Head-to-head · Notes
OneNote vs Trilium Notes
Which one to pick in 2026 — comparing 🇺🇸 OneNote with the European alternative 🇪🇺 Trilium Notes on the things that actually decide who can read your data.
🇺🇸 OneNotevs🇪🇺 Trilium Notes
Verdict
Who has stronger privacy guarantees by law?
Trilium Notes — GDPR-native and outside the US CLOUD Act / FISA 702 reach.
Which one encrypts your data end-to-end by default?
Neither ships full E2E by default — check the table for nuance.
Which one tracks you for ads?
Neither monetises through ad tracking.
Which one is open source?
Trilium Notes is open source. OneNote is proprietary.
Side-by-side
OneNote vs Trilium Notes — full comparison
Criteria
🇪🇺 Trilium Notes
🇺🇸 OneNote
Headquarters
Germany
Redmond, USA
Jurisdiction
Germany
USA
Data location
Self-hosted or provided server
Global
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
No
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
Yes
No
Ownership
Individual developer
Microsoft Corp.
Founded
2018
2003
Make the switch
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Other European alternatives to OneNote