Trilium Notes Next vs VNote
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Trilium Notes Next | VNote |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 94 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,926 | ★ 12,977 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | Evernote, OneNote |
What are Trilium Notes Next and VNote?
Trilium Notes Next
TriliumNext is the actively maintained community continuation of Trilium Notes, a hierarchical note-taking application for building large personal knowledge bases. It supports rich text, code notes, and scripting.
- Hierarchical note tree
- Rich text and code notes
- Scripting and automation
- Note encryption
VNote
VNote is a Markdown-based note-taking application focused on developers, offering folder-based notebooks, syntax highlighting, and Vim-style editing. Notes are plain files that can be synced through external tools.
- Folder-based notebooks
- Vim editing mode
- Markdown with diagrams
- Code-friendly themes
Trilium Notes Next vs VNote: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Trilium Notes Next's repository is archived and no longer developed, while VNote is actively maintained. Trilium Notes Next is written in TypeScript, while VNote is built with C++. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes Next versus MIT for VNote. VNote is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Trilium Notes Next. VNote is the more established project (first released 2017), while Trilium Notes Next arrived in 2024. VNote has the considerably larger community, at 12,977 GitHub stars versus 2,926. Trilium Notes Next lists first-class Docker deployment; VNote does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Trilium Notes Next if…
- Excellent for large knowledge bases
- Powerful and extensible
Watch out for
- Steeper learning curve
- Primarily single-user
Choose VNote if…
- Fast native app
- Plain file storage
Watch out for
- Desktop only
- No built-in sync
Frequently asked questions
Is Trilium Notes Next or VNote better?
VNote 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 Trilium Notes Next and VNote free and open-source?
Yes. Trilium Notes Next is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and VNote under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Trilium Notes Next and VNote with Docker?
Trilium Notes Next: yes. VNote: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Trilium Notes Next or VNote?
VNote has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Trilium Notes Next. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.