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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?
DN Dnote Simple command-line notebook with multi-device sync VS Flatnotes Self-hosted, database-less note-taking web app
FeatureDnoteFlatnotes
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score78 · Good88 · Excellent
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageGoVue
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcedocker, source
GitHub stars★ 3,084★ 3,230
First released20172021
ReplacesEvernote, SimplenoteEvernote, Simplenote

What are Dnote and Flatnotes?

Dnote

Dnote is an open-source, simple command-line notebook for programmers and terminal users. It captures quick notes without breaking focus and can sync through a self-hostable server.

  • Command-line note capture
  • Self-hostable sync server
  • Browser extension
  • Spaced-repetition digests

Read the full Dnote guide →

Flatnotes

Flatnotes is a self-hosted web application for taking notes, with a focus on simplicity and storing all notes as flat Markdown files. It has no database and keeps notes easy to back up and access.

  • Flat Markdown file storage
  • No database required
  • Full-text search
  • Clean minimal interface

Read the full Flatnotes guide →

Dnote vs Flatnotes: key differences

Dnote is written in Go, while Flatnotes is built with Vue. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Dnote versus MIT for Flatnotes. Dnote is the more established project (first released 2017), while Flatnotes arrived in 2021.

Why pick each one

Choose Dnote if…

  • Stays out of the way for developers
  • Quick capture from terminal

Watch out for

  • Terminal-first workflow
  • Limited rich formatting
Dnote details

Choose Flatnotes if…

  • Trivial to back up
  • Very lightweight

Watch out for

  • Basic feature set
  • Single-user oriented
Flatnotes details

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.

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