FlatNotes
$9.00 / month with a 7-day free trial and a $1.00 sign-up fee
Self-hosted markdown notes that live on disk as plain .md files — no SQL database, no proprietary export, your notes survive every app you’ll ever stop using.
A managed instance of FlatNotes on ElfHosted — a deliberately minimal markdown notes server where every note is a flat .md file. Edit in the web UI, or sync the notes folder with Syncthing/rclone and edit in Obsidian / VS Code / vim. Full-text search, tags via #hashtags inside notes, dark mode. MIT-licensed.
The notes app that won't trap you. Every note is a plain .md file on disk — readable forever, with or without FlatNotes.
What is FlatNotes?
FlatNotes is a deliberately minimal self-hosted markdown notes app. Every note is a plain text file on disk; there's no SQL database, no proprietary format, no JSON export ceremony. The "export" is just the folder of .md files — the same files you'd open in any text editor.
That choice is the whole point. Notes outlive notes apps; the file format you store them in matters more than the UI you read them in. FlatNotes stores them in a way that survives every "company shutting down" and every "we're pivoting" you'll see in the next decade.
Features
- 📄 One file per note, on disk — every note is `
.md`. No database. No export needed; the files are the data. - 🔍 Full-text search — instant search across the entire note collection.
- 🏷️ Tags via #hashtags inline — type `#projects` anywhere in a note, FlatNotes indexes it as a tag. No separate tagging UI.
- 🌙 Dark mode, light mode, system-preference auto-switching.
- 📱 Mobile-friendly responsive UI — works in any browser; PWA install for iOS/Android home-screen launch.
- 🔄 Pairs with Obsidian / VS Code / vim — point Obsidian at the same folder via Syncthing or rclone-mount, edit notes in Obsidian on the desktop, browse in FlatNotes on mobile.
- 🔓 FOSS & MIT-licensed — no premium tier, no telemetry, no vendor lock-in (the file format is the lock-out).
FlatNotes vs Other Notes Apps
- vs. Obsidian — Obsidian is the gold-standard local markdown notes editor (free, but closed-source, with paid sync). FlatNotes is the server-side complement: edit on Obsidian desktop, sync the folder with Syncthing/rclone, browse on mobile via FlatNotes web UI. Many users run both.
- vs. Trilium / AppFlowy / Standard Notes — those are SQL-DB-backed and richer-featured (block embeds, encrypted vaults, plugins). They're harder to migrate out of — the database has to be exported and reformatted. FlatNotes' answer: don't have that problem in the first place.
- vs. Notion / Evernote / OneNote — proprietary cloud services with proprietary formats. Different shape entirely. If you came to self-hosted notes because Notion's pricing is insulting and Evernote's app is bloat, FlatNotes is the "notes that won't go away" answer.
- vs. raw .md files in Syncthing — also a valid choice. FlatNotes adds full-text search, the web UI for mobile, and the tag indexing on top of the same file format.
Why Run FlatNotes on ElfHosted?
FlatNotes is small (Python + a folder), but most users would still rather not maintain a Python app. ElfHosted handles:
- Pre-configured Python stack — no Docker, no virtualenv pinning, no Python-version drama.
- HTTPS on your own ElfHosted subdomain — required for PWA install on iOS/Android.
- Persistent storage for the notes folder; backups run automatically (so your notes have an extra safety net beyond the file-based portability).
- The notes folder is rclone-mountable — sync with Obsidian on desktop or Syncthing peers.
- Updates handled across versions; FlatNotes ships releases regularly.
- Single subscription: $9/month all-in.
Technical Specifications
- 🛠️ Software: FlatNotes (FOSS, MIT)
- 📄 Storage format: plain `.md` files in a flat folder structure (no nesting, no DB)
- 🏷️ Tags: inline `#hashtag` syntax inside note body
- 🔍 Search: full-text across all notes
- 📱 Mobile: responsive web UI; PWA install for iOS & Android
- 🔄 Sync compatibility: the notes folder is just files — works with Syncthing, rclone-mount, Obsidian (point at the same folder), or any text editor over WebDAV
- 🔑 Subscription: $9/month — FlatNotes itself is fully free
- 🌐 Access: HTTPS on your own ElfHosted subdomain
- 🔄 Updates: handled by ElfHosted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I run FlatNotes without self-hosting it?
Add it to your ElfHosted subscription — this product is a managed FlatNotes instance with HTTPS, persistent storage, automatic backups, automatic updates, and SSO via your ElfHosted account. No Python setup, no Docker.
Can I use FlatNotes alongside Obsidian?
Yes — that's a common setup. Sync the FlatNotes notes folder with Obsidian's vault folder (via Syncthing, rclone-mount, or any other folder-sync tool). Edit in Obsidian on desktop with all its plugins; browse and quick-edit in FlatNotes on mobile via the web UI. Same files, two views.
What about images and attachments?
FlatNotes supports markdown image references; attached images are stored alongside the notes folder. Other binary attachments work via standard markdown link syntax.
How is this different from Trilium or AppFlowy?
Trilium and AppFlowy are richer-featured (block embeds, encrypted vaults, plugins) and SQL-DB-backed. FlatNotes is intentionally smaller — markdown files, search, tags. Pick FlatNotes if file-format portability matters more than feature richness.
Can I import existing markdown notes?
Yes — copy your existing .md files into the notes folder (via web upload or rclone-mount), and FlatNotes indexes them on the next refresh. Tags work if your existing files use `#hashtag` syntax.
Does FlatNotes encrypt notes at rest?
No — they're plain text files. ElfHosted's storage is encrypted at the disk level, but the files themselves are readable without a vault password. If you need per-note encryption, look at Standard Notes or Trilium's encrypted-tree feature instead. FlatNotes' tradeoff is portability over encryption.
FlatNotes is the markdown notes server for people who don't want their notes trapped inside another app's database. Plain .md files on disk, full-text search, tag indexing via inline #hashtags, mobile PWA, pairs with Obsidian for desktop editing. Hosted on ElfHosted with HTTPS, automatic backups, and rclone-mount access for $9/month.
| Proxy | StremThru, MediaFlow Proxy, Built-in |
|---|
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Related products
Miniflux
The minimalist self-hosted RSS reader — single Go binary, no JavaScript bloat, opinionated about staying out of your way.
A managed instance of Miniflux on ElfHosted — a deliberately spartan RSS reader. Reads feeds, marks them read. No social layer, no AI suggestions, no inline ads, no maybe-you'd-like-this discovery feed. Compatible with Reeder, NetNewsWire, FluentReader, and any Fever or Google Reader-compatible client. Apache-2.0.
Wallabag
FreshRSS
Self-hosted RSS aggregator with the polish of Feedly and the freedom of owning your own feed list — blogs, YouTube, Reddit, podcasts, all in one chronological reader.
A managed instance of FreshRSS on ElfHosted — the most polished open-source RSS reader. OPML import from any service, Google Reader API support for native mobile apps (Reeder, FluentReader, FeedMe, NetNewsWire), an active extension ecosystem for full-article fetching and YouTube rendering, and translations in 40+ languages. AGPL-3.0, your reading list survives every "pivot" of every social feed.
HortusFox
LinkDing
Fast, minimal self-hosted bookmark manager — tags, full-text search, browser extensions, single-file archive snapshots. The Pinboard alternative that's still being built.
A managed instance of LinkDing on ElfHosted — the bookmark manager that finally feels right after Delicious died, Pinboard stagnated, and Raindrop.io became a freemium upsell. Tag links, search across the entire library by content, archive copies of pages locally, and connect via Firefox/Chrome browser extensions. MIT-licensed.
Beaver Habit Tracker
Self-hosted habit tracking, minus the "Goals" gamification — just check the box, build the streak, own your data.
A managed instance of Beaver Habit Tracker on ElfHosted — a deliberately minimal habit tracker with no goal-setting wizardry, no upsell screens, and no analytics shipped to anyone but you. Tick habits off daily, watch streaks build, install as a PWA on iOS/Android. AGPL-3.0, your data stays in your storage.

Reviews
Clear filtersThere are no reviews yet.