Outline Desktop vs SilverBullet
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?
Outline Desktop
Markdown wiki and knowledge base for teams
VS
SilverBullet
Hackable note-taking for the self-hosted web
| Feature | Outline Desktop | SilverBullet |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,228 | ★ 5,796 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Notion, Obsidian | Notion, Obsidian |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Outline Desktop or SilverBullet better?
Neither is universally better. SilverBullet has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Outline Desktop and SilverBullet free and open-source?
Yes. Outline Desktop is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Outline Desktop and SilverBullet with Docker?
Outline Desktop: yes. SilverBullet: yes.