Athens Research vs Logseq
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?
Athens Research
Open-source networked note-taking and knowledge graph
VS
Logseq
Privacy-first outliner for networked thought
| Feature | Athens Research | Logseq |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | EPL-1.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Clojure | Clojure |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,299 | ★ 44,329 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Notion, Roam Research |
Why pick each one
Choose Athens Research if…
- Released under the EPL-1.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Clojure
Frequently asked questions
Is Athens Research or Logseq better?
Logseq is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Athens Research if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Athens Research and Logseq free and open-source?
Yes. Athens Research is licensed under EPL-1.0 and Logseq under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Athens Research and Logseq with Docker?
Athens Research: yes. Logseq: check the project docs for container support.