Blinko vs Turtl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Blinko
Self-hosted personal note tool for capturing ideas
VS
Turtl
Encrypted note-taking and bookmarking for privacy
| Feature | Blinko | Turtl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 14 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,035 | ★ 633 |
| First released | 2024 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Google Keep, Memos | Evernote, Google Keep |
What are Blinko and Turtl?
Blinko
Blinko is an open-source, self-hosted note-taking application designed for quickly capturing thoughts and ideas as they occur. It stores notes with Markdown support and offers AI-assisted retrieval of past notes.
- Quick idea capture
- Markdown notes
- AI-powered retrieval
- Self-hosted privacy
Turtl
Turtl is an open-source, encrypted notes and bookmarking application designed to keep personal data private. Notes, files, and bookmarks are end-to-end encrypted, and the sync server can be self-hosted.
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- Bookmark and file storage
- Self-hostable sync server
- Cross-platform apps
Blinko vs Turtl: key differences
Blinko is written in TypeScript, while Turtl is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Blinko versus GPL-3.0 for Turtl. Turtl is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Blinko. Turtl is the more established project (first released 2014), while Blinko arrived in 2024. Blinko has the considerably larger community, at 11,035 GitHub stars versus 633. Blinko lists first-class Docker deployment; Turtl does not.
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 11k GitHub stars
Choose Turtl if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Stores notes, files, and bookmarks
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Unusual server stack
Frequently asked questions
Is Blinko or Turtl better?
Blinko is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Turtl if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Blinko and Turtl free and open-source?
Yes. Blinko is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Turtl under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Blinko and Turtl with Docker?
Blinko: yes. Turtl: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Blinko or Turtl?
Turtl has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Blinko. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.