Docmost vs nb Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Docmost
Open-source collaborative wiki and documentation
VS
nb Notes
Command-line note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving tool
| Feature | Docmost | nb Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,773 | ★ 8,410 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Evernote, Notion |
What are Docmost and nb Notes?
Docmost
Docmost is an open-source collaborative documentation and wiki software for teams to create and organize knowledge. It targets organizations seeking a self-hosted Confluence alternative. It is deployed via Docker with PostgreSQL.
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Spaces and nested pages
- Permissions and SSO
- Diagrams and embeds
nb Notes
nb is a command-line and local web tool for plain-text note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving with Git-backed versioning and syncing. It works entirely in the terminal and supports encryption.
- Plain-text notes and bookmarks
- Git-backed sync
- Optional encryption
- Tagging and search
Docmost vs nb Notes: key differences
Docmost is written in TypeScript, while nb Notes is built with Shell. Nb Notes is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Docmost. Nb Notes is the more established project (first released 2019), while Docmost arrived in 2024. Docmost has the considerably larger community, at 21,773 GitHub stars versus 8,410. Docmost lists first-class Docker deployment; nb Notes does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Docmost if…
- Clean modern interface
- Good team collaboration
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Requires Postgres
Choose nb Notes if…
- Powerful for terminal users
- Versioned with Git
Watch out for
- Command-line only
- No graphical client
Frequently asked questions
Is Docmost or nb Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Docmost has the larger community, while nb Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Docmost and nb Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Docmost is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and nb Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Docmost and nb Notes with Docker?
Docmost: yes. nb Notes: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Docmost or nb Notes?
nb Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Docmost. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.