Notesnook vs Reor
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
Reor
AI-powered local-first personal knowledge management app
| Feature | Notesnook | Reor |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,380 | ★ 8,574 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Evernote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or Reor better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while Reor is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Notesnook and Reor free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Reor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and Reor with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. Reor: check the project docs for container support.