Joplin vs TriliumNext Notes

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureJoplinTriliumNext Notes
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 55,856★ 37,298
First released20172026
ReplacesEvernote, OneNote

Why pick each one

Choose Joplin if…

  • Strong privacy with E2EE
  • Flexible sync options
  • Active development
Joplin details

Choose TriliumNext Notes if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 37.3k GitHub stars
TriliumNext Notes details

Frequently asked questions

Is Joplin or TriliumNext Notes better?

Joplin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider TriliumNext Notes if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Joplin and TriliumNext Notes free and open-source?

Yes. Joplin is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and TriliumNext Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Joplin and TriliumNext Notes with Docker?

Joplin: yes. TriliumNext Notes: yes.

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