Logseq vs nb Notes

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?
FeatureLogseqnb Notes
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageClojureShell
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB32 MB
Deploymentbinary, bare-metalbare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 44,329★ 8,343
First released20202019
ReplacesNotion, Roam ResearchEvernote, Notion

Why pick each one

Choose Logseq if…

  • Local-first and private
  • Great for linked thinking
  • Files stay portable
Logseq details

Choose nb Notes if…

  • Powerful for terminal users
  • Versioned with Git
nb Notes details

Frequently asked questions

Is Logseq or nb Notes better?

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

Are Logseq and nb Notes free and open-source?

Yes. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and nb Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Logseq and nb Notes with Docker?

Logseq: check the project docs for container support. nb Notes: check the project docs for container support.

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