SHSelfHostIndex

Dnote vs Laverna

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 LA Laverna Markdown note-taking app with client-side encryption
FeatureDnoteLaverna
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0MPL-2.0
LanguageGoJavaScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcebare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 3,051★ 9,182
First released20172014
ReplacesEvernote, SimplenoteEvernote, Simplenote

Why pick each one

Choose Dnote if…

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

Choose Laverna if…

  • Strong privacy focus
  • No backend required
Laverna details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dnote or Laverna better?

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

Are Dnote and Laverna free and open-source?

Yes. Dnote is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Laverna under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dnote and Laverna with Docker?

Dnote: yes. Laverna: check the project docs for container support.

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