Zettlr vs Obsidian
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
Obsidian
Local-first knowledge base on a folder of Markdown files
| Feature | Zettlr | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,354 | ★ 20,632 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Notion, Obsidian | Evernote, Notion, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Zettlr or Obsidian better?
Neither is universally better. Obsidian has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Zettlr and Obsidian free and open-source?
Yes. Zettlr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Obsidian under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Zettlr and Obsidian with Docker?
Zettlr: check the project docs for container support. Obsidian: check the project docs for container support.