Notesnook vs Papra
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — 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
Papra
Minimalistic self-hosted document archiving platform
| Feature | Notesnook | Papra |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,380 | ★ 5,160 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Evernote, Dropbox |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or Papra better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while Papra is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Notesnook and Papra free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Papra under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and Papra with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. Papra: yes.