Memos vs Turtl
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 | Turtl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 14 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 63,295 | ★ 633 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Notion, Google Keep | Evernote, Google Keep |
What are Memos and Turtl?
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
Turtl
Turtl is an open-source, encrypted notes and bookmarking application designed to keep personal data private. Notes, files, and bookmarks are end-to-end encrypted, and the sync server can be self-hosted.
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- Bookmark and file storage
- Self-hostable sync server
- Cross-platform apps
Memos vs Turtl: key differences
Memos is written in Go, while Turtl is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Memos versus GPL-3.0 for Turtl. Memos is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Turtl. Turtl is the more established project (first released 2014), while Memos arrived in 2022. Memos has the considerably larger community, at 63,295 GitHub stars versus 633. Memos lists first-class Docker deployment; Turtl 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 Turtl if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Stores notes, files, and bookmarks
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Unusual server stack
Frequently asked questions
Is Memos or Turtl better?
Memos is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Turtl if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Memos and Turtl free and open-source?
Yes. Memos is licensed under MIT and Turtl under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Memos and Turtl with Docker?
Memos: yes. Turtl: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Memos or Turtl?
Memos has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Turtl. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.