Tangent Notes vs TriliumNext Notes
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?
Tangent Notes
Local-first Markdown note editor with linked notes
VS
TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on
| Feature | Tangent Notes | TriliumNext Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 534 | ★ 37,298 |
| First released | 2022 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Obsidian, Roam Research | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Tangent Notes if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose TriliumNext Notes if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 37.3k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Tangent Notes or TriliumNext Notes better?
Neither is universally better. TriliumNext Notes has the larger community, while Tangent Notes is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Tangent Notes and TriliumNext Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Tangent Notes is licensed under MIT and TriliumNext Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tangent Notes and TriliumNext Notes with Docker?
Tangent Notes: check the project docs for container support. TriliumNext Notes: yes.