FAQ

Yes — the full app, all features, local-only and unlimited, is free forever. Sync via your own Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive is free too — see the Sync page for setup.

Yes. The frontend (the editor and UI) is MIT-licensed, and the plugin API plus the official plugin registry are open source. See the GitHub repo.

macOS 11+, Windows 10/11 (x64 and ARM64), and Linux (.deb / AppImage). For mobile, sync your vault to a folder app like Working Copy / iA Writer for read-only access.

Your notes keep working. They're plain Markdown files in a folder you control — open them in any text editor, any other Markdown app (Obsidian, Typora, VS Code), or the GitHub web UI. There's no proprietary database, no cloud lock-in, no required server.

As plain .md files in the folder you choose. No proprietary database, no proprietary format. The folder lives entirely on your disk; nothing leaves your machine unless you point a sync tool at the folder. You can also choose to store your notes in a secure, password-protected local database — see Settings → Storage.

An anonymous version-check ping (current version, OS, language) so we know what to support and prioritize. No note content is ever sent. Opt out in Settings → General.

Point your vault at iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Syncthing, or a git repo. Binderus reads and writes Markdown — any sync that handles files works. Full per-provider recipes on the Sync page.

Yes — the encrypted storage backend uses libsql with passphrase-derived encryption at rest. Auto-lock after inactivity is configurable. The passphrase is never stored on disk; lose it and the vault is unrecoverable, so back it up out of band.

Three layers we recommend: (1) cloud sync of the vault folder via your provider of choice (iCloud / Dropbox / OneDrive / Syncthing / git), (2) periodic Time Machine on macOS / File History on Windows / restic / borg on Linux, and (3) for git users, push to a private GitHub repo for free off-device versioned history.

Notion has a built-in Markdown + CSV export. See Migration → From Notion for the end-to-end recipe (export, unzip, fix block-style mismatches, convert links).

You usually don't have to migrate at all — Obsidian and Binderus both store plain Markdown in a folder. Just point Binderus at your Obsidian vault. Full notes at Migration → From Obsidian.

Bear → Export Notes → Markdown. Then re-organize tag-only structure into folders if you want, and re-link images. Migration → From Bear.

The trickiest of the four — Apple Notes has no native Markdown export. Use the Exporter app, an AppleScript, or copy-paste for small libraries. Migration → From Apple Notes covers all three paths.

Both are local-first Markdown PKM. Binderus adds an MIT-licensed frontend, an optional password-protected encrypted local database, sandboxed plugin permissions, and free sync via any provider — Obsidian's first-party sync is paid and its core is closed source. See Comparison → vs Obsidian for the full breakdown.

Notion stores your data on its servers in a proprietary block format. Binderus stores plain Markdown on your disk. If Notion shut down tomorrow you'd lose access; if Binderus shut down tomorrow your notes still open in any text editor. Full comparison.

Bear is Apple-only and tag-organized. Binderus is cross-platform (macOS / Windows / Linux) and supports both folders and tags. Bear paywalls sync; Binderus doesn't. Full comparison.

Manage Plugins → Install (from zip file). See Plugins for the user side and Creating Plugins if you want to build one.

Yes. Plugins run with a curated ctx API — no raw filesystem, no fetch-anywhere by default. Network and clipboard access prompt for permission. Settings are scoped per plugin id; one plugin can't read another's settings.

Yes — the local LLM plugin works with Ollama or LM Studio over localhost. Your text never leaves your machine. See Plugins → Local LLM.

Absolutely — bug reports, plugins, themes, translations, and design feedback are all welcome. Start with the GitHub repo or join Discord.

Open an issue on GitHub with: your OS, Binderus version (status bar bottom-left), steps to reproduce, and expected vs actual behavior. Screenshots help.

Yes — see Themes → Custom themes for the file format and folder location.