Zettlr vs Notesnook
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?
Zettlr
Markdown editor for writers, researchers, and Zettelkasten users
VS
Notesnook
Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app
| Feature | Zettlr | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,354 | ★ 14,380 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Notion, Obsidian | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Zettlr or Notesnook better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while Zettlr is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Zettlr and Notesnook free and open-source?
Yes. Zettlr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Notesnook under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Zettlr and Notesnook with Docker?
Zettlr: check the project docs for container support. Notesnook: yes.