Logseq vs Notea
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Logseq
Privacy-first outliner for networked thought
VS
Notea
Archived
Self-hosted note-taking app stored on S3
| Feature | Logseq | Notea |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Clojure | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 45,040 | ★ 2,147 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Notion, Roam Research | Notion, Evernote |
What are Logseq and Notea?
Logseq
Logseq is a privacy-first, local-first outliner for knowledge management and networked note-taking using plain Markdown files. It targets users who want a graph-based personal knowledge tool. It runs as a desktop app with optional file syncing.
- Outliner with bidirectional links
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Graph view of notes
- Plugin marketplace
Notea
Notea is an open-source, self-hosted note-taking application with a Notion-like editor that stores all data on S3-compatible object storage. It runs serverlessly and requires no traditional database.
- Notion-like editor
- Stores data on S3
- No database required
- Markdown support
Logseq vs Notea: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Notea's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Logseq is actively maintained. Logseq is written in Clojure, while Notea is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Logseq versus MIT for Notea. Logseq has the considerably larger community, at 45,040 GitHub stars versus 2,147. Notea lists first-class Docker deployment; Logseq does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Logseq if…
- Local-first and private
- Great for linked thinking
- Files stay portable
Watch out for
- Not a hosted server
- Performance dips on huge graphs
Choose Notea if…
- Simple storage model
- Clean editing experience
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Single-user focused
Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or Notea better?
Logseq is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Notea if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Logseq and Notea free and open-source?
Yes. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Notea under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Logseq and Notea with Docker?
Logseq: check the project docs for container support. Notea: yes.