Mark Text vs Trilium Notes Next
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Mark Text
Real-time preview Markdown editor for the desktop
VS
Trilium Notes Next
Hierarchical note-taking app for building knowledge bases
| Feature | Mark Text | Trilium Notes Next |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 59,781 | ★ 2,932 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Typora | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Choose Mark Text if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 59.8k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Trilium Notes Next if…
- Excellent for large knowledge bases
- Powerful and extensible
Frequently asked questions
Is Mark Text or Trilium Notes Next better?
Mark Text is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Trilium Notes Next if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Mark Text and Trilium Notes Next free and open-source?
Yes. Mark Text is licensed under MIT and Trilium Notes Next under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mark Text and Trilium Notes Next with Docker?
Mark Text: check the project docs for container support. Trilium Notes Next: yes.