Laverna vs Notable
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Laverna | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 24 · At risk | 28 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,171 | ★ 23,496 |
| First released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Laverna and Notable?
Laverna
Laverna is an open-source, web-based note-taking application with Markdown support and client-side encryption. It can store notes locally or sync via Dropbox or remoteStorage and can be self-hosted as a static app.
- Client-side encryption
- Markdown editor
- Offline support
- Static self-hosted app
Notable
Notable is a note-taking application that stores notes as plain Markdown files on disk. It offers a clean editor, tags, and full-text search while keeping all data in portable files.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Tag-based organization
- Full-text search
- Clean editor
Laverna vs Notable: key differences
Laverna is written in JavaScript, while Notable is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Laverna versus AGPL-3.0 for Notable. Laverna is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Notable. Laverna is the more established project (first released 2014), while Notable arrived in 2018. Notable has the considerably larger community, at 23,496 GitHub stars versus 9,171.
Why pick each one
Choose Laverna if…
- Strong privacy focus
- No backend required
Watch out for
- Development has stalled
- Aging codebase
Choose Notable if…
- Notes stay as portable files
- Simple and focused
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Desktop only
Frequently asked questions
Is Laverna or Notable better?
Neither is universally better. Notable has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Laverna and Notable free and open-source?
Yes. Laverna is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Notable under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Laverna and Notable with Docker?
Laverna: check the project docs for container support. Notable: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Laverna or Notable?
Laverna has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Notable. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.