Many Notes vs Notabase
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Many Notes
Markdown note-taking web app designed for simplicity
VS
Notabase
Personal knowledge base for networked thinking
| Feature | Many Notes | Notabase |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 73 · Good |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | source, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,087 | ★ 912 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Notion | Roam Research, Obsidian |
What are Many Notes and Notabase?
Many Notes
Many Notes is a self-hosted Markdown note-taking web application built with Laravel. It supports multiple vaults per user, links and backlinks, tags, templates, and OAuth login from many providers.
- Multiple vaults per user
- Links, backlinks, and tags
- Smart Markdown editor
- Wide OAuth provider support
Notabase
Notabase is an open-source personal knowledge base that connects notes through links and block references to support networked thinking. It offers a WYSIWYG editor and can be self-hosted on a Supabase backend.
- Linked notes and block references
- WYSIWYG rich-text editor
- Markdown export
- Self-hostable on Supabase
Many Notes vs Notabase: key differences
Many Notes is written in PHP, while Notabase is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Many Notes versus AGPL-3.0 for Notabase. Many Notes is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Notabase. Notabase is the more established project (first released 2021), while Many Notes arrived in 2024. Many Notes lists first-class Docker deployment; Notabase does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Many Notes if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Choose Notabase if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Many Notes or Notabase better?
Many Notes is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Notabase if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Many Notes and Notabase free and open-source?
Yes. Many Notes is licensed under MIT and Notabase under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Many Notes and Notabase with Docker?
Many Notes: yes. Notabase: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Many Notes or Notabase?
Many Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Notabase. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.