SHSelfHostIndex

Laverna vs Logseq

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

Not the right match-up?
LA Laverna Markdown note-taking app with client-side encryption VS LO Logseq Privacy-first outliner for networked thought
FeatureLavernaLogseq
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseMPL-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageJavaScriptClojure
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcebinary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 9,182★ 44,329
First released20142020
ReplacesEvernote, SimplenoteNotion, Roam Research

Why pick each one

Choose Laverna if…

  • Strong privacy focus
  • No backend required
Laverna details

Choose Logseq if…

  • Local-first and private
  • Great for linked thinking
  • Files stay portable
Logseq details

Frequently asked questions

Is Laverna or Logseq better?

Neither is universally better. Logseq has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Laverna and Logseq free and open-source?

Yes. Laverna is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Logseq under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Laverna and Logseq with Docker?

Laverna: check the project docs for container support. Logseq: check the project docs for container support.

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