Athens Research vs NoteDiscovery
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
NoteDiscovery
Self-hosted Markdown knowledge base with graph view
| Feature | Athens Research | NoteDiscovery |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 22 · At risk | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | EPL-1.0 | MIT |
| Language | Clojure | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,298 | ★ 2,812 |
| First released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Obsidian, Notion |
What are Athens Research and NoteDiscovery?
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
NoteDiscovery
NoteDiscovery is a self-hosted Markdown knowledge base featuring wikilinks, a graph view, a drawing editor, and LaTeX and Mermaid rendering. It is designed for building and exploring a connected personal knowledge base.
- Wikilinks and graph view
- Drawing editor
- LaTeX and Mermaid support
- Self-hosted knowledge base
Athens Research vs NoteDiscovery: key differences
Athens Research is written in Clojure, while NoteDiscovery is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — EPL-1.0 for Athens Research versus MIT for NoteDiscovery. NoteDiscovery 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 NoteDiscovery arrived in 2024. Athens Research has the considerably larger community, at 6,298 GitHub stars versus 2,812.
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 NoteDiscovery if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Athens Research or NoteDiscovery better?
Neither is universally better. Athens Research has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Athens Research and NoteDiscovery free and open-source?
Yes. Athens Research is licensed under EPL-1.0 and NoteDiscovery under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Athens Research and NoteDiscovery with Docker?
Athens Research: yes. NoteDiscovery: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Athens Research or NoteDiscovery?
NoteDiscovery 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.