Markor Sync 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.
| Feature | Markor Sync | Memos |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,170 | ★ 63,295 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Google Keep, Evernote | Notion, Google Keep |
What are Markor Sync and Memos?
Markor Sync
Markor is a text and Markdown notes editor that works directly on local files, making it ideal for folders synchronized by tools like Syncthing. It supports to-do lists, Zim wiki, and todo.txt formats.
- Works on plain files
- Markdown and todo.txt
- No accounts needed
- Offline editing
Memos
Memos is a lightweight, privacy-first note-taking service for quick notes and memos with a clean timeline interface. It targets individuals who want a fast personal microblog-style note tool. It is deployed via Docker as a single container.
- Fast Markdown memo timeline
- Tagging and filtering
- REST API
- Tiny single-binary footprint
Markor Sync vs Memos: key differences
Markor Sync is written in Java, while Memos is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Markor Sync versus MIT for Memos. Markor Sync is the more established project (first released 2017), while Memos arrived in 2022. Memos has the considerably larger community, at 63,295 GitHub stars versus 6,170. Memos lists first-class Docker deployment; Markor Sync does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Markor Sync if…
- Pairs with any sync tool
- Privacy respecting
Watch out for
- Android only
- Manual sync setup
Choose Memos if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Quick capture workflow
- Simple deployment
Watch out for
- Not for long structured docs
- Limited organization features
Frequently asked questions
Is Markor Sync or Memos better?
Neither is universally better. Memos has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Markor Sync and Memos free and open-source?
Yes. Markor Sync is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Memos under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Markor Sync and Memos with Docker?
Markor Sync: check the project docs for container support. Memos: yes.