Memos 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.
| Feature | Memos | Reor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 63,295 | ★ 8,551 |
| First released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Notion, Google Keep | Evernote, Notion |
What are Memos and Reor?
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
Reor
Reor is an open-source, private, local-first AI note-taking application. It automatically links related notes, runs AI models locally, and stores everything as plain Markdown files on your machine.
- Local AI models
- Automatic note linking
- Plain Markdown storage
- Semantic search
Memos vs Reor: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Reor's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Memos is actively maintained. Memos is written in Go, while Reor is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Memos versus AGPL-3.0 for Reor. Memos is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Reor. Memos is the more established project (first released 2022), while Reor arrived in 2024. Memos has the considerably larger community, at 63,295 GitHub stars versus 8,551. Memos lists first-class Docker deployment; Reor does not.
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 Reor if…
- AI features without sending data away
- Notes stay as portable files
Watch out for
- AI features need more RAM
- Younger project
Frequently asked questions
Is Memos or Reor better?
Neither is universally better. Memos has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Memos and Reor free and open-source?
Yes. Memos is licensed under MIT and Reor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Memos and Reor with Docker?
Memos: yes. Reor: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Memos or Reor?
Memos has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Reor. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.