Extras & add-ons
We’re looking for features that make an application stand out.
Joplin has web clipper plugins for Firefox and Chrome, and there are options that go all the way from clipping the URL of the site all the way to clipping the content of the page in Markdown or HTML format. The results from HTML clipping are impressive, capturing a lot of the detail from the page. The Markdown version isn’t as detailed, but might be more efficient if you are interested in the text rather than the layout.
Joplin also exists as a text mode terminal application that has to be installed separately. It works in much the same manner as the desktop application, and might come in handy if you want to do some note-taking over SSH, for example.
QOwnNotes is highly scriptable, and there are many optional scripts that can be installed from within the settings dialog. However, it’s worth remarking that some of these features, such as adding a duplicate note and allowing tags to be included in a note, are available in some of the other applications by default. In most cases, if the feature is out of beta and stable, it should be included as part of the software by default. It also has a web clipper like the Joplin one.
Although Zim isn’t as feature-packed as some of the other outliners, it does have a plugin system with a healthy number of plugins available. Many of these have a technical bent to them, such as a plugin to allow note creation from the command line. Some of these are awkward to install, however, and require a trip to an external website to obtain.
The CherryTree code block that can be added to notes is fairly extensive, with coloured syntax highlighting and the ability to execute code directly, making it a basic code editor.
Trilium has a lot of note types and features, and it helps that the wiki is packed with information about those features. The built-in examples are also excellent and really show off the advanced features. It even has a note type that allows handdrawn sketches and notes to be created.