Many Notes vs Memos
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?
Many Notes
Markdown note-taking web app designed for simplicity
VS
Memos
Lightweight self-hosted note and memo hub
| Feature | Many Notes | Memos |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,037 | ★ 62,093 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Notion | Notion, Google Keep |
Why pick each one
Choose Many Notes if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Many Notes or Memos better?
Memos is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Many Notes if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Many Notes and Memos free and open-source?
Yes. Many Notes is licensed under MIT and Memos under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Many Notes and Memos with Docker?
Many Notes: yes. Memos: yes.