Dillinger vs Logseq

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?
FeatureDillingerLogseq
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptClojure
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metalbinary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 8,271★ 44,329
First released20122020
ReplacesStackEditNotion, Roam Research

Why pick each one

Choose Dillinger if…

  • Clean writing interface
  • Easy to deploy
Dillinger details

Choose Logseq if…

  • Local-first and private
  • Great for linked thinking
  • Files stay portable
Logseq details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dillinger or Logseq better?

Neither is universally better. Logseq has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Dillinger and Logseq free and open-source?

Yes. Dillinger is licensed under MIT and Logseq under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dillinger and Logseq with Docker?

Dillinger: yes. Logseq: check the project docs for container support.

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