NoteDiscovery 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.
NoteDiscovery
Self-hosted Markdown knowledge base with graph view
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Zettlr
Markdown editor for writers, researchers, and Zettelkasten users
| Feature | NoteDiscovery | Zettlr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,812 | ★ 13,577 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Notion | Notion, Obsidian |
What are NoteDiscovery and Zettlr?
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
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
NoteDiscovery vs Zettlr: key differences
NoteDiscovery is written in JavaScript, while Zettlr is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for NoteDiscovery versus GPL-3.0 for Zettlr. Zettlr is the more established project (first released 2017), while NoteDiscovery arrived in 2024. Zettlr has the considerably larger community, at 13,577 GitHub stars versus 2,812. NoteDiscovery lists first-class Docker deployment; Zettlr does not.
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 Zettlr if…
- Strong academic features
- Plain Markdown files
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No native sync server
Frequently asked questions
Is NoteDiscovery or Zettlr better?
Zettlr is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider NoteDiscovery if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are NoteDiscovery and Zettlr free and open-source?
Yes. NoteDiscovery is licensed under MIT and Zettlr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run NoteDiscovery and Zettlr with Docker?
NoteDiscovery: yes. Zettlr: check the project docs for container support.