Scrinium vs Joplin: the same principles, two very different first runs

How Joplin handles encryption

Joplin takes encryption seriously, which is why it appears on every honest list of private note apps. The nuance is procedural rather than cryptographic: end-to-end encryption is opt-in. A fresh install syncs without it until you enable encryption in the settings and let it run across your notes.

Once enabled, synced items are encrypted with a master key protected by your password, and your sync target sees ciphertext. The local profile is a different story — the working database on disk is not encrypted by default — so the same laptop caveats apply.

Scrinium is the same architecture with the switch removed. Encryption is not a setting: notes are sealed before they are stored or synced, the note keys are wrapped by a vault key that exists only in memory, and there is no state in which your content is sitting somewhere unencrypted because a toggle was missed.

Who can read your notes

Joplin wins on ownership and it is not close. The app, the sync server, and the storage layout are yours to run, notes export to Markdown or JEX, and the project’s longevity does not depend on a company. If self-sovereignty is the requirement, this is one of very few credible answers.

Scrinium aims at the same independence from the other direction. The sync backend is an encrypted blob store with a FileStore option, so you can run it yourself; notes are Markdown; and the client is small enough to be inspected rather than trusted.

The difference is who absorbs the operational work. Joplin puts storage, sync, encryption, and conflict handling in the user’s hands. Scrinium makes those choices for you and gives you the exit door if you want to take them back.

Editing: Joplin vs Scrinium

Joplin has two editors: a Markdown editor with a preview pane, and a rich-text mode that renders some formatting. Neither is a true inline Markdown WYSIWYG, and moving between them is a decision the user makes per note. On mobile the interface is functional rather than comfortable.

Scrinium renders Markdown in place as you type with no preview pane and no mode switch. Tables, task lists, code fences, math, diagrams, images, and headings are formatted on the same surface you are typing on, and the layout adapts to a phone rather than being shrunk onto it.

Pricing: what you actually pay for

Joplin’s software is free. You pay only if you want Joplin Cloud, and otherwise you supply storage through Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or an S3 bucket — free at the point of use and entirely your responsibility.

Scrinium runs the storage for you on the free tier: unlimited notes, encrypted sync, unlimited devices, no subscription and no bucket to configure. Paid tiers add features — attachments, version history, burner notes, graph view, templates, math and diagrams — rather than paying to keep your own notes in sync.

Where Joplin is the better choice

Choose Joplin if you want to run everything: no vendor at all, your own sync target, a community project with years of history, and the web clipper ecosystem around it. It is also the better answer if you need a fully offline desktop app that works with no network and no account.

If your definition of privacy extends to “nobody else should even hold the ciphertext”, Joplin is the more complete answer and Scrinium will not pretend otherwise.

Where Scrinium is the better choice

Choose Scrinium if you want the encryption guarantee without owning the operations. The honest framing is that most people who intend to self-host eventually stop maintaining the server; Scrinium runs it, cannot read it, and hands you the Markdown whenever you want it.

It is also the better fit for writing-heavy use: an inline Markdown editor rather than a source editor plus preview, local full-text search over decrypted content, and a consistent experience across desktop, tablet, and phone browsers.

Moving from Joplin to Scrinium

Joplin exports Markdown files and JEX archives — open both in Scrinium by importing the Markdown, since JEX is meant for Joplin itself. Importing a JEX archive would need a conversion step.

A pragmatic route for a large library is to export by notebook, import the notebooks you actually revisit, and leave the archive of everything exported as a cold backup.

Questions people ask