Beaver Notes vs Trilium Notes Next
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Beaver Notes | Trilium Notes Next |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,343 | ★ 2,926 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
What are Beaver Notes and Trilium Notes Next?
Beaver Notes
File-over-app note tools include several options; Beaver Notes is an open-source, privacy-focused note-taking application that stores notes locally. It offers a clean editor with tags, folders, and Markdown.
- Local-first note storage
- Markdown editor
- Tags and folders
- Cross-platform apps
Trilium Notes Next
TriliumNext is the actively maintained community continuation of Trilium Notes, a hierarchical note-taking application for building large personal knowledge bases. It supports rich text, code notes, and scripting.
- Hierarchical note tree
- Rich text and code notes
- Scripting and automation
- Note encryption
Beaver Notes vs Trilium Notes Next: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Trilium Notes Next's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Beaver Notes is actively maintained. Beaver Notes is written in JavaScript, while Trilium Notes Next is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Beaver Notes versus AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes Next. Beaver Notes is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Trilium Notes Next. Trilium Notes Next has the considerably larger community, at 2,926 GitHub stars versus 1,343. Trilium Notes Next lists first-class Docker deployment; Beaver Notes does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Beaver Notes if…
- Privacy-focused and local
- Clean modern interface
Watch out for
- Younger project
- Sync requires external tools
Choose Trilium Notes Next if…
- Excellent for large knowledge bases
- Powerful and extensible
Watch out for
- Steeper learning curve
- Primarily single-user
Frequently asked questions
Is Beaver Notes or Trilium Notes Next better?
Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes Next has the larger community, while Beaver Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Beaver Notes and Trilium Notes Next free and open-source?
Yes. Beaver Notes is licensed under MIT and Trilium Notes Next under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Beaver Notes and Trilium Notes Next with Docker?
Beaver Notes: check the project docs for container support. Trilium Notes Next: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Beaver Notes or Trilium Notes Next?
Beaver Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Trilium Notes Next. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.