Khoj vs Trilium Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Khoj
Self-hostable AI assistant over your personal notes
VS
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | Khoj | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,485 | ★ 37,958 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion AI, Evernote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Khoj and Trilium Notes?
Khoj
Khoj is an open-source, self-hostable AI application that lets you search and chat with your notes, documents, and knowledge base. It connects to Markdown, Org-mode, PDF, and other personal data sources.
- AI chat over personal notes
- Semantic search across documents
- Connects many data sources
- Self-hostable
Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is a hierarchical note-taking application designed for building large personal knowledge bases with rich linking and scripting. It targets power users who want a structured second brain. It is deployed via Docker as a server with desktop and web clients.
- Deep hierarchical note tree
- Note attributes and relations
- Scripting and automation
- Encrypted protected notes
Khoj vs Trilium Notes: key differences
Khoj is written in Python, while Trilium Notes is built with TypeScript. Trilium Notes is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Khoj. Trilium Notes is the more established project (first released 2017), while Khoj arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Khoj if…
- Turns notes into an AI knowledge base
- Supports local LLMs
Watch out for
- Higher resource needs
- Setup more involved
Choose Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Single-user oriented
Frequently asked questions
Is Khoj or Trilium Notes better?
Trilium Notes is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Khoj if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Khoj and Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Khoj is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Khoj and Trilium Notes with Docker?
Khoj: yes. Trilium Notes: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Khoj or Trilium Notes?
Trilium Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Khoj. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.