Beavers Notes 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?
Beavers Notes
Local-first note-taking with file-over-app philosophy
VS
Notesnook
Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app
| Feature | Beavers Notes | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,324 | ★ 14,380 |
| First released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Beavers Notes or Notesnook better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while Beavers Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Beavers Notes and Notesnook free and open-source?
Yes. Beavers Notes is licensed under MIT and Notesnook under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Beavers Notes and Notesnook with Docker?
Beavers Notes: check the project docs for container support. Notesnook: yes.