SHSelfHostIndex

Notable vs Zettlr

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 ZE Zettlr Markdown editor for writers, researchers, and Zettelkasten users
FeatureNotableZettlr
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
Health score28 · At risk94 · Excellent
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentbinarybare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 23,496★ 13,577
First released20182017
ReplacesEvernote, NotionNotion, Obsidian

What are Notable and Zettlr?

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 →

Zettlr

Zettlr is a desktop Markdown editor designed for academic writing and Zettelkasten note management, with citation support and internal linking. While desktop-first, it works on plain Markdown folders that can sync between machines.

  • Zettelkasten linking
  • Citation manager support
  • Multi-format export
  • Folder-based projects

Read the full Zettlr guide →

Notable vs Zettlr: key differences

Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Notable versus GPL-3.0 for Zettlr.

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 Zettlr if…

  • Strong academic features
  • Plain Markdown files

Watch out for

  • Desktop only
  • No native sync server
Zettlr details

Frequently asked questions

Is Notable or Zettlr 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 Zettlr free and open-source?

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

Can I run Notable and Zettlr with Docker?

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

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