SHSelfHostIndex

QOwnNotes vs Reor

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?
QO QOwnNotes Plain-text note taking with Markdown and Nextcloud sync VS RE Reor AI-powered local-first personal knowledge management app
FeatureQOwnNotesReor
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseGPL-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageC++JavaScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcebinary, source
GitHub stars★ 5,836★ 8,574
First released20142024
ReplacesEvernote, OneNoteEvernote, Notion

Why pick each one

Choose QOwnNotes if…

  • Pairs well with Nextcloud
  • Notes remain plain files
QOwnNotes details

Choose Reor if…

  • AI features without sending data away
  • Notes stay as portable files
Reor details

Frequently asked questions

Is QOwnNotes or Reor better?

Neither is universally better. Reor has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are QOwnNotes and Reor free and open-source?

Yes. QOwnNotes is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Reor under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run QOwnNotes and Reor with Docker?

QOwnNotes: check the project docs for container support. Reor: check the project docs for container support.

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