RocketNotes vs Trilium 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?
RocketNotes
Web-based Markdown note-taking app with AI assistance
VS
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
| Feature | RocketNotes | Trilium Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,437 | ★ 37,298 |
| First released | 2023 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Notion, Evernote | Evernote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Choose RocketNotes if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Frequently asked questions
Is RocketNotes or Trilium Notes better?
Trilium Notes is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider RocketNotes if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are RocketNotes and Trilium Notes free and open-source?
Yes. RocketNotes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Trilium Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RocketNotes and Trilium Notes with Docker?
RocketNotes: yes. Trilium Notes: yes.