Laverna vs Mark Text
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?
Laverna
Markdown note-taking app with client-side encryption
VS
Mark Text
Real-time preview Markdown editor for the desktop
| Feature | Laverna | Mark Text |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,182 | ★ 59,781 |
| First released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Typora |
Why pick each one
Choose Mark Text if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 59.8k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Laverna or Mark Text better?
Neither is universally better. Mark Text has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Laverna and Mark Text free and open-source?
Yes. Laverna is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Mark Text under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Laverna and Mark Text with Docker?
Laverna: check the project docs for container support. Mark Text: check the project docs for container support.