Flatnotes vs Notable
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
Notable
Markdown-based note-taking app for plain files
| Feature | Flatnotes | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 28 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,230 | ★ 23,496 |
| First released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Flatnotes and Notable?
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
Notable
Notable is a note-taking application that stores notes as plain Markdown files on disk. It offers a clean editor, tags, and full-text search while keeping all data in portable files.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Tag-based organization
- Full-text search
- Clean editor
Flatnotes vs Notable: key differences
Flatnotes is written in Vue, while Notable is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Flatnotes versus AGPL-3.0 for Notable. Flatnotes is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Notable. Notable is the more established project (first released 2018), while Flatnotes arrived in 2021. Notable has the considerably larger community, at 23,496 GitHub stars versus 3,230. Flatnotes lists first-class Docker deployment; Notable 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 Notable if…
- Notes stay as portable files
- Simple and focused
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Desktop only
Frequently asked questions
Is Flatnotes or Notable better?
Neither is universally better. Notable has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Flatnotes and Notable free and open-source?
Yes. Flatnotes is licensed under MIT and Notable under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Flatnotes and Notable with Docker?
Flatnotes: yes. Notable: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Flatnotes or Notable?
Flatnotes has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Notable. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.