Trilium Notes
Build your personal knowledge base with hierarchical notes
About Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is a free, open-source hierarchical note-taking application focused on building large personal knowledge bases. It supports rich text editing, note scripting, bi-directional linking, end-to-end encryption, and self-hosting with sync. Originally created in 2017 and now maintained by the TriliumNext community, it offers an optional paid hosted service at trilium.cc for those who prefer a managed setup.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open-source with full feature access and no paywalls
- Powerful hierarchical organization with note cloning for complex knowledge structures
- JavaScript note scripting enables custom automations unavailable in Notion or Obsidian
- End-to-end encryption for individual notes or subtrees provides strong data protection
- Full offline desktop app with server sync means data never leaves your control
- All-in-one note types — text, code, diagrams, canvas, Kanban, calendar built-in
Cons
- No native mobile app — mobile access is browser/PWA only
- Steep learning curve with overwhelming number of features and configuration options
- Utilitarian UI that is visually austere compared to modern tools like Notion
- Limited import ecosystem makes migration from other apps painful
- Smaller community ecosystem of themes, plugins, and integrations than Obsidian
Key Features
Hierarchical Note Tree
Notes arranged in infinitely deep tree structure with note cloning — same note appears in multiple branches without duplication
Rich WYSIWYG Editor
Visual editor supporting tables, images, math expressions (LaTeX), code blocks with syntax highlighting
Note Scripting
Notes can contain JavaScript scripts that run inside the app enabling custom widgets, automations, and dynamic content
Bi-directional Linking
Notes linked with typed relations and attributes forming a knowledge graph visible via Relation Map view
Web Clipper
Browser extension captures full web pages or screenshots directly into the note tree
Diagrams & Canvas
Supports Mermaid diagrams and Excalidraw-powered freehand canvas notes
End-to-End Encryption
Individual notes or entire subtrees can be encrypted with a password for sensitive content
Self-Hosting & Sync
Desktop client syncs bidirectionally with self-hosted or trilium.cc-hosted server instance
Note Revisions
Automatic versioned snapshots of notes for reviewing and rolling back changes
Kanban & Calendar Views
Built-in Kanban board, calendar view, and tabular data display for structured information
Pricing
- All features included
- Desktop apps for Windows, macOS, Linux
- Self-host on any server
- No feature restrictions
- Managed hosted instance
- Encrypted daily backups
- Auto-updated
- Custom subdomain
- Everything in Monthly
- 15% discount
- Custom domain add-on available ($16/year)
Best For
Personal Knowledge Base
Build a deeply organized repository of notes, references, and linked ideas for long-term knowledge management
Developer Documentation
Use code note types, scripting, and Mermaid diagrams to document projects and store runbooks
Journaling & Daily Notes
Keep a dated journal using calendar view and hierarchical structure to navigate entries over time
Self-Hosted Team Wiki
Run an internal wiki with structured content and browser access without paying for Notion or Confluence
Project & Task Management
Manage projects with Kanban boards, checklists, linked notes, and calendar views in one tool
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