CherryTree vs VNote
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
CherryTree
Hierarchical rich-text and code note-taking application
VS
VNote
Markdown note-taking application built for programmers
| Feature | CherryTree | VNote |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,925 | ★ 12,885 |
| First released | 2009 | 2017 |
| Replaces | OneNote, Evernote | Evernote, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is CherryTree or VNote better?
Neither is universally better. VNote has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CherryTree and VNote free and open-source?
Yes. CherryTree is licensed under GPL-3.0 and VNote under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CherryTree and VNote with Docker?
CherryTree: check the project docs for container support. VNote: check the project docs for container support.