrant canary updated every 60 days — a concrete privacy commitment that matters for the government, defense, and enterprise users the HMD Terra M partnership is targeting. It fits the trajectory of Joplin positioning itself as trust-infrastructure for privacy-sensitive deployments, not just a consumer notes app.

    View source ↗
  4. 7mo ago

    Joplin will come preloaded on the HMD Terra M

    Joplin being preloaded on HMD's rugged Terra M device is a distribution milestone — it puts the app in front of government, defense, and field-operations buyers who would never find it in an app store. The alignment with HMD Secure's sovereignty positioning directly reinforces Joplin's offline-first, end-to-end-encrypted story.

    View source ↗
  5. 8mo ago

    What's new in Joplin 3.5

    Joplin 3.5 was a broad quality cycle: more stable Markdown editing, case-insensitive tags, a more polished profile manager, and about 114 bug fixes. It continued the steady UX convergence with commercial alternatives that makes the 3.7 AI features land in an app that no longer feels rough around the edges.

    View source ↗
  6. 11mo ago

    What's new in Joplin 3.4

    Joplin 3.4 cut the desktop app size by 33% (211 MB → 141 MB on macOS ARM) and shipped a beta Rich Text Editor on mobile — two meaningful wins for adoption. The 33% size reduction is a concrete download-friction reduction; the mobile RTE closes a feature gap that caused users to choose Notion or Bear instead.

    View source ↗