Notesnook vs Trilium Notes Next
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
Trilium Notes Next
Archived
Hierarchical note-taking app for building knowledge bases
| Feature | Notesnook | Trilium Notes Next |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,628 | ★ 2,926 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
What are Notesnook and Trilium Notes Next?
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
Trilium Notes Next
TriliumNext is the actively maintained community continuation of Trilium Notes, a hierarchical note-taking application for building large personal knowledge bases. It supports rich text, code notes, and scripting.
- Hierarchical note tree
- Rich text and code notes
- Scripting and automation
- Note encryption
Notesnook vs Trilium Notes Next: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Trilium Notes Next's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Notesnook is actively maintained. Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Notesnook versus AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes Next. Notesnook is the more established project (first released 2021), while Trilium Notes Next arrived in 2024. Notesnook has the considerably larger community, at 14,628 GitHub stars versus 2,926.
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 Trilium Notes Next if…
- Excellent for large knowledge bases
- Powerful and extensible
Watch out for
- Steeper learning curve
- Primarily single-user
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or Trilium Notes Next better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Notesnook and Trilium Notes Next free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Trilium Notes Next under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and Trilium Notes Next with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. Trilium Notes Next: yes.