Notesnook vs SilverBullet
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Notesnook
Private, end-to-end encrypted note-taking app
VS
SilverBullet
Hackable note-taking for the self-hosted web
| Feature | Notesnook | SilverBullet |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,628 | ★ 6,142 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Notion, Obsidian |
What are Notesnook and SilverBullet?
Notesnook
Notesnook is an open-source, privacy-focused note-taking app with end-to-end encryption on all notes. Its sync server can be self-hosted so users keep complete control of their encrypted data.
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich text editor
- Cross-platform apps
SilverBullet
SilverBullet is an extensible, Markdown-based note-taking web app that you can run on your own server and access from any browser. It targets users who want a programmable personal knowledge tool. It is deployed via Docker or Deno.
- Markdown-based with live queries
- Extensible via Space Script
- Works offline as a PWA
- Plain file storage
Notesnook vs SilverBullet: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Notesnook versus MIT for SilverBullet. SilverBullet is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Notesnook. Notesnook has the considerably larger community, at 14,628 GitHub stars versus 6,142.
Why pick each one
Choose Notesnook if…
- Strong privacy by default
- Polished apps on all platforms
Watch out for
- Self-hosting is relatively new
- Some features tied to subscription
Choose SilverBullet if…
- Highly hackable
- Lightweight
- Files stay portable
Watch out for
- Niche and DIY-oriented
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or SilverBullet better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while SilverBullet is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Notesnook and SilverBullet free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SilverBullet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and SilverBullet with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. SilverBullet: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Notesnook or SilverBullet?
SilverBullet has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Notesnook. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.