Many Notes vs Tangent Notes
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
Tangent Notes
Local-first Markdown note editor with linked notes
| Feature | Many Notes | Tangent Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 75 · Good |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,087 | ★ 556 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Notion | Obsidian, Roam Research |
What are Many Notes and Tangent Notes?
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
Tangent Notes
Tangent is a free, local-first note-taking application that stores notes as plain Markdown files and links them together into a connected map. It focuses on capturing and connecting ideas without a cloud dependency.
- Local-first storage
- Linked note map
- Plain Markdown files
- Session history
Many Notes vs Tangent Notes: key differences
Many Notes is written in PHP, while Tangent Notes is built with TypeScript. Tangent Notes is the more established project (first released 2022), while Many Notes arrived in 2024. Many Notes lists first-class Docker deployment; Tangent Notes 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 Tangent Notes if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Many Notes or Tangent Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Many Notes has the larger community, while Tangent Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Many Notes and Tangent Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Many Notes is licensed under MIT and Tangent Notes under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Many Notes and Tangent Notes with Docker?
Many Notes: yes. Tangent Notes: check the project docs for container support.