Notesnook vs QOwnNotes
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
QOwnNotes
Plain-text note taking with Markdown and Nextcloud sync
| Feature | Notesnook | QOwnNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,380 | ★ 5,836 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Evernote, OneNote |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or QOwnNotes better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while QOwnNotes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Notesnook and QOwnNotes free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and QOwnNotes under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and QOwnNotes with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. QOwnNotes: check the project docs for container support.