Joplin
Joplin Review! While it offers many unconventional settings, the design and basic functionalities leave much to be desired.
The app I’m about to review is not widely recognized as a top-notch writing app, in fact. However, it has a decent user base, and it receives more frequent updates than expected, making it a writing app I’ve had my eye on for a while now. This is a Joplin. Official homepage, app store link, and Google Play link.
Table of Contents
- Joplin Review! While it offers many unconventional settings, the design and basic functionalities leave much to be desired.
- The overall interface feels quite rigid… reminiscent of the old Evernote, perhaps?
- Markdown and all the rest of it is there. But for some reason, you have to hunt for them.
- There’s also the much talked about ‘add to-do’… I don’t like it…
- Joplin has settings that other writing apps rarely have.
- Joplin doesn’t seem to be a writing app for the average user.
- Writing app designed for a specific user base. An app that is recognized by those users.
- Joplin Conclusion
The overall interface feels quite rigid… reminiscent of the old Evernote, perhaps?
The desktop version has a somewhat decent interface. The iPad version, on the other hand, isn’t as good…
Joplin has a rather stiff overall app interface. Still, the desktop version seems to have a basic level of readability, but the iPad version has a poor app design. At first, I thought,’ Can it be neat?’ But honestly, it’s not very readable. Probably because it’s open source, it seems to be distant from the design… Well, this design part doesn’t matter much if you get used to it.
Markdown and all the rest of it is there. But for some reason, you have to hunt for them.
It would be nice if they thought about convenience…
A markdown is a built-in option in any writing app these days. If this app were MS Word, it would be rich in formatting features, but that’s not the case with most writing apps. There were a lot of times when I felt like I had something, but when I tried it, I didn’t.
At first, I didn’t realize that I couldn’t change the font in the formatting section above, so I thought, “No way, Evernote looks like a fairy godmother!” But it was possible to change the font in the default option… Hmmm… Evernote, reflect… Anyway, aside from the fonts, it has all the features you need in a writing app.
But I can’t find them all until I go to the top and look under “Options” or something. For example, I didn’t think there was a document stats feature, but there is, and I can see “read time” which is absent in many apps. The desktop version has a delicate design, and it somewhat eases the disappointment I had with the iPad version.
There’s also the much talked about ‘add to-do’… I don’t like it…
These days, even writing apps can do a bit of the work of a to-do app. because it’s possible to create a “to-do” square in Markdown. But in this Joplin, it’s just a to-do feature, and… It seems to be a level of functionality that I don’t need. Honestly, I’m not sure it’s the only thing I’ve ever made. I think it’s used that say, “Keep the squares simple and write the details as if you were documenting them…” or something like that. But what if they made it a little more meticulous?
Joplin has settings that other writing apps rarely have.
There are a lot of unusual options, including synchronization options, encryption options, markdown options, and more.
One of the unusual things about Joplin is that it has a lot of synchronization options, and markdown options, so you can disable certain syntax, or you can control how many devices you synchronize. I’ve used a lot of writing apps, but I’ve seen nothing like this. The encryption part is also not just “set a password and keep it secure~”, but end-to-end encryption…
When you see a phrase like that, it makes you feel you’re doing something secure. Honestly, for most people, simply choosing a password at a reasonable level seems to be sufficient for maintaining security. Joplin may have its advantages for those who desire a level of security similar to that of established companies.
However, it’s still disappointing that the synchronization speed is still very slow… It’s really unfortunate to be disappointed in such a basic part. Still, a somewhat comforting aspect is that many writing apps often support only their own cloud or services like Dropbox. In contrast, Joplin supports a variety of clouds, including its own, as well as services like OneDrive. As a side note, the biggest reason I don’t currently use a Scrivener is Dropbox. The free version has too few supported devices, so… This is where Joplin has an advantage.
Joplin doesn’t seem to be a writing app for the average user.
Do developers find these screens comfortable?
If you look at iOS reviews, you’ll see words like Nas, Synology, and phonebook… and honestly, I don’t think those are words you’d expect to see in a typical notes app. It’s far from popular. What’s also unusual is that while it’s sponsored, there’s nothing that requires a paid version. I mean, what do these people do for a living…
plugin also seems to be available. At first, I wondered where it was, but when I found the official website, it was there. I was surprised by a significant number of contributors and users, even though they remain quiet. I wish there could be a bit more convenience. Nevertheless, that there are plugins we can see it as an advantage compared to other writing apps.
Depending on the user, it could be the best writing app ever. The plugin seems to be available on smartphones as well, seeing as there is a plugin option. However, manually searching and registering everything even on a smartphone seems quite cumbersome…
Writing app designed for a specific user base. An app that is recognized by those users.
The fact that it is essentially completely free to use is also an advantage.
Looking at the reviews, Joplin is well-rated. However, for people like me who prioritize basic features in a writing app, it’s not the right fit at all. In this way, there are a lot of apps in open source that have been overrated because of these developer user reviews. This app might be one of them. It’s not a good fit for the vast majority of users…
However, contrary to my initially negative impression, the more you explore, the more good aspects you can find. Considering that it’s an app with a predefined user base from the start, it becomes apparent that this app is not running for a long time without reason. Updates are more frequent than expected. Many writing apps have slower update cycles than one might think. Even thinking about it this way, it’s better than I expected. It’s adorable when you look closely…
Joplin Conclusion
Good point
- There are many features.
- It is essentially completely free to use.
- By utilizing plugins, it can become a writing app that suits one’s needs.
Disappointing point
- There are many shortcomings in basic features (such as synchronization).
- The design is a bit dated (especially on smartphones)
- Everything you need is subtly there, but it makes you search for it a bit…
