Archivy vs Obsidian
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Archivy
Self-hosted knowledge repository for bookmarks and notes
VS
Obsidian
Local-first knowledge base on a folder of Markdown files
| Feature | Archivy | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | Proprietary |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,268 | ★ 20,632 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Pocket, Evernote | Evernote, Notion, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Choose Archivy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Archivy or Obsidian better?
Obsidian is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Archivy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Archivy and Obsidian free and open-source?
Yes. Archivy is licensed under MIT and Obsidian under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Archivy and Obsidian with Docker?
Archivy: yes. Obsidian: check the project docs for container support.