SHSelfHostIndex

BatNoter vs Flatnotes

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 BatNoter Markdown notes web app that stores notes in your Git repo VS Flatnotes Self-hosted, database-less note-taking web app
FeatureBatNoterFlatnotes
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score18 · At risk88 · Excellent
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageTypeScriptVue
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, sourcedocker, source
GitHub stars★ 2,421★ 3,230
First released20222021
ReplacesStandard Notes, EvernoteEvernote, Simplenote

What are BatNoter and Flatnotes?

BatNoter

BatNoter is an open-source, Markdown-based note-taking web application that stores all notes in a user's own Git repository. It provides an editor with preview and keeps notes versioned and portable.

  • Notes stored in your Git repo
  • Markdown editor with preview
  • Versioned, portable notes
  • Self-hosted backend

Flatnotes

Flatnotes is a self-hosted web application for taking notes, with a focus on simplicity and storing all notes as flat Markdown files. It has no database and keeps notes easy to back up and access.

  • Flat Markdown file storage
  • No database required
  • Full-text search
  • Clean minimal interface

Read the full Flatnotes guide →

BatNoter vs Flatnotes: key differences

BatNoter is written in TypeScript, while Flatnotes is built with Vue.

Why pick each one

Choose BatNoter if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (2.4k GitHub stars)
  • Written in TypeScript
BatNoter details

Choose Flatnotes if…

  • Trivial to back up
  • Very lightweight

Watch out for

  • Basic feature set
  • Single-user oriented
Flatnotes details

Frequently asked questions

Is BatNoter or Flatnotes better?

Flatnotes is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider BatNoter if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are BatNoter and Flatnotes free and open-source?

Yes. BatNoter is licensed under MIT and Flatnotes under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run BatNoter and Flatnotes with Docker?

BatNoter: yes. Flatnotes: yes.

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