Notea vs SilverBullet
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Notea | SilverBullet |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 91 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,147 | ★ 6,142 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | Notion, Obsidian |
What are Notea and SilverBullet?
Notea
Notea is an open-source, self-hosted note-taking application with a Notion-like editor that stores all data on S3-compatible object storage. It runs serverlessly and requires no traditional database.
- Notion-like editor
- Stores data on S3
- No database required
- Markdown support
SilverBullet
SilverBullet is an extensible, Markdown-based note-taking web app that you can run on your own server and access from any browser. It targets users who want a programmable personal knowledge tool. It is deployed via Docker or Deno.
- Markdown-based with live queries
- Extensible via Space Script
- Works offline as a PWA
- Plain file storage
Notea vs SilverBullet: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Notea's repository is archived and no longer developed, while SilverBullet is actively maintained. Both projects are written in TypeScript. SilverBullet is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Notea. SilverBullet has the considerably larger community, at 6,142 GitHub stars versus 2,147.
Why pick each one
Choose Notea if…
- Simple storage model
- Clean editing experience
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Single-user focused
Choose SilverBullet if…
- Highly hackable
- Lightweight
- Files stay portable
Watch out for
- Niche and DIY-oriented
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Notea or SilverBullet better?
SilverBullet is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Notea if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Notea and SilverBullet free and open-source?
Yes. Notea is licensed under MIT and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notea and SilverBullet with Docker?
Notea: yes. SilverBullet: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Notea or SilverBullet?
SilverBullet has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Notea. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.