Boost Note vs nb Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Boost Note | nb Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 92 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,046 | ★ 8,410 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Evernote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Boost Note and nb Notes?
Boost Note
Boost Note is an open-source note-taking app aimed at developers, with Markdown editing, code snippet notes, tagging, and syntax highlighting. Notes are stored as files. The upstream app repository is archived and no longer actively developed.
- Markdown and snippet notes
- Tag-based organization
- File-based storage
- Code syntax highlighting
nb Notes
nb is a command-line and local web tool for plain-text note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving with Git-backed versioning and syncing. It works entirely in the terminal and supports encryption.
- Plain-text notes and bookmarks
- Git-backed sync
- Optional encryption
- Tagging and search
Boost Note vs nb Notes: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Boost Note's repository is archived and no longer developed, while nb Notes is actively maintained. Boost Note is written in TypeScript, while nb Notes is built with Shell. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Boost Note versus AGPL-3.0 for nb Notes. Nb Notes is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Boost Note. Boost Note is the more established project (first released 2016), while nb Notes arrived in 2019. Nb Notes has the considerably larger community, at 8,410 GitHub stars versus 4,046.
Why pick each one
Choose Boost Note if…
- Developer-friendly
- Files you control
Watch out for
- Project direction shifted
- No first-party server
Choose nb Notes if…
- Powerful for terminal users
- Versioned with Git
Watch out for
- Command-line only
- No graphical client
Frequently asked questions
Is Boost Note or nb Notes better?
Neither is universally better. nb Notes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Boost Note and nb Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Boost Note is licensed under GPL-3.0 and nb Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Boost Note and nb Notes with Docker?
Boost Note: check the project docs for container support. nb Notes: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Boost Note or nb Notes?
nb Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Boost Note. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.