Memos vs Zettlr
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 | Zettlr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 63,295 | ★ 13,577 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion, Google Keep | Notion, Obsidian |
What are Memos and Zettlr?
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
Zettlr
Zettlr is a desktop Markdown editor designed for academic writing and Zettelkasten note management, with citation support and internal linking. While desktop-first, it works on plain Markdown folders that can sync between machines.
- Zettelkasten linking
- Citation manager support
- Multi-format export
- Folder-based projects
Memos vs Zettlr: key differences
Memos is written in Go, while Zettlr is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Memos versus GPL-3.0 for Zettlr. Memos is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Zettlr. Zettlr is the more established project (first released 2017), while Memos arrived in 2022. Memos has the considerably larger community, at 63,295 GitHub stars versus 13,577. Memos lists first-class Docker deployment; Zettlr 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 Zettlr if…
- Strong academic features
- Plain Markdown files
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No native sync server
Frequently asked questions
Is Memos or Zettlr 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 Zettlr free and open-source?
Yes. Memos is licensed under MIT and Zettlr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Memos and Zettlr with Docker?
Memos: yes. Zettlr: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Memos or Zettlr?
Memos has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Zettlr. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.