Athens Research vs Notabase
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
Notabase
Personal knowledge base for networked thinking
| Feature | Athens Research | Notabase |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | EPL-1.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Clojure | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | source, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,299 | ★ 910 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Roam Research, Obsidian |
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 Notabase if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Athens Research or Notabase better?
Athens Research is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Notabase if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Athens Research and Notabase free and open-source?
Yes. Athens Research is licensed under EPL-1.0 and Notabase under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Athens Research and Notabase with Docker?
Athens Research: yes. Notabase: check the project docs for container support.