Local
Private Space
- A folder of .md files that you choose
- Works offline, with no account
- Search and links use an index on your computer
- Nothing is uploaded unless you move it
Thoth: Your notes. Your files.
Thoth is an open-source notes app. Everything you write is a Markdown file in a folder on your computer, and a page reaches your team only when you share it.
Version 0.4.0 · 1 November 2026 · macOS, Windows, Linux
The web app opens workspaces on a free demo server with limits. Accounts unused for 90 days are deleted, and the demo may be reset, so keep anything important in your Private Space.
One page, two ways to write it
Blocks gives you headings, to-dos, callouts and toggles from a slash menu. Plain shows the same page as the Markdown text it is saved as, with a live preview.
Both edit the same file. Switch with Ctrl+Shift+E (Cmd+Shift+E on a Mac); text you did not touch is never rewritten.
Notes / Weekend plans
Weekend plans
A slow Saturday, then the coast on Sunday.
Packing list
Book the train
Sunscreen, a blanket and the camera
Leave by eight to miss the traffic.
Trail notes
Take the cliff path at low tide.
# Weekend plans
A slow Saturday, then the coast on Sunday.
## Packing list
- [x] Book the train
- [ ] Sunscreen, a blanket and the camera
> [!note] Leave by eight to miss the traffic.
> [!toggle]+ Trail notes
> Take the cliff path at low tide.
See Thoth at work
A short tour of the desktop app, with a narrator: your pages as Markdown files, writing in blocks, the same page as Markdown, importing from Notion, signing in to a server, and two people editing one page. Captions follow the voice.
What the video shows
- The sidebar of a Private Space: folders and pages that are Markdown files on the computer, readable without Thoth.
- A page is written in blocks with the slash menu: a heading, a to-do, a callout and a toggle.
- One shortcut shows the same page as the Markdown it is saved as.
- The import wizard brings in a Notion export, with the links between its pages.
- In Settings, the app signs in to a server, your own or the free demo, and opens a shared workspace.
- Two people edit the same page at once; the conflict dialog offers Keep both, so nothing is lost.
- Closing card: Thoth is free and open source, at thothnotes.com.
What Thoth does
Thoth pairs a block editor like Notion's with plain Markdown files that you own. These are the parts that make it different.
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Your notes are files
Your Private Space is a folder of Markdown files on your computer. It works offline, needs no account, and stays readable in any text editor, even if you stop using Thoth.
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Blocks and Plain, one file
Write with blocks, a slash menu and toggles, or switch to Plain to edit the Markdown itself with a live preview. Both edit the same file, and switching never rewrites text you did not touch.
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Bring Notion and Obsidian notes
Import a Notion export or an Obsidian vault. Links are kept, and a report lists anything that could not come across, such as Notion formulas and views.
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Shared workspaces
Copy or move pages into a workspace to work with others. Members are owners, editors or viewers, and earlier versions of each page are kept.
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No silent overwrites
Thoth saves only if the page is still the version you opened. If someone or another app changed it, you choose: keep mine, keep theirs, or keep both.
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AI edits you review first
The Agent Hub runs Claude Code, which you install yourself, on the pages you pick. Each change it proposes is shown as a diff, and nothing is written until you choose Apply. In the desktop app since 0.1.2.
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An open protocol
Clients and servers talk over a documented REST API with an OpenAPI description and a conformance suite, so anyone can build another server or client.
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Run your own server
The demo runs on the Thoth server, which is built to be hosted by anyone: Node.js and PostgreSQL in a container, started with Podman or Docker Compose.
How Thoth compares
Thoth, Notion and Obsidian side by side, on where your notes live and how you share them. Each cell comes from that product's own documentation.
| Topic | Thoth | Notion | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Markdown files in a folder on your computer; shared pages on a Thoth server | On Notion's servers (the cloud) | Markdown files in a folder on your computer (a vault) |
| Offline | The whole Private Space, with no account | Pages you make available offline, in the desktop and mobile apps | The whole vault |
| File format | Markdown (CommonMark and GFM) | Notion's own; export to Markdown and CSV, HTML or PDF | Markdown |
| Working with others | Workspaces with owner, editor and viewer roles, and a conflict check on every save | Shared pages and workspaces, edited together in real time | Shared vaults through the paid Obsidian Sync, without live editing of one file |
| Self-hosting | Yes: Node.js and PostgreSQL in a container | No | No server to host; Sync and Publish are Obsidian's own services |
| AI assistant | The Agent Hub runs Claude Code, which you install, on pages you pick; you review each change first | Notion AI, built in | None built in; community plugins add some |
Checked against each product's documentation on 26 October 2026. Plans and features change; their own pages have the details.
From private note to shared page
Thoth has two kinds of places. Your Private Space lives on your computer as Markdown files and never leaves it on its own. A Workspace lives on a Thoth server and is shared with the people you invite. Pages move between them only when you copy or move them.
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It starts as a file on your computer.
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Then you connect a server.
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You see where it goes first.
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Now the team edits it with you.
Two kinds of places
Workspace
Workspace
- Stored on a Thoth server: the demo server or your own
- Members with owner, editor or viewer roles
- Page history and a conflict check on every save
- Open it in the desktop app or, on the demo server, in your browser
The web app opens workspaces on the demo server only. Your Private Space needs the desktop app, because a browser cannot keep a folder of files on your computer.
Download Thoth Early preview
The desktop app is free, and it is the only way to open your Private Space. Version 0.4.0 is an early preview: the core works and some edges are still rough. Whatever happens, your notes stay ordinary Markdown files in your folder.
Thoth is a desktop app
It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. There is no phone app yet. Email yourself the link to open on your computer, or try the web app now.
macOS
Apple silicon and Intel
The first time you open it
macOS may say it can't check the app for malicious software. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway. You only do this once.
SHA-256 checksums
To check a download, compare these with the output of shasum -a 256 on macOS and Linux, or Get-FileHash in PowerShell on Windows.
- Thoth_0.4.0_universal.dmg
eb6058e0bec36ca717ed02d8811be43923921b0e66fcccad57039c3c10369e23
Windows
64-bit Intel and AMD (x64)
The first time you open it
Windows SmartScreen may warn about an unknown publisher. Choose More info → Run anyway.
SHA-256 checksums
To check a download, compare these with the output of shasum -a 256 on macOS and Linux, or Get-FileHash in PowerShell on Windows.
- Thoth_0.4.0_x64-setup.exe
fd2c72050ba2885a32da871b2040e9fed34793efee3749056f1092117c7b6a97- Thoth_0.4.0_x64_en-US.msi
f1a201b1b8353fe4704d1bc00dcdabe3b81b993d7f4ef587e2abba60c43b0ec8
Linux
64-bit Intel and AMD (x64)
The first time you open it
AppImage: make the file executable, then run it.
.deb: install it with your package manager.
SHA-256 checksums
To check a download, compare these with the output of shasum -a 256 on macOS and Linux, or Get-FileHash in PowerShell on Windows.
- Thoth_0.4.0_amd64.AppImage
ea7b3b0c8abd8c72b46a97f8b18311d0ef4c667d30e125d2d007a856ab9234db- Thoth_0.4.0_amd64.deb
da5af536afa3ca0ec3109dbb259100ba30627c594d7300f1b42ac5142bfc1f3c
These early builds are not yet code-signed by Apple or Microsoft, so your system asks once before the first launch.
Host your own server Free
You can run the Thoth server yourself, free, with no limit on members. The server's code is on GitHub.
It is the same server that runs the demo, without the demo's limits: Node.js 24 and PostgreSQL, packaged as a container image with a Compose file. Sign-in works with Google, GitHub or any OpenID Connect provider, such as Keycloak or Authentik.
Thoth for teams: free set-up help by message for the first 5 teams
What you need
- A machine that runs Podman or Docker
- PostgreSQL 14 or newer (the Compose file includes one)
- A domain with HTTPS, through a reverse proxy
- A sign-in provider, or personal access tokens for a one-person server
What's new
Thoth 0.4.0: teams, a Manager role, and a Trash for shared pages
Thoth 0.4.0 lets a workspace group people into teams and limit folders to them, adds a Manager role that runs members, and keeps deleted pages in a Trash for 30 days.
Questions and answers
Short answers to the questions people ask first.
What is Thoth?
Thoth is an open-source note-taking app that stores your notes as Markdown files on your computer. You can share chosen pages with other people through a workspace on a Thoth server.
Is Thoth free?
Yes. Thoth is open source under the Apache-2.0 license, and the app and the server cost nothing. The demo server is free too, with limits.
Does Thoth work offline?
Yes. The Private Space needs no network and no account. Only workspaces need a connection to their server.
Where are my notes stored?
Private Space notes are Markdown files in a folder you pick, plus a small .thoth folder for the search index and import records. Workspace pages are stored on the server that hosts the workspace.
Can I import from Notion or Obsidian?
Yes. Thoth imports a Notion "Markdown & CSV" export and an Obsidian vault, as a folder or a ZIP. Notion databases arrive as CSV files plus one page per row; formulas, relations and views do not, and the import report lists what was left out.
What is the difference between Blocks and Plain?
Blocks is a block editor with a slash menu, drag handles and toggles. Plain edits the Markdown text directly, with a live preview. Both open the same file, and you can switch a page with Ctrl+Shift+E (Cmd+Shift+E on a Mac).
What can the web app do?
The web app opens your workspaces on the Thoth demo server: browse, edit in both modes, search, resolve conflicts, see the members and, as an owner, invite people with a link. Your Private Space needs the desktop app.
What are the demo server's limits?
Each account can own up to 3 workspaces, each with up to 10 members, 200 pages and 20 MB of attachments. Accounts unused for 90 days are deleted, and the demo may be reset, so keep anything important in your Private Space.
Can I host my own server?
Yes. The server's code is on GitHub. The server runs in a container with PostgreSQL, using Podman or Docker Compose.
Does Thoth track me?
The desktop app has no analytics and never sends your notes anywhere you didn't choose. On its own it does two things: about once a day it checks for a new version, sending only its version number, and it fetches previews of links in your pages. You can turn both off in Settings. This website uses Google Analytics only if you accept. The web app sends anonymous usage events, never page content, titles or names.