SHSelfHostIndex

Bangle.io vs SilverBullet

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?
BA Bangle.io Local-first Markdown note-taking app that runs in the browser VS SI SilverBullet Hackable note-taking for the self-hosted web
FeatureBangle.ioSilverBullet
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score79 · Good91 · Excellent
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker
GitHub stars★ 1,231★ 6,142
First released20212022
ReplacesNotion, ObsidianNotion, Obsidian

What are Bangle.io and SilverBullet?

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

Read the full Bangle.io guide →

SilverBullet

SilverBullet is an extensible, Markdown-based note-taking web app that you can run on your own server and access from any browser. It targets users who want a programmable personal knowledge tool. It is deployed via Docker or Deno.

  • Markdown-based with live queries
  • Extensible via Space Script
  • Works offline as a PWA
  • Plain file storage

Read the full SilverBullet guide →

Bangle.io vs SilverBullet: key differences

Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Bangle.io versus MIT for SilverBullet. SilverBullet has the considerably larger community, at 6,142 GitHub stars versus 1,231.

Why pick each one

Choose Bangle.io if…

  • Owns your files
  • No server required

Watch out for

  • Browser storage limits
  • Small plugin ecosystem
Bangle.io details

Choose SilverBullet if…

  • Highly hackable
  • Lightweight
  • Files stay portable

Watch out for

  • Niche and DIY-oriented
  • Smaller community
SilverBullet details

Frequently asked questions

Is Bangle.io or SilverBullet better?

Neither is universally better. SilverBullet has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Bangle.io and SilverBullet free and open-source?

Yes. Bangle.io is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Bangle.io and SilverBullet with Docker?

Bangle.io: yes. SilverBullet: yes.

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