Not encrypted, but the server will never store or analyze your private notes. Your data are plain text files.
Reviewed by Marco Wollank
Logseq
logseq.com 2 ratings so far*
Threat level
Covered
A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
Read the fine print first: Logseq is not encrypted, your notes are plain text files on disk, so it protects you from a snooping cloud provider, not from anyone with access to your machine. Where it shines is as a local-first outliner and knowledge base built on files you fully own, with no lock-in. Pick it if your goal is owning your data and avoiding a SaaS silo rather than defending against device-level compromise. If you need actual at-rest encryption, this is the wrong tool in this category.
GitHub at a glance
logseq/logseq
Stars
43,947
+ 630 this week
Last commit
16d ago
healthy
License
AGPL-3.0
Latest release
0.10.15
8mo ago
Stars, last 38d
Website at a glance
logseq.com
D- score 25
Weak website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 6d ago
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
Logseq alternatives
PrivacyNotes Zero-knowledge notes, tasks, files, passwords and journal secured by a single 12-word recovery phrase, with no email or password required. The crypto core and database schema are published for audit. No subscription model.
Standard Notes Free accounts come with a good set of features already, even in the long run if you are fine with plain text notes.
Notesnook Developers decided recently to open-source their application. Comes with a generous free version, rich text editor and import functionality from: Files (txt, html, and .md…
Joplin Synchronize notes across devices, publish and collaboration are for paid subscriptions only.
Anytype A local-first, end-to-end encrypted knowledge base and note-taking app with peer-to-peer sync, built as a privacy-respecting alternative to Notion.
Cryptee Free accounts come with 100MB storage. Your documents are encrypted before they leave your device, so Cryptee can't see your documents. Use the code "privacytools" at the…
Logseq license, in plain English
AGPL-3.0 Strong copyleft · network
Free to use, even commercially. Changes must be published under the same license, and running a modified version as a network service counts as distributing it.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Patent use
- Private use
Requires
- Disclose source
- Network use is distribution
- Same license
- State changes
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: The network clause is the point. Anyone who runs a modified version as a hosted service has to publish those changes, so the code handling your data stays inspectable. This is why privacy-first projects reach for AGPL.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.
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