Flatnotes vs Notesnook
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
Notesnook
Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app
| Feature | Flatnotes | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,230 | ★ 14,628 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
What are Flatnotes and Notesnook?
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
Notesnook
Notesnook is an open-source, privacy-focused note-taking app with end-to-end encryption on all notes. Its sync server can be self-hosted so users keep complete control of their encrypted data.
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich text editor
- Cross-platform apps
Flatnotes vs Notesnook: key differences
Flatnotes is written in Vue, while Notesnook is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Flatnotes versus GPL-3.0 for Notesnook. Flatnotes is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Notesnook. Notesnook has the considerably larger community, at 14,628 GitHub stars versus 3,230.
Why pick each one
Choose Flatnotes if…
- Trivial to back up
- Very lightweight
Watch out for
- Basic feature set
- Single-user oriented
Choose Notesnook if…
- Strong privacy by default
- Polished apps on all platforms
Watch out for
- Self-hosting is relatively new
- Some features tied to subscription
Frequently asked questions
Is Flatnotes or Notesnook better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while Flatnotes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Flatnotes and Notesnook free and open-source?
Yes. Flatnotes is licensed under MIT and Notesnook under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Flatnotes and Notesnook with Docker?
Flatnotes: yes. Notesnook: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Flatnotes or Notesnook?
Flatnotes has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Notesnook. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.