nb Notes vs WizNote
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | nb Notes | WizNote |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 18 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,410 | ★ 2,660 |
| First released | 2019 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Notion | Evernote, OneNote |
What are nb Notes and WizNote?
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
WizNote
WizNote is a cross-platform note-taking app with desktop and mobile clients. The Qt desktop client is open source; the self-hostable sync server is distributed as a closed-source Docker image with a free tier for small teams.
- Cross-platform note clients
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich note formatting
- Attachment support
nb Notes vs WizNote: key differences
Nb Notes is written in Shell, while WizNote is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for nb Notes versus GPL-3.0 for WizNote. Nb Notes is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 512 MB for WizNote. WizNote is the more established project (first released 2011), while nb Notes arrived in 2019. Nb Notes has the considerably larger community, at 8,410 GitHub stars versus 2,660. WizNote 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 WizNote if…
- Mature multi-platform apps
- Server can be self-hosted
Watch out for
- Documentation strongest in Chinese
- Client and server are separate projects
Frequently asked questions
Is nb Notes or WizNote better?
nb Notes is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider WizNote if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are nb Notes and WizNote free and open-source?
Yes. nb Notes is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WizNote under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run nb Notes and WizNote with Docker?
nb Notes: check the project docs for container support. WizNote: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, nb Notes or WizNote?
nb Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for WizNote. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.