SHSelfHostIndex

Athens Research vs Mark Text

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?
AT Athens Research Open-source networked note-taking and knowledge graph VS MA Mark Text Real-time preview Markdown editor for the desktop
FeatureAthens ResearchMark Text
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseEPL-1.0MIT
LanguageClojureTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, sourcesource
GitHub stars★ 6,299★ 59,781
First released20202017
ReplacesRoam Research, ObsidianTypora

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
Athens Research details

Choose Mark Text if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Mature project with 59.8k GitHub stars
  • Written in TypeScript
Mark Text details

Frequently asked questions

Is Athens Research or Mark Text better?

Mark Text 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 Mark Text free and open-source?

Yes. Athens Research is licensed under EPL-1.0 and Mark Text under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Athens Research and Mark Text with Docker?

Athens Research: yes. Mark Text: check the project docs for container support.

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