Dnote vs Flatnotes
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?
Dnote
Simple command-line notebook with multi-device sync
VS
Flatnotes
Self-hosted, database-less note-taking web app
| Feature | Dnote | Flatnotes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,051 | ★ 3,172 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, Simplenote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Dnote or Flatnotes better?
Neither is universally better. Flatnotes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dnote and Flatnotes free and open-source?
Yes. Dnote is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Flatnotes under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dnote and Flatnotes with Docker?
Dnote: yes. Flatnotes: yes.