Foam vs SilverBullet
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Foam | SilverBullet |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,415 | ★ 6,142 |
| First released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Notion, Obsidian |
What are Foam and SilverBullet?
Foam
Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system built as a set of extensions and conventions for Visual Studio Code. It turns a folder of Markdown files into a linked, navigable knowledge base.
- Wiki-style links
- Graph visualization
- Plain Markdown files
- VS Code integration
SilverBullet
SilverBullet is an extensible, Markdown-based note-taking web app that you can run on your own server and access from any browser. It targets users who want a programmable personal knowledge tool. It is deployed via Docker or Deno.
- Markdown-based with live queries
- Extensible via Space Script
- Works offline as a PWA
- Plain file storage
Foam vs SilverBullet: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. SilverBullet is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Foam. Foam is the more established project (first released 2020), while SilverBullet arrived in 2022. Foam has the considerably larger community, at 17,415 GitHub stars versus 6,142. SilverBullet lists first-class Docker deployment; Foam does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Foam if…
- Plain Markdown files
- Graph visualization included
- Git-friendly by design
Watch out for
- Requires VS Code
- Less polished than Obsidian
Choose SilverBullet if…
- Highly hackable
- Lightweight
- Files stay portable
Watch out for
- Niche and DIY-oriented
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Foam or SilverBullet better?
Neither is universally better. Foam has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Foam and SilverBullet free and open-source?
Yes. Foam is licensed under MIT and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Foam and SilverBullet with Docker?
Foam: check the project docs for container support. SilverBullet: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Foam or SilverBullet?
SilverBullet has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Foam. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.