Blinko vs Self-hosted LiveSync
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?
Blinko
Self-hosted personal note tool for capturing ideas
VS
Self-hosted LiveSync
Self-hosted real-time sync backend for Obsidian vaults
| Feature | Blinko | Self-hosted LiveSync |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,850 | ★ 11,908 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Keep, Memos | Obsidian Sync |
Why pick each one
Choose Blinko if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 10.8k GitHub stars
Choose Self-hosted LiveSync if…
- Free alternative to Obsidian Sync
- Encrypted by default
Frequently asked questions
Is Blinko or Self-hosted LiveSync better?
Neither is universally better. Self-hosted LiveSync has the larger community, while Blinko is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Blinko and Self-hosted LiveSync free and open-source?
Yes. Blinko is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Self-hosted LiveSync under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Blinko and Self-hosted LiveSync with Docker?
Blinko: yes. Self-hosted LiveSync: yes.