Taskwarrior vs TriliumNext Notes
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?
Taskwarrior
Command-line task management done right
VS
TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on
| Feature | Taskwarrior | TriliumNext Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management & Tasks | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,996 | ★ 37,298 |
| First released | 2008 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Todoist, Things | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Taskwarrior if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
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 Taskwarrior or TriliumNext Notes better?
Neither is universally better. TriliumNext Notes has the larger community, while Taskwarrior is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Taskwarrior and TriliumNext Notes free and open-source?
Yes. Taskwarrior is licensed under MIT and TriliumNext Notes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Taskwarrior and TriliumNext Notes with Docker?
Taskwarrior: check the project docs for container support. TriliumNext Notes: yes.