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.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureMemosNotesnook
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseMITGPL-3.0
LanguageGoTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM64 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, source
GitHub stars★ 62,093★ 14,380
First released20222021
ReplacesNotion, Google KeepEvernote, OneNote, Notion

Why pick each one

Choose Memos if…

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Quick capture workflow
  • Simple deployment
Memos details

Choose Notesnook if…

  • Strong privacy by default
  • Polished apps on all platforms
Notesnook details

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.

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