CherryTree vs Obsidian
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Obsidian
Local-first knowledge base on a folder of Markdown files
| Feature | CherryTree | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,951 | ★ 21,797 |
| First released | 2009 | 2020 |
| Replaces | OneNote, Evernote | Evernote, Notion, OneNote |
What are CherryTree and Obsidian?
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
Obsidian
Obsidian is a powerful personal knowledge base that works on a local folder of plain Markdown files. While the app is proprietary, your notes remain fully local and portable, and self-hosted sync is possible via plugins.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Bidirectional links and graph view
- Large community plugin ecosystem
- Local-first and private
CherryTree vs Obsidian: key differences
CherryTree is written in C++, while Obsidian is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for CherryTree versus Proprietary for Obsidian. CherryTree is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Obsidian. CherryTree is the more established project (first released 2009), while Obsidian arrived in 2020. Obsidian has the considerably larger community, at 21,797 GitHub stars versus 3,951.
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 Obsidian if…
- Notes stay portable and local
- Highly extensible
Watch out for
- Core app is closed source
- Official sync is a paid service
Frequently asked questions
Is CherryTree or Obsidian better?
Neither is universally better. Obsidian has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CherryTree and Obsidian free and open-source?
Yes. CherryTree is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Obsidian under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CherryTree and Obsidian with Docker?
CherryTree: check the project docs for container support. Obsidian: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, CherryTree or Obsidian?
CherryTree has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Obsidian. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.