Notesnook vs Zim
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — 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
Zim
A desktop wiki and personal knowledge base
| Feature | Notesnook | Zim |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,380 | ★ 2,194 |
| First released | 2021 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | OneNote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or Zim better?
Neither is universally better. Notesnook has the larger community, while Zim is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Notesnook and Zim free and open-source?
Yes. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zim under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Notesnook and Zim with Docker?
Notesnook: yes. Zim: check the project docs for container support.