Docmost vs Trilium Notes Next
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Docmost | Trilium Notes Next |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,773 | ★ 2,926 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Confluence, Notion | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
What are Docmost and Trilium Notes Next?
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
Trilium Notes Next
TriliumNext is the actively maintained community continuation of Trilium Notes, a hierarchical note-taking application for building large personal knowledge bases. It supports rich text, code notes, and scripting.
- Hierarchical note tree
- Rich text and code notes
- Scripting and automation
- Note encryption
Docmost vs Trilium Notes Next: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Trilium Notes Next's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Docmost is actively maintained. Both projects are written in TypeScript. Trilium Notes Next is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Docmost. Docmost has the considerably larger community, at 21,773 GitHub stars versus 2,926.
Why pick each one
Choose Docmost if…
- Clean modern interface
- Good team collaboration
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Requires Postgres
Choose Trilium Notes Next if…
- Excellent for large knowledge bases
- Powerful and extensible
Watch out for
- Steeper learning curve
- Primarily single-user
Frequently asked questions
Is Docmost or Trilium Notes Next better?
Neither is universally better. Docmost has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Docmost and Trilium Notes Next free and open-source?
Yes. Docmost is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Trilium Notes Next under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Docmost and Trilium Notes Next with Docker?
Docmost: yes. Trilium Notes Next: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Docmost or Trilium Notes Next?
Trilium Notes Next has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Docmost. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.