Comparison
nTilia or Joplin: which notes app for sensitive notes?
The short answer
Joplin is a free, open-source notes app on every device, with end-to-end encrypted sync, plugins and web clipping. nTilia is an offline notes app built for field work: Missions, audio transcribed on the device, Travel Mode for checkpoints and a citable journal. For a general-purpose, open-source, end-to-end encrypted notebook, choose Joplin; to report in the field and then publish, choose nTilia.
nTilia and Joplin, side by side
| Criterion | nTilia | Joplin |
|---|---|---|
| PriceJoplin’s edge | Free; Pro at $14/mo | Free, open-source app; Joplin Cloud from €2.99/mo (optional) |
| PlatformsJoplin’s edge | Web and installable app (PWA); no native app | Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and the terminal |
| OfflineTie | Everything works offline | Everything works offline |
| SyncJoplin’s edge | Included (25 articles a month on Free); not end-to-end, so the published journal stays readable; “device” notes never synced | End-to-end encrypted; Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive and others |
| AudionTilia’s edge | Recording inside the note; on-device Whisper transcription of an interview (Pro), on computers and WebGPU-capable phones | Audio files as attachments; offline voice typing on Android (beta) |
| Field worknTilia’s edge | Missions (one folder per trip), photo, place and GPS, private map | Notebooks and tags; no organization by trip |
| CheckpointnTilia’s edge | Travel Mode (Pro): a copy with a safe recipient, then the phone is emptied of sensitive notes, with no way back on the spot | No dedicated mode |
| Extensions and web clippingJoplin’s edge | No plugins or web clipper | Plugins, themes and a web clipper (Chrome, Firefox) |
| PublishingnTilia’s edge | Bilingual FR/EN public journal, indexed from Pro, Cite block, Zenodo DOI (Pro) | Publish a note to the web via Joplin Cloud |
| Source codeJoplin’s edge | Closed | Open source |
Choose nTilia if…
- you transcribe recorded interviews without sending them to the cloud;
- you cross checkpoints and want a phone free of sensitive notes;
- you organize your work by trip, with place and map;
- you publish your notes as bilingual or citable articles.
Choose Joplin if…
- you want nobody else to be able to read your synced notes;
- open-source software matters to you;
- you want native apps everywhere, Linux included;
- you clip lots of web pages or like plugins.
What Joplin does better
Joplin is a serious contender: free, open source, available on every system, with end-to-end encrypted sync. For synced notes nobody else must be able to read, it does better than nTilia. nTilia does not end-to-end encrypt its sync, by design: an article published in the journal has to be readable; end-to-end encrypted, nobody could read it. Publishing is a choice: what must not leave stays on the device, in a “device” note that is never synced, encrypted at rest by the vault (AES-256-GCM, on the free plan).
What nTilia adds for field work
nTilia is cut for reporting: one Mission per trip, photo, audio, place and GPS inside the note, and transcription of an interview you already recorded, on the device. Joplin’s voice typing turns your voice into text as you type, on Android.
Before a checkpoint, Travel Mode hands an encrypted copy to a safe recipient, then removes sensitive notes from the phone. Joplin does encrypt data, but it stays on the device. And if you are forced to reopen the app, the notebook only comes back after 24 hours, unless the safe recipient approves.
Publishing
Joplin Cloud lets you publish a note to the web. nTilia publishes a bilingual journal, with one URL per language, a Cite block and, from Pro, a Zenodo DOI. Joplin offers neither a citable journal nor a Zenodo deposit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Joplin more secure than nTilia?
For synced notes, yes: Joplin end-to-end encrypts them, while nTilia does not, so the published journal stays readable (what you don’t publish can stay on the phone, encrypted by the vault). On the phone, against a search, nTilia adds the encrypted vault, Travel Mode, notes that never leave the device and local transcription.
Is Joplin free?
Yes, the app is free and open source. Joplin Cloud is optional, from €2.99 a month; you can also sync through Dropbox, OneDrive or other services.
Does Joplin transcribe audio?
Joplin offers offline voice typing on Android, in beta. nTilia transcribes interviews you already recorded with Whisper on the device, from Pro, on computers and WebGPU-capable phones.
Can I switch from Joplin to nTilia?
Yes, both use Markdown: export your Joplin notes as Markdown and import the .md files into nTilia.
Sources, checked on
Free · No credit card · Works offline