Flatnotes vs VNote
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
VNote
Markdown note-taking application built for programmers
| Feature | Flatnotes | VNote |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Vue | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,230 | ★ 12,977 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, OneNote |
What are Flatnotes and VNote?
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
VNote
VNote is a Markdown-based note-taking application focused on developers, offering folder-based notebooks, syntax highlighting, and Vim-style editing. Notes are plain files that can be synced through external tools.
- Folder-based notebooks
- Vim editing mode
- Markdown with diagrams
- Code-friendly themes
Flatnotes vs VNote: key differences
Flatnotes is written in Vue, while VNote is built with C++. Flatnotes is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for VNote. VNote is the more established project (first released 2017), while Flatnotes arrived in 2021. VNote has the considerably larger community, at 12,977 GitHub stars versus 3,230. Flatnotes lists first-class Docker deployment; VNote 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 VNote if…
- Fast native app
- Plain file storage
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No built-in sync
Frequently asked questions
Is Flatnotes or VNote better?
Neither is universally better. VNote has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Flatnotes and VNote free and open-source?
Yes. Flatnotes is licensed under MIT and VNote under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Flatnotes and VNote with Docker?
Flatnotes: yes. VNote: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Flatnotes or VNote?
Flatnotes has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for VNote. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.