Athens Research vs org-roam
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 | org-roam |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 22 · At risk | 68 · Good |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | EPL-1.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Clojure | Emacs Lisp |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,298 | ★ 6,030 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Roam Research, Obsidian |
What are Athens Research and org-roam?
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
org-roam
Org-roam is a plain-text personal knowledge management system for Emacs that brings Zettelkasten-style note-taking on top of Org-mode files. It maintains a database of links between notes for backlinks and graph views.
- Zettelkasten workflow
- Backlinks panel
- Org-mode based
- Link graph
Athens Research vs org-roam: key differences
Athens Research is written in Clojure, while org-roam is built with Emacs Lisp. Licensing differs — EPL-1.0 for Athens Research versus GPL-3.0 for org-roam. Org-roam is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Athens Research. Athens Research lists first-class Docker deployment; org-roam 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 org-roam if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
- Written in Emacs Lisp
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Athens Research or org-roam 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 org-roam free and open-source?
Yes. Athens Research is licensed under EPL-1.0 and org-roam under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Athens Research and org-roam with Docker?
Athens Research: yes. org-roam: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Athens Research or org-roam?
org-roam has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Athens Research. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.