Obsidian 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.
Not the right match-up?
Obsidian
Local-first knowledge base on a folder of Markdown files
VS
Trilium Notes Next
Hierarchical note-taking app for building knowledge bases
| Feature | Obsidian | Trilium Notes Next |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 20,632 | ★ 2,932 |
| First released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Notion, OneNote | Evernote, OneNote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Choose Trilium Notes Next if…
- Excellent for large knowledge bases
- Powerful and extensible
Frequently asked questions
Is Obsidian or Trilium Notes Next better?
Obsidian is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Trilium Notes Next if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Obsidian and Trilium Notes Next free and open-source?
Yes. Obsidian is licensed under Proprietary and Trilium Notes Next under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Obsidian and Trilium Notes Next with Docker?
Obsidian: check the project docs for container support. Trilium Notes Next: yes.