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Google Keep vs Joplin

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Google Keep is for quick notes and lists. Joplin is for organised notes you plan to keep for years. They overlap less than it first seems.

Key differences

TopicGoogle KeepJoplin
OrganisationLabels and coloursNotebooks, sub-notebooks and tags
FormattingBasicMarkdown
SyncGoogle account onlyJoplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV
End-to-end encryptionNoOptional
Shared editingYes, shared notesLimited, through Joplin Cloud
RemindersTime remindersTo-do items with alarms

App details side by side

Google KeepJoplin
DeveloperGoogle LLCJoplin
PriceFreeFree
LicenseFreeFree, open source; optional paid Joplin Cloud
AdsNo adsNo ads
Offline useNotes created offline sync when you reconnectNotes are stored on the device and sync when connected
User rating here 4.4 (1.6M) 4.2 (22.4k)
Current version5.24.382.01.903.1.8
File size23.1 MB71.6 MB
Requires Android8.0+7.0+
Permissions recordedYesYes
Official sourceWebsiteWebsite
APK availabilityHosted here (authorised)Hosted here (authorised)
Version updated20 August 202614 August 2026

"Not available" means we haven't confirmed that detail yet. We don't guess version numbers or sizes.

Main features

Google Keep

  • Text notes, checklists, voice notes and sketches
  • Time reminders
  • Labels and colour coding
  • Shared notes for collaboration
  • Home screen widgets

Joplin

  • Notebooks, tags and to-do items
  • Markdown editor
  • Sync through Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud or WebDAV
  • Optional end-to-end encryption
  • Apps for Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS and Linux

Which one fits you

If your notes are mostly shopping lists and reminders, Keep is quicker. If you write longer notes and care about export and storage, Joplin gives more control.

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