mdSilo vs SilverBullet
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?
mdSilo
Networked note-taking and knowledge base app
VS
SilverBullet
Hackable note-taking for the self-hosted web
| Feature | mdSilo | SilverBullet |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 849 | ★ 5,796 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Roam Research | Notion, Obsidian |
Why pick each one
Choose mdSilo if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is mdSilo or SilverBullet better?
Neither is universally better. SilverBullet has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are mdSilo and SilverBullet free and open-source?
Yes. mdSilo is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mdSilo and SilverBullet with Docker?
mdSilo: check the project docs for container support. SilverBullet: yes.