Notable vs WizNote
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Notable | WizNote |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 28 · At risk | 18 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,496 | ★ 2,660 |
| First released | 2018 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Notion | Evernote, OneNote |
What are Notable and WizNote?
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
WizNote
WizNote is a cross-platform note-taking app with desktop and mobile clients. The Qt desktop client is open source; the self-hostable sync server is distributed as a closed-source Docker image with a free tier for small teams.
- Cross-platform note clients
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich note formatting
- Attachment support
Notable vs WizNote: key differences
Notable is written in TypeScript, while WizNote is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Notable versus GPL-3.0 for WizNote. Notable is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for WizNote. WizNote is the more established project (first released 2011), while Notable arrived in 2018. Notable has the considerably larger community, at 23,496 GitHub stars versus 2,660. WizNote lists first-class Docker deployment; Notable does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Notable if…
- Notes stay as portable files
- Simple and focused
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Desktop only
Choose WizNote if…
- Mature multi-platform apps
- Server can be self-hosted
Watch out for
- Documentation strongest in Chinese
- Client and server are separate projects
Frequently asked questions
Is Notable or WizNote better?
Notable is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider WizNote if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Notable and WizNote free and open-source?
Yes. Notable is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WizNote under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notable and WizNote with Docker?
Notable: check the project docs for container support. WizNote: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Notable or WizNote?
Notable has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for WizNote. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.