compare
Foam vs Joplin
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | Foam | Joplin |
|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Licence | Other | Other |
| Stars | 17k | 57k |
| Latest | vscode@0.46.0 | v3.7.21 |
| Last push | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-06 |
| Release cadence | about 15 days between releases | about 10 days between releases |
| Active contributors | 4 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 29+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Both replace Obsidian. Alternatives to Obsidian →
PartialFoamLinked Markdown notes with backlinks and a graph, inside VS Code.
PartialJoplinMarkdown notes with end-to-end encrypted sync.
Foam
- vscode@0.46.02026-09-30Templates and new notes work across the folders of a multi-root workspace (#1711):
- vscode@0.45.02026-09-29Thank you to @Sherlock290 for the embed fixes in this release, including math rendering in embedded notes.
- vscode@0.44.62026-09-01Thank you to @rfreytag for reporting the security issues resolved in this release.
- vscode@0.44.52026-09-01
- vscode@0.40.42026-05-14Fixes and Improvements:
Joplin
- v3.7.212026-09-25New: Add setting to hide the AI Chat toolbar button (#16607)
- v3.7.182026-09-11Improved: Fix notes imported from OneNote are displayed with a very small font size (#16440) (#16424 by @Rygaa)
- v3.7.162026-09-06Improved: External editor: Add additional logic to avoid overwriting a note with older content (#16352) (#16350 by @per…
- v3.7.142026-08-30Improved: External editor: Add additional logic to avoid overwriting a note with older content (#16352) (#16350 by @per…pre-release
- v3.7.132026-08-28Improved: Add fail-closed guardrails for locked notes (#16098) (#16054 by @keshav0479)pre-release
Foam
unsigned The latest release, vscode@0.46.0, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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Joplin
unsigned The latest release, v3.7.21, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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