How do I sync Trilium Notes between my computer and phone?

Set up a self-hosted synchronization server using Docker or manual installation, then connect all devices to it. The server handles bi-directional sync, but mobile access is via web browser or third-party apps.

Trilium Notes or Obsidian – which is better for knowledge management?

Trilium excels with hierarchical tree organization and self-hosting for privacy, while Obsidian uses local Markdown files with a graph view. Choose Trilium for structured control and scalability, Obsidian for simplicity and plugin ecosystems.

Can I import from Notion to Trilium?

Not directly; Trilium supports Evernote and Markdown import. You'd need to export from Notion to Markdown first, which may lose some formatting, then import into Trilium.

Is Trilium good for team collaboration?

No, it's primarily for personal use. While it allows public note sharing, it lacks real-time collaborative editing features, making it unsuitable for teams needing simultaneous editing.

How to set up encryption for sensitive notes?

Enable per-note encryption in the note properties by setting a password. The content is encrypted locally and on sync servers, ensuring privacy even if the server is compromised.

Does Trilium have offline access?

Yes, the desktop app works fully offline. Changes are stored locally and sync when connected to the server, but the mobile web interface may require internet for initial load.

Open-Awesome

Trilium Notes

AGPL-3.0TypeScriptv0.102.2

A free, open-source hierarchical note-taking application for building large personal knowledge bases.

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What is Trilium Notes?

Trilium Notes is a free, open-source hierarchical note-taking application designed for building and managing large personal knowledge bases. It allows users to organize notes into deep tree structures, supports rich editing features, and offers tools for visualization, synchronization, and automation. The project solves the need for a scalable, private, and extensible knowledge management system that users can fully control.

Target Audience

Individuals, researchers, and knowledge workers who need a powerful, self-hostable tool for organizing extensive personal knowledge, notes, and references with advanced structuring and privacy features.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Trilium Notes for its hierarchical note organization, self-hosting capabilities, strong encryption, and extensibility through scripting and APIs, offering a viable open-source alternative to commercial note-taking apps with no vendor lock-in.

Overview

Build your personal knowledge base with Trilium Notes

Use Cases

Best For

Building a personal knowledge base with hierarchical note organization
Self-hosting a private note-taking and synchronization solution
Creating visual knowledge maps, diagrams, and mind maps within notes
Managing large collections of notes (100,000+ notes) with efficient search
Automating note management and workflows with scripting and REST API
Importing and exporting notes from Evernote or Markdown formats

Not Ideal For

Teams needing real-time collaborative editing on shared notes
Users who want a simple, cloud-synced note app without managing server infrastructure
Mobile-centric users requiring polished native iOS/Android apps with seamless offline sync

Pros & Cons

Pros

Hierarchical Note Organization

Supports arbitrarily deep trees with note cloning, enabling complex knowledge structures without duplication, as highlighted in the features for scalable personal knowledge bases.

Rich Editing Capabilities

Includes a WYSIWYG editor with tables, images, math support, markdown autoformatting, and code syntax highlighting, making it versatile for diverse note types.

Self-Hosted Privacy Control

Offers per-note encryption and synchronization via self-hosted servers, ensuring full data ownership and privacy without vendor lock-in.

Scalability for Large Bases

Designed to handle over 100,000 notes efficiently, with fast full-text search and navigation, ideal for long-term knowledge management.

Cons

Complex Self-Hosting Setup

Server installation requires technical steps like Docker or manual configuration, which can be intimidating for non-technical users, as noted in the detailed setup docs.

Suboptimal Mobile Experience

Mobile access relies on a web interface or third-party apps like TriliumDroid, lacking polished native integration and potentially causing sync version conflicts, as mentioned in the mobile section.

Sync Version Incompatibilities

Upgrades can break synchronization with older versions or third-party clients, requiring careful management to avoid data loss, as warned in the migration notes.

Open Source Alternative To

Trilium Notes is an open-source alternative to the following products:

Evernote

Evernote is a note-taking and organization application that allows users to capture ideas, create to-do lists, and store documents across multiple devices. It features synchronization, search capabilities, and integration with various productivity tools.

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