Flatnotes vs Reor
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
Reor
Archived
AI-powered local-first personal knowledge management app
| Feature | Flatnotes | Reor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,230 | ★ 8,551 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Flatnotes and Reor?
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
Reor
Reor is an open-source, private, local-first AI note-taking application. It automatically links related notes, runs AI models locally, and stores everything as plain Markdown files on your machine.
- Local AI models
- Automatic note linking
- Plain Markdown storage
- Semantic search
Flatnotes vs Reor: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Reor's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Flatnotes is actively maintained. Flatnotes is written in Vue, while Reor is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Flatnotes versus AGPL-3.0 for Reor. Flatnotes is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Reor. Flatnotes is the more established project (first released 2021), while Reor arrived in 2024. Reor has the considerably larger community, at 8,551 GitHub stars versus 3,230. Flatnotes lists first-class Docker deployment; Reor 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 Reor if…
- AI features without sending data away
- Notes stay as portable files
Watch out for
- AI features need more RAM
- Younger project
Frequently asked questions
Is Flatnotes or Reor better?
Neither is universally better. Reor has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Flatnotes and Reor free and open-source?
Yes. Flatnotes is licensed under MIT and Reor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Flatnotes and Reor with Docker?
Flatnotes: yes. Reor: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Flatnotes or Reor?
Flatnotes has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Reor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.