Study and organize your life with files you own
NoteVault is a desktop app with Markdown notes, a Mentor that builds your study plan, and tasks, habits, goals and finances. No account, no server, no telemetry.
🎯 Our goal: to surpass Obsidian and Notion, with constant updates.
Windows (installer or portable) and Linux (.deb and AppImage). Nothing else to install. macOS from source.
Everything in one place
What you usually spread across several apps, stored in one folder on your disk.
Markdown notes
Live preview, links between notes, formulas and canvases to map out ideas. They are plain .md files.
Study Mentor
A plan that fits your dates, with spaced reviews, Pomodoro and the daily pace you need in each subject.
Theory, map and practice
Each topic becomes a note, a concept map and a practice file with exercises.
Personal management
Tasks, projects, calendar, habits, goals, finances, exercise and nutrition.
Optional AI
Use your own API, a local model (Ollama, LM Studio) or a prompt you paste yourself. It works without AI too.
Editable skills
The instructions that generate your notes are in plain view, with version history and a warning for anything left outdated.
Your data, your folder
The vault is a folder on your disk with text any editor can open.
No account, no cloud
There is no NoteVault server. Nothing leaves your computer except what you send to the AI provider you choose.
Open format
Markdown with frontmatter and JSON, documented and versioned. Compatible with Obsidian.
Sync your way
Syncthing, Git or your favorite cloud on the same folder. A backup is just copying the folder.
Why NoteVault
Obsidian and Notion are great and set the bar. We are building the app that goes further: open, local, and with your whole day inside.
| NoteVault | Obsidian | Notion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your data as plain local files | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ cloud |
| Open source | ✅ GPL-3.0 | ❌ | ❌ |
| Works with an existing Obsidian vault | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Study Mentor: a plan that fits your dates, spaced reviews and daily pace | ✅ built in | plugins | templates |
| Tasks, habits, goals, finances, exercise and nutrition | ✅ built in | plugins | templates |
| Editable AI “skills” that generate notes, maps and practice | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| AI with your own API or a local model | ✅ | plugins | ❌ |
| No account required | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Where they are ahead today: plugin ecosystems, mobile apps, real-time collaboration and polish. That is the gap we are closing, release after release. We ship updates constantly: see the releases.
Free, and kept alive by your support
The app is free and open source. We are students with no funding or financial backing: any help, however small, lets us keep developing NoteVault.
Study packs
- Complete ready-to-use paths
- First one: Full Stack Junior · Technical interviews
- Notes, maps and practice included
Support the project
- Funds maintenance and new platforms
- No hidden strings
- Thank you, truly
From Colombia: Bre-B / Nequi key0093524288
Contact
Questions, ideas, collaborations or press: write to us or follow us.
Frequently asked questions
Who is behind NoteVault?
Lessteps, a team of students who build software. “NoteVault” is a provisional name for the product; the company behind it is Lessteps. If the name changes, we will announce it here and in the repository.
Do I need to pay for AI to use it?
No. NoteVault works without AI. If you want it, you can use a free local model or the API of your choice.
Where is my data stored?
In the folder you choose, as Markdown and JSON files. NoteVault has no servers and sends no telemetry.
Is there a mobile or web version?
Not yet. They are planned; the vault format is already designed so a mobile client can read and write the same files.
If it is open source, what is sold?
The code is free. What is sold is ready-made study content and, voluntarily, support for the project.
Can I modify it or use it at my company?
Yes, under the terms of the GPL-3.0. If you distribute a modified version, you must publish its source code. The name and logo have a separate policy.