Instead of Microsoft OneNote
Freeform notebooks with pages and pen input.
Partly
Freeform canvas with a pen is a narrow product. Nothing self-hosted does it as well, and the ones that try are note apps with a canvas bolted on.
You lose: Pen input that feels right, and the notebook metaphor your brain already uses.
Start here
Joplin
No infinite canvas. Drawing is a plugin and it shows.
github.com/laurent22/joplinjoplinapp.org
One container, no domain needed.
Also worth a look
- AFFiNE
Edgeless canvas is close. Pen support varies by device.
- Memos
Chronological notes. No notebooks, no pages.
What the desk has written
Facts checked 8 November 2026. Licences, activity and archive status come from each project's own repository; the verdict and the cost lines are the desk's.