Boost Note vs Trilium Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | Boost Note | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 99 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,046 | ★ 37,958 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Boost Note and Trilium 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
Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is a hierarchical note-taking application designed for building large personal knowledge bases with rich linking and scripting. It targets power users who want a structured second brain. It is deployed via Docker as a server with desktop and web clients.
- Deep hierarchical note tree
- Note attributes and relations
- Scripting and automation
- Encrypted protected notes
Boost Note vs Trilium Notes: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Boost Note's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Trilium Notes is actively maintained. Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Boost Note versus AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes. Trilium Notes has the considerably larger community, at 37,958 GitHub stars versus 4,046. Trilium Notes lists first-class Docker deployment; Boost Note does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Boost Note if…
- Developer-friendly
- Files you control
Watch out for
- Project direction shifted
- No first-party server
Choose Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Single-user oriented
Frequently asked questions
Is Boost Note or Trilium Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Boost Note and Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Boost Note is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Boost Note and Trilium Notes with Docker?
Boost Note: check the project docs for container support. Trilium Notes: yes.