Markor Sync vs Notable
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 | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 28 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,170 | ★ 23,496 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Google Keep, Evernote | Evernote, Notion |
What are Markor Sync and Notable?
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
Notable
Notable is a note-taking application that stores notes as plain Markdown files on disk. It offers a clean editor, tags, and full-text search while keeping all data in portable files.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Tag-based organization
- Full-text search
- Clean editor
Markor Sync vs Notable: key differences
Markor Sync is written in Java, while Notable is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Markor Sync versus AGPL-3.0 for Notable. Markor Sync is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Notable. Notable has the considerably larger community, at 23,496 GitHub stars versus 6,170.
Why pick each one
Choose Markor Sync if…
- Pairs with any sync tool
- Privacy respecting
Watch out for
- Android only
- Manual sync setup
Choose Notable if…
- Notes stay as portable files
- Simple and focused
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Desktop only
Frequently asked questions
Is Markor Sync or Notable better?
Neither is universally better. Notable has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Markor Sync and Notable free and open-source?
Yes. Markor Sync is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Notable under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Markor Sync and Notable with Docker?
Markor Sync: check the project docs for container support. Notable: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Markor Sync or Notable?
Markor Sync has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Notable. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.