Notesnook vs Obsidian
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Notesnook
Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app
VS
Obsidian
Local-first knowledge base on a folder of Markdown files
| Feature | Notesnook | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,380 | ★ 20,632 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Evernote, Notion, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or Obsidian better?
Obsidian is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Notesnook if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Notesnook and Obsidian free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Obsidian under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and Obsidian with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. Obsidian: check the project docs for container support.