Joplin
I’ve recently started using a new notes app called Joplin for basic, low-stakes information sorting. People online mention Joplin as an open-source option, which was appealing as I try to decouple myself from the Magnificent 7 in my personal life. At face value, it isn’t anything to write home about, but depending on who you are, there may be a place for it in your everyday digital life.
From a usability standpoint, the baseline experience feels more like a stripped-down IDE for coding than it does a notes app. Syntax defaults to markdown formatting, which most people are unfamiliar with but is easy to wrap your head around with the program’s second pane that shows you how something looks in rich text (“normal” formatting). You can also forego the markdown formatting altogether and just use rich text, although you’ll want to read Joplin’s list of restrictions on that if you run into problems. There are a large number of plugins on the Joplin website you can install if you’re looking for a more robust experience that’s closer in functionality to the usual suspects (OneNote, Evernote, etc).
The real draw for me is that Joplin is open-source, with the option to sync your data to wherever you want it stored. By default, your notebooks are only stored on your computer, but you’re given the option to sync them to any location that recognizes a Windows folder structure. I currently have mine synced to an external hard drive at home until I can get something more sophisticated set up, but you can effectively put it anywhere. Just note that if you’re looking to make this accessible from multiple devices without using a pre-canned cloud service, you’ll need to be ready to roll in the mud and set up your own.
In short, I’d generally recommend trying Joplin if you’re someone on the ends of the spectrum of wanting a simple note-taking app and wanting something with a lot of customization options, if you’re someone who wants the catered experience out-of-the-box and also doesn’t care where your data sits, then the everyday, big names in the game will suit your needs better.