Zettlr vs Trilium Notes
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
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | Zettlr | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,354 | ★ 37,298 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion, Obsidian | Evernote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Choose Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Frequently asked questions
Is Zettlr or Trilium Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Zettlr and Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Zettlr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Zettlr and Trilium Notes with Docker?
Zettlr: check the project docs for container support. Trilium Notes: yes.