Notesnook vs WizNote
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
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WizNote
Cross-platform note-taking app with a self-hosted server
| Feature | Notesnook | WizNote |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 18 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,628 | ★ 2,660 |
| First released | 2021 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Evernote, OneNote |
What are Notesnook and WizNote?
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
WizNote
WizNote is a cross-platform note-taking app with desktop and mobile clients. The Qt desktop client is open source; the self-hostable sync server is distributed as a closed-source Docker image with a free tier for small teams.
- Cross-platform note clients
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich note formatting
- Attachment support
Notesnook vs WizNote: key differences
Notesnook is written in TypeScript, while WizNote is built with C. WizNote is the more established project (first released 2011), while Notesnook arrived in 2021. Notesnook has the considerably larger community, at 14,628 GitHub stars versus 2,660.
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 WizNote if…
- Mature multi-platform apps
- Server can be self-hosted
Watch out for
- Documentation strongest in Chinese
- Client and server are separate projects
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or WizNote 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 WizNote free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and WizNote under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and WizNote with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. WizNote: yes.