BatNoter vs Notable
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | BatNoter | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 18 · At risk | 28 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,421 | ★ 23,496 |
| First released | 2022 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Standard Notes, Evernote | Evernote, Notion |
What are BatNoter and Notable?
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
Notable
Notable is a note-taking application that stores notes as plain Markdown files on disk. It offers a clean editor, tags, and full-text search while keeping all data in portable files.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Tag-based organization
- Full-text search
- Clean editor
BatNoter vs Notable: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for BatNoter versus AGPL-3.0 for Notable. BatNoter is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Notable. Notable is the more established project (first released 2018), while BatNoter arrived in 2022. Notable has the considerably larger community, at 23,496 GitHub stars versus 2,421. BatNoter lists first-class Docker deployment; Notable does not.
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
Choose Notable if…
- Notes stay as portable files
- Simple and focused
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Desktop only
Frequently asked questions
Is BatNoter or Notable better?
Notable 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 Notable free and open-source?
Yes. BatNoter is licensed under MIT and Notable under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BatNoter and Notable with Docker?
BatNoter: yes. Notable: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, BatNoter or Notable?
BatNoter has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Notable. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.