Flatnotes vs Memos
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?
Flatnotes
Self-hosted, database-less note-taking web app
VS
Memos
Lightweight self-hosted note and memo hub
| Feature | Flatnotes | Memos |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Vue | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,172 | ★ 62,093 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Notion, Google Keep |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Flatnotes or Memos better?
Neither is universally better. Memos has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Flatnotes and Memos free and open-source?
Yes. Flatnotes is licensed under MIT and Memos under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Flatnotes and Memos with Docker?
Flatnotes: yes. Memos: yes.