MyTetra vs Obsidian
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Obsidian
Local-first knowledge base on a folder of Markdown files
| Feature | MyTetra | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 49 · Fair | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 258 | ★ 21,797 |
| First released | 2010 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote | Evernote, Notion, OneNote |
What are MyTetra and Obsidian?
MyTetra
MyTetra is an open-source manager for hierarchical notes and code snippets, designed for building a personal knowledge base. It stores data in a portable XML structure that can be synced with any tool.
- Hierarchical note tree
- Code snippet storage
- Portable XML data
- Syncable with external tools
Obsidian
Obsidian is a powerful personal knowledge base that works on a local folder of plain Markdown files. While the app is proprietary, your notes remain fully local and portable, and self-hosted sync is possible via plugins.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Bidirectional links and graph view
- Large community plugin ecosystem
- Local-first and private
MyTetra vs Obsidian: key differences
MyTetra is written in C++, while Obsidian is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for MyTetra versus Proprietary for Obsidian. MyTetra is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Obsidian. MyTetra is the more established project (first released 2010), while Obsidian arrived in 2020. Obsidian has the considerably larger community, at 21,797 GitHub stars versus 258.
Why pick each one
Choose MyTetra if…
- Good for code snippet libraries
- Portable data format
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Small community
Choose Obsidian if…
- Notes stay portable and local
- Highly extensible
Watch out for
- Core app is closed source
- Official sync is a paid service
Frequently asked questions
Is MyTetra or Obsidian better?
Neither is universally better. Obsidian has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MyTetra and Obsidian free and open-source?
Yes. MyTetra is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Obsidian under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MyTetra and Obsidian with Docker?
MyTetra: check the project docs for container support. Obsidian: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, MyTetra or Obsidian?
MyTetra has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Obsidian. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.