LibreKB vs TriliumNext Notes

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

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FeatureLibreKBTriliumNext Notes
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 60★ 37,298
First released20252026
Replaces

Why pick each one

Choose LibreKB if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in PHP
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
LibreKB details

Choose TriliumNext Notes if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 37.3k GitHub stars
TriliumNext Notes details

Frequently asked questions

Is LibreKB or TriliumNext Notes better?

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

Are LibreKB and TriliumNext Notes free and open-source?

Yes. LibreKB is licensed under GPL-3.0 and TriliumNext Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run LibreKB and TriliumNext Notes with Docker?

LibreKB: check the project docs for container support. TriliumNext Notes: yes.

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