NoteDiscovery vs Notesnook
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
NoteDiscovery
Self-hosted Markdown knowledge base with graph view
VS
Notesnook
Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app
| Feature | NoteDiscovery | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,812 | ★ 14,628 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Notion | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
What are NoteDiscovery and Notesnook?
NoteDiscovery
NoteDiscovery is a self-hosted Markdown knowledge base featuring wikilinks, a graph view, a drawing editor, and LaTeX and Mermaid rendering. It is designed for building and exploring a connected personal knowledge base.
- Wikilinks and graph view
- Drawing editor
- LaTeX and Mermaid support
- Self-hosted knowledge base
Notesnook
Notesnook is an open-source, privacy-focused note-taking app with end-to-end encryption on all notes. Its sync server can be self-hosted so users keep complete control of their encrypted data.
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich text editor
- Cross-platform apps
NoteDiscovery vs Notesnook: key differences
NoteDiscovery is written in JavaScript, while Notesnook is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for NoteDiscovery versus GPL-3.0 for Notesnook. NoteDiscovery is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Notesnook. Notesnook is the more established project (first released 2021), while NoteDiscovery arrived in 2024. Notesnook has the considerably larger community, at 14,628 GitHub stars versus 2,812.
Why pick each one
Choose NoteDiscovery if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Notesnook if…
- Strong privacy by default
- Polished apps on all platforms
Watch out for
- Self-hosting is relatively new
- Some features tied to subscription
Frequently asked questions
Is NoteDiscovery or Notesnook better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are NoteDiscovery and Notesnook free and open-source?
Yes. NoteDiscovery is licensed under MIT and Notesnook under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run NoteDiscovery and Notesnook with Docker?
NoteDiscovery: yes. Notesnook: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, NoteDiscovery or Notesnook?
NoteDiscovery has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Notesnook. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.