Dnote 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?
FeatureDnoteLogseq
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoClojure
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcebinary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 3,051★ 44,329
First released20172020
ReplacesEvernote, SimplenoteNotion, Roam Research

Why pick each one

Choose Dnote if…

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

Choose Logseq if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Dnote 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 Dnote and Logseq free and open-source?

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

Can I run Dnote and Logseq with Docker?

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

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