BookStack vs SilverBullet
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
BookStack
Simple self-hosted documentation and wiki platform
VS
SilverBullet
Hackable note-taking for the self-hosted web
| Feature | BookStack | SilverBullet |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 19,050 | ★ 6,142 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Notion, Obsidian |
What are BookStack and SilverBullet?
BookStack
BookStack is a self-hosted platform for organizing and storing documentation in a books, chapters, and pages structure. It targets teams that want an approachable wiki without complexity. It is deployed via Docker or a LAMP stack.
- Books, chapters and pages structure
- WYSIWYG and Markdown editors
- Roles, permissions and SSO
- Full-text search
SilverBullet
SilverBullet is an extensible, Markdown-based note-taking web app that you can run on your own server and access from any browser. It targets users who want a programmable personal knowledge tool. It is deployed via Docker or Deno.
- Markdown-based with live queries
- Extensible via Space Script
- Works offline as a PWA
- Plain file storage
BookStack vs SilverBullet: key differences
BookStack is written in PHP, while SilverBullet is built with TypeScript. SilverBullet is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for BookStack. BookStack is the more established project (first released 2017), while SilverBullet arrived in 2022. BookStack has the considerably larger community, at 19,050 GitHub stars versus 6,142.
Why pick each one
Choose BookStack if…
- Very easy to learn
- Clean organized structure
- Good permissions
Watch out for
- Rigid structure for some
- Fewer integrations than rivals
Choose SilverBullet if…
- Highly hackable
- Lightweight
- Files stay portable
Watch out for
- Niche and DIY-oriented
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is BookStack or SilverBullet better?
Neither is universally better. BookStack has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are BookStack and SilverBullet free and open-source?
Yes. BookStack is licensed under MIT and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BookStack and SilverBullet with Docker?
BookStack: yes. SilverBullet: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, BookStack or SilverBullet?
SilverBullet has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for BookStack. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.