Bangle.io vs Many Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Many Notes
Markdown note-taking web app designed for simplicity
| Feature | Bangle.io | Many Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,231 | ★ 1,087 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Notion, Obsidian | Obsidian, Notion |
What are Bangle.io and Many Notes?
Bangle.io
Bangle.io is a local-first web app for taking Markdown notes. It stores notes in the browser or a local folder via the file system API, supports WYSIWYG-style editing and backlinks, and works fully offline without a server.
- Local-first Markdown notes
- WYSIWYG editing
- Backlinks and tags
- Works offline in browser
Many Notes
Many Notes is a self-hosted Markdown note-taking web application built with Laravel. It supports multiple vaults per user, links and backlinks, tags, templates, and OAuth login from many providers.
- Multiple vaults per user
- Links, backlinks, and tags
- Smart Markdown editor
- Wide OAuth provider support
Bangle.io vs Many Notes: key differences
Bangle.io is written in TypeScript, while Many Notes is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Bangle.io versus MIT for Many Notes. Bangle.io is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Many Notes. Bangle.io is the more established project (first released 2021), while Many Notes arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Bangle.io if…
- Owns your files
- No server required
Watch out for
- Browser storage limits
- Small plugin ecosystem
Choose Many Notes if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Bangle.io or Many Notes better?
Bangle.io is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Many Notes if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Bangle.io and Many Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Bangle.io is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Many Notes under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bangle.io and Many Notes with Docker?
Bangle.io: yes. Many Notes: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Bangle.io or Many Notes?
Bangle.io has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Many Notes. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.