Many Notes vs Zettlr
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
Zettlr
Markdown editor for writers, researchers, and Zettelkasten users
| Feature | Many Notes | Zettlr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,087 | ★ 13,577 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Notion | Notion, Obsidian |
What are Many Notes and Zettlr?
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
Zettlr
Zettlr is a desktop Markdown editor designed for academic writing and Zettelkasten note management, with citation support and internal linking. While desktop-first, it works on plain Markdown folders that can sync between machines.
- Zettelkasten linking
- Citation manager support
- Multi-format export
- Folder-based projects
Many Notes vs Zettlr: key differences
Many Notes is written in PHP, while Zettlr is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Many Notes versus GPL-3.0 for Zettlr. Zettlr is the more established project (first released 2017), while Many Notes arrived in 2024. Zettlr has the considerably larger community, at 13,577 GitHub stars versus 1,087. Many Notes lists first-class Docker deployment; Zettlr 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 Zettlr if…
- Strong academic features
- Plain Markdown files
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No native sync server
Frequently asked questions
Is Many Notes or Zettlr better?
Zettlr 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 Zettlr free and open-source?
Yes. Many Notes is licensed under MIT and Zettlr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Many Notes and Zettlr with Docker?
Many Notes: yes. Zettlr: check the project docs for container support.