CherryTree vs Khoj
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Khoj
Self-hostable AI assistant over your personal notes
| Feature | CherryTree | Khoj |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,951 | ★ 37,485 |
| First released | 2009 | 2021 |
| Replaces | OneNote, Evernote | Notion AI, Evernote |
What are CherryTree and Khoj?
CherryTree
Cherrytree is an open-source hierarchical note-taking application featuring rich text and syntax highlighting. It stores everything in a single XML or SQLite file, making it easy to back up and move.
- Hierarchical note tree
- Rich text and code highlighting
- Single-file XML or SQLite storage
- Password protection
Khoj
Khoj is an open-source, self-hostable AI application that lets you search and chat with your notes, documents, and knowledge base. It connects to Markdown, Org-mode, PDF, and other personal data sources.
- AI chat over personal notes
- Semantic search across documents
- Connects many data sources
- Self-hostable
CherryTree vs Khoj: key differences
CherryTree is written in C++, while Khoj is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for CherryTree versus AGPL-3.0 for Khoj. CherryTree is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Khoj. CherryTree is the more established project (first released 2009), while Khoj arrived in 2021. Khoj has the considerably larger community, at 37,485 GitHub stars versus 3,951. Khoj lists first-class Docker deployment; CherryTree does not.
Why pick each one
Choose CherryTree if…
- Highly portable single-file notes
- Good for structured notes
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No built-in sync
Choose Khoj if…
- Turns notes into an AI knowledge base
- Supports local LLMs
Watch out for
- Higher resource needs
- Setup more involved
Frequently asked questions
Is CherryTree or Khoj better?
Neither is universally better. Khoj has the larger community, while CherryTree is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CherryTree and Khoj free and open-source?
Yes. CherryTree is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Khoj under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CherryTree and Khoj with Docker?
CherryTree: check the project docs for container support. Khoj: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CherryTree or Khoj?
CherryTree has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Khoj. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.