nb Notes vs Trilium Notes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | nb Notes | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,410 | ★ 37,958 |
| First released | 2019 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Notion | Evernote, Notion |
What are nb Notes and Trilium Notes?
nb Notes
nb is a command-line and local web tool for plain-text note-taking, bookmarking, and archiving with Git-backed versioning and syncing. It works entirely in the terminal and supports encryption.
- Plain-text notes and bookmarks
- Git-backed sync
- Optional encryption
- Tagging and search
Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is a hierarchical note-taking application designed for building large personal knowledge bases with rich linking and scripting. It targets power users who want a structured second brain. It is deployed via Docker as a server with desktop and web clients.
- Deep hierarchical note tree
- Note attributes and relations
- Scripting and automation
- Encrypted protected notes
nb Notes vs Trilium Notes: key differences
Nb Notes is written in Shell, while Trilium Notes is built with TypeScript. Nb Notes is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Trilium Notes. Trilium Notes is the more established project (first released 2017), while nb Notes arrived in 2019. Trilium Notes has the considerably larger community, at 37,958 GitHub stars versus 8,410. Trilium Notes lists first-class Docker deployment; nb Notes does not.
Why pick each one
Choose nb Notes if…
- Powerful for terminal users
- Versioned with Git
Watch out for
- Command-line only
- No graphical client
Choose Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Single-user oriented
Frequently asked questions
Is nb Notes or Trilium Notes better?
Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are nb Notes and Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. nb Notes is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run nb Notes and Trilium Notes with Docker?
nb Notes: check the project docs for container support. Trilium Notes: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, nb Notes or Trilium Notes?
nb Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Trilium Notes. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.