Memos 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.
Notesnook
Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app
| Feature | Memos | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 63,295 | ★ 14,628 |
| First released | 2022 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Notion, Google Keep | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
What are Memos and Notesnook?
Memos
Memos is a lightweight, privacy-first note-taking service for quick notes and memos with a clean timeline interface. It targets individuals who want a fast personal microblog-style note tool. It is deployed via Docker as a single container.
- Fast Markdown memo timeline
- Tagging and filtering
- REST API
- Tiny single-binary footprint
Notesnook
Notesnook is an open-source, privacy-focused note-taking app with end-to-end encryption on all notes. Its sync server can be self-hosted so users keep complete control of their encrypted data.
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich text editor
- Cross-platform apps
Memos vs Notesnook: key differences
Memos is written in Go, while Notesnook is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Memos versus GPL-3.0 for Notesnook. Memos is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Notesnook. Memos has the considerably larger community, at 63,295 GitHub stars versus 14,628.
Why pick each one
Choose Memos if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Quick capture workflow
- Simple deployment
Watch out for
- Not for long structured docs
- Limited organization features
Choose Notesnook if…
- Strong privacy by default
- Polished apps on all platforms
Watch out for
- Self-hosting is relatively new
- Some features tied to subscription
Frequently asked questions
Is Memos or Notesnook better?
Memos is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Notesnook if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Memos and Notesnook free and open-source?
Yes. Memos is licensed under MIT and Notesnook under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Memos and Notesnook with Docker?
Memos: yes. Notesnook: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Memos or Notesnook?
Memos has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Notesnook. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.