Craft
Joplin
| Feature | Craft | Joplin |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $5/mo | Free / from $2.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | apple-users, writers, teams, knowledge-workers | privacy-advocates, developers, linux-users, evernote-migrants |
| Founded | 2019 | 2017 |
| Block Editor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Nested Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Assistant | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Markdown | ✗ | ✓ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
| Web Clipper | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plugins | ✗ | ✓ |
| Notebooks | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Craft Pros
- Stunning native Apple design
- Fast and responsive
- Good sharing and collaboration
- AI assistant included
✗ Craft Cons
- Best on Apple devices
- Limited web version
- Less powerful databases than Notion
✓ Joplin Pros
- Free and open-source
- End-to-end encryption
- Self-host option
- Import from Evernote
✗ Joplin Cons
- Less polished UI
- Sync requires setup
- Limited collaboration
The Verdict
Craft is built for apple users and writers, with a focus on block-editor and nested-pages. Joplin targets privacy advocates and developers and leads with markdown and encryption.
Pricing is close: Joplin starts at $2.99/mo versus $5/mo for Craft — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Craft edges out on user ratings (4.6 vs 4.2). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Craft has a slight overall edge — but if free and open-source matters most to you, Joplin may still be the right call.