Many Notes vs zk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — 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
zk
Plain-text note-taking and Zettelkasten assistant
| Feature | Many Notes | zk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,037 | ★ 2,748 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Notion | Roam Research, Obsidian |
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
Choose zk if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Many Notes or zk better?
zk 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 zk free and open-source?
Yes. Many Notes is licensed under MIT and zk under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Many Notes and zk with Docker?
Many Notes: yes. zk: check the project docs for container support.