Notabase vs org-roam
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Notabase | org-roam |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 68 · Good |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Emacs Lisp |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, bare-metal | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 912 | ★ 6,030 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Roam Research, Obsidian |
What are Notabase and org-roam?
Notabase
Notabase is an open-source personal knowledge base that connects notes through links and block references to support networked thinking. It offers a WYSIWYG editor and can be self-hosted on a Supabase backend.
- Linked notes and block references
- WYSIWYG rich-text editor
- Markdown export
- Self-hostable on Supabase
org-roam
Org-roam is a plain-text personal knowledge management system for Emacs that brings Zettelkasten-style note-taking on top of Org-mode files. It maintains a database of links between notes for backlinks and graph views.
- Zettelkasten workflow
- Backlinks panel
- Org-mode based
- Link graph
Notabase vs org-roam: key differences
Notabase is written in TypeScript, while org-roam is built with Emacs Lisp. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Notabase versus GPL-3.0 for org-roam. Org-roam is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Notabase. Org-roam has the considerably larger community, at 6,030 GitHub stars versus 912.
Why pick each one
Choose Notabase if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose org-roam if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
- Written in Emacs Lisp
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Notabase or org-roam better?
org-roam is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Notabase if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Notabase and org-roam free and open-source?
Yes. Notabase is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and org-roam under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notabase and org-roam with Docker?
Notabase: check the project docs for container support. org-roam: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Notabase or org-roam?
org-roam has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Notabase. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.