Anytype vs nb Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Anytype
Local-first encrypted knowledge workspace
VS
nb Notes
Command-line note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving tool
| Feature | Anytype | nb Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,599 | ★ 8,343 |
| First released | 2023 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Notion | Evernote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Anytype or nb Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Anytype has the larger community, while nb Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Anytype and nb Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Anytype is licensed under MIT and nb Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anytype and nb Notes with Docker?
Anytype: yes. nb Notes: check the project docs for container support.