Athens Research vs mdSilo
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
mdSilo
Networked note-taking and knowledge base app
| Feature | Athens Research | mdSilo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | EPL-1.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Clojure | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,299 | ★ 849 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Obsidian, 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
Choose mdSilo if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Athens Research or mdSilo better?
Neither is universally better. Athens Research has the larger community, while mdSilo is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Athens Research and mdSilo free and open-source?
Yes. Athens Research is licensed under EPL-1.0 and mdSilo under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Athens Research and mdSilo with Docker?
Athens Research: yes. mdSilo: check the project docs for container support.