SHSelfHostIndex

Zettlr vs Reor

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?
ZE Zettlr Markdown editor for writers, researchers, and Zettelkasten users VS RE Reor AI-powered local-first personal knowledge management app
FeatureZettlrReor
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binarybinary, source
GitHub stars★ 13,354★ 8,574
First released20172024
ReplacesNotion, ObsidianEvernote, Notion

Why pick each one

Choose Zettlr if…

  • Strong academic features
  • Plain Markdown files
Zettlr details

Choose Reor if…

  • AI features without sending data away
  • Notes stay as portable files
Reor details

Frequently asked questions

Is Zettlr or Reor better?

Neither is universally better. Zettlr has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Zettlr and Reor free and open-source?

Yes. Zettlr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Reor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Zettlr and Reor with Docker?

Zettlr: check the project docs for container support. Reor: check the project docs for container support.

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