A Notion, Obsidian and Evernote alternative with no cloud

A Notion alternative with no cloud.

Notion keeps your workspace on Notion's servers. Synomy gives you the pages, databases, boards and live co-editing on your own computer, and sends each change straight to the people you share it with, end-to-end encrypted.

An Obsidian alternative you can share live.

Like Obsidian, every page is a plain Markdown file in a folder you choose. Synomy adds what Obsidian leaves to a paid sync service or leaves out: several people on one page at once, computer to computer, with no server in between.

An Evernote and OneNote alternative that stays home.

Evernote keeps your notes on its servers and OneNote keeps notebooks in OneDrive. In Synomy they stay on your disk, every page with its full history, and search finds them by what they mean, not just the words you typed.

Write together like Google Docs, without Google.

Everyone on one page at once, every pointer, selection and word as it happens. Google Docs does that on Google's servers. Synomy does it between your computers, locked before it leaves.

An Otter alternative with no bot in the call.

Otter and Fireflies send a bot into your meeting and upload the recording. Synomy listens on your own computer and types out every word, every voice told apart. The audio is never uploaded.

An Overleaf alternative that compiles on your laptop.

Overleaf compiles your document on its servers, with a time limit on the free plan. Synomy's LaTeX extension compiles on your own laptop: code on the left, the PDF on the right, rebuilt as you go, and no compile timeouts.

Before you switch.

Can I bring my notes from Notion or Obsidian?

Yes. Export them as Markdown and bring the files in with /import on a page, or drop them onto one. Synomy keeps every page as a Markdown file too, so nothing is locked in on the way out either.

What does decentralized mean here?

There is no Synomy server in the middle. Your computer keeps your pages, and when you share one it goes straight to the other person's computer. Every computer that joins makes the network stronger.

Who can read what I share?

Only the people you shared it with. A page is locked on your computer before it leaves and opens only on theirs. There is no master key, so there is nothing for anyone to hand over.

Does it work without internet?

Yes. Writing, searching, typing out a meeting and compiling LaTeX all happen on your computer. Changes reach the people you work with the next time you are both online.

Is it free?

For your own notes, and for students and researchers, every feature is free, with no account and no trial. Teams can read Synomy for business.

Which computers does it run on?

Mac (macOS 11 or newer, Apple chip or Intel) and Windows 10 or 11. Synomy is still in beta, so expect the odd rough edge.