I ended up on Zettlr after a long search for a note taking application that would allow not only easy note taking but retrieval and linking as part of the process of creating larger rigorous documents. I especially wanted something that wasn't about a gimmick, was operable without a cloud, was reliable, and was open source. I've found Zettlr wonderful for personal note taking, academic note taking, and putting that together in creating academic and professional use papers.<p>For me: It fits the Zettlekasten method as far as I want to take that. However the tools in doing to don't impose that. Tools I like in particular:<p>Configurable left pane with files and folders similar to a code editor like VSCodium or SublimeText.<p>Quasi WYSIWYG markdown. It helps, especially for things like quotes.<p>Inline tags, inline references via linked bibtex (for me, from Jabref), timestamps.<p>Another pane on the right I configured summarising links, references. These panes can be hidden for full screen editing too.<p>Exports in a wide range of formats.<p>Zettlr facilitates the creation of knowledge better than any other note taking application I've tried. On top of that, it's open source.<p>Apologies in advance if this sounds like an ad. I have no affiliation with the project other than as a user.