Laverna 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.
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | Laverna | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 24 · At risk | 99 · Excellent |
| 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 | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,171 | ★ 37,958 |
| First released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Simplenote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Laverna and Trilium Notes?
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
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
Laverna vs Trilium Notes: key differences
Laverna is written in JavaScript, while Trilium Notes is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Laverna versus AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes. Laverna is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Trilium Notes. Laverna is the more established project (first released 2014), while Trilium Notes arrived in 2017. Trilium Notes has the considerably larger community, at 37,958 GitHub stars versus 9,171. Trilium Notes lists first-class Docker deployment; Laverna does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Laverna if…
- Strong privacy focus
- No backend required
Watch out for
- Development has stalled
- Aging codebase
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 Laverna or Trilium Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Laverna and Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Laverna is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Laverna and Trilium Notes with Docker?
Laverna: check the project docs for container support. Trilium Notes: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Laverna or Trilium Notes?
Laverna has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Trilium Notes. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.