Flatnotes 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.
Flatnotes
Self-hosted, database-less note-taking web app
VS
Laverna
Markdown note-taking app with client-side encryption
| Feature | Flatnotes | Laverna |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 24 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Vue | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,230 | ★ 9,171 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, Simplenote |
What are Flatnotes and Laverna?
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
Laverna
Laverna is an open-source, web-based note-taking application with Markdown support and client-side encryption. It can store notes locally or sync via Dropbox or remoteStorage and can be self-hosted as a static app.
- Client-side encryption
- Markdown editor
- Offline support
- Static self-hosted app
Flatnotes vs Laverna: key differences
Flatnotes is written in Vue, while Laverna is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Flatnotes versus MPL-2.0 for Laverna. Laverna is the more established project (first released 2014), while Flatnotes arrived in 2021. Laverna has the considerably larger community, at 9,171 GitHub stars versus 3,230. Flatnotes lists first-class Docker deployment; Laverna does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Flatnotes if…
- Trivial to back up
- Very lightweight
Watch out for
- Basic feature set
- Single-user oriented
Choose Laverna if…
- Strong privacy focus
- No backend required
Watch out for
- Development has stalled
- Aging codebase
Frequently asked questions
Is Flatnotes 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 Flatnotes and Laverna free and open-source?
Yes. Flatnotes is licensed under MIT and Laverna under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Flatnotes and Laverna with Docker?
Flatnotes: yes. Laverna: check the project docs for container support.