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.
| Feature | Athens Research | mdSilo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 22 · At risk | 63 · Good |
| 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 | ★ 6,298 | ★ 851 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Obsidian, Roam Research |
What are Athens Research and mdSilo?
Athens Research
Athens is an open-source knowledge graph and networked note-taking tool inspired by Roam Research, supporting block references and bidirectional links. It can be self-hosted with a multiplayer server for shared knowledge bases.
- Block references
- Bidirectional links
- Multiplayer self-hosting
- Knowledge graph view
mdSilo
mdSilo is an open-source note-taking and personal knowledge management application that supports backlinks, a graph view, and Markdown editing. It can run on the desktop or be self-hosted as a web app for personal use.
- Bidirectional backlinks
- Graph visualization
- Markdown editor
- Built-in RSS reader
Athens Research vs mdSilo: key differences
Athens Research is written in Clojure, while mdSilo is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — EPL-1.0 for Athens Research versus AGPL-3.0 for mdSilo. MdSilo is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Athens Research. Athens Research is the more established project (first released 2020), while mdSilo arrived in 2022. Athens Research has the considerably larger community, at 6,298 GitHub stars versus 851. Athens Research lists first-class Docker deployment; mdSilo does not.
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Athens Research or mdSilo?
mdSilo has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Athens Research. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.