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Comparison · Collab

Trilium Notes vs CryptPad

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Trilium Notes and CryptPad — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Trilium Notes vs CryptPad: at a glance

FeatureTrilium NotesCryptPad
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score0.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themesnote-taking, fork, code-signing, mfaself-hosting, encryption, office-suite, server-rewrite
Last editorial update3mo ago2d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Trilium Notes?

The TriliumNext fork spent its early betas making the app trustworthy to install

Three beta releases from early 2025. The work is dominated by distribution and access concerns: signed Windows binaries obtained through a donated EV certificate, signed macOS builds, multi-factor authentication that required a database version bump, basic right-to-left content support, and repaired migration paths from the original Trilium. Nothing has been published to this feed since March 2025.

Read the full Trilium Notes trajectory →

What is CryptPad?

CryptPad rebuilt its server and swapped its office engine; now it is patching the fallout.

CryptPad just shipped its largest architectural change in years: a rewritten server published as a standalone npm package, and office apps moved from OnlyOffice to Euro-Office 9.3. Three weeks later a fix release followed with team-deletion, sharing and eviction-script repairs plus security fixes rated up to CVSS 7.3. The product is an end-to-end encrypted suite whose release rhythm is seasonal: one feature drop, then one or two fix releases.

Read the full CryptPad trajectory →

Trilium Notes vs CryptPad: editorial side-by-side

T0.0

The TriliumNext fork spent its early betas making the app trustworthy to install

◆ Current state

Three beta releases from early 2025. The work is dominated by distribution and access concerns: signed Windows binaries obtained through a donated EV certificate, signed macOS builds, multi-factor authentication that required a database version bump, basic right-to-left content support, and repaired migration paths from the original Trilium. Nothing has been published to this feed since March 2025.

◆ Where it's heading

These are the problems a fork inherits rather than chooses. Before adding features, the project had to make installs pass platform trust checks, let users migrate off the predecessor without an intermediate upgrade, and add authentication a self-hosted note store is expected to have. It is groundwork, done in the open, with contributors credited by name.

◆ Prediction

There is not enough recent activity to predict the next release. The feed has been silent for over a year, so whether the beta line continued elsewhere is the open question.

C
CryptPad
COLLAB
6.3

CryptPad rebuilt its server and swapped its office engine; now it is patching the fallout.

◆ Current state

CryptPad just shipped its largest architectural change in years: a rewritten server published as a standalone npm package, and office apps moved from OnlyOffice to Euro-Office 9.3. Three weeks later a fix release followed with team-deletion, sharing and eviction-script repairs plus security fixes rated up to CVSS 7.3. The product is an end-to-end encrypted suite whose release rhythm is seasonal: one feature drop, then one or two fix releases.

◆ Where it's heading

The office suite is the recurring pressure point: nearly every release since 2025 carries OnlyOffice corruption, history or pinning fixes, and the Euro-Office swap is the team taking ownership of that dependency. Splitting the server into its own package points toward easier self-hosting and embedding, which matches the openDesk integration builds and Integration API work seen earlier in the year.

◆ Prediction

Expect another fix release within weeks addressing new-server and Euro-Office edge cases, then a winter feature release built on the new server. Whether the server package gets third-party adoption is not visible from these entries.

Alternatives to Trilium Notes and CryptPad

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Trilium Notes or CryptPad.

See all Trilium Notes alternatives → · See all CryptPad alternatives →

Recent activity from Trilium Notes and CryptPad

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 3d agoCryptPad🍂🩹 Autumn fix release (2026.10.1)
  2. 23d agoCryptPad🍂 Autumn Release (2026.10.0) ⚡
  3. 3mo agoCryptPadopenDesk build stops asking for donations when embedded
  4. 5mo agoCryptPad🌷🩹 Spring fix release (2026.5.1)
  5. 6mo agoCryptPad🌷 Spring release (2026.5.0)
  6. 7mo agoCryptPad❄️🩹🩹 Winter fix release 2 (2026.2.2)
  7. 1y agoTrilium NotesMulti-factor authentication and signed Windows binaries
  8. 1y agoTrilium NotesSigned macOS builds and right-to-left content support
  9. 1y agoTrilium NotesFixes missing Windows ZIP artifacts

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Trilium Notes and CryptPad?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. CryptPad is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Trilium Notes better than CryptPad?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. CryptPad is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Trilium Notes?

Top Trilium Notes alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Trilium Notes alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/trilium-next for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to CryptPad?

Top CryptPad alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "CryptPad alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cryptpad for the full list with editorial commentary on each.