SHSelfHostIndex

Notable vs QOwnNotes

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?
NO Notable Markdown-based note-taking app for plain files VS QO QOwnNotes Plain-text note taking with Markdown and Nextcloud sync
FeatureNotableQOwnNotes
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
Health score28 · At risk90 · Excellent
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptC++
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbinarybinary, source
GitHub stars★ 23,496★ 5,886
First released20182014
ReplacesEvernote, NotionEvernote, OneNote

What are Notable and QOwnNotes?

Notable

Notable is a note-taking application that stores notes as plain Markdown files on disk. It offers a clean editor, tags, and full-text search while keeping all data in portable files.

  • Plain Markdown file storage
  • Tag-based organization
  • Full-text search
  • Clean editor

Read the full Notable guide →

QOwnNotes

QOwnNotes is an open-source plain-text note-taking and to-do application with Markdown support. It integrates tightly with Nextcloud and ownCloud for syncing notes across devices.

  • Plain-text Markdown notes
  • Nextcloud and ownCloud sync
  • Scripting support
  • Note versioning via Nextcloud

Read the full QOwnNotes guide →

Notable vs QOwnNotes: key differences

Notable is written in TypeScript, while QOwnNotes is built with C++. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Notable versus GPL-2.0 for QOwnNotes. QOwnNotes is the more established project (first released 2014), while Notable arrived in 2018. Notable has the considerably larger community, at 23,496 GitHub stars versus 5,886.

Why pick each one

Choose Notable if…

  • Notes stay as portable files
  • Simple and focused

Watch out for

  • Development has slowed
  • Desktop only
Notable details

Choose QOwnNotes if…

  • Pairs well with Nextcloud
  • Notes remain plain files

Watch out for

  • Desktop only
  • Interface feels utilitarian
QOwnNotes details

Frequently asked questions

Is Notable or QOwnNotes better?

Neither is universally better. Notable has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Notable and QOwnNotes free and open-source?

Yes. Notable is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and QOwnNotes under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Notable and QOwnNotes with Docker?

Notable: check the project docs for container support. QOwnNotes: check the project docs for container support.

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