Trilium Notes Next vs Zim
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?
Trilium Notes Next
Hierarchical note-taking app for building knowledge bases
VS
Zim
A desktop wiki and personal knowledge base
| Feature | Trilium Notes Next | Zim |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Wikis & Documentation |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,932 | ★ 2,194 |
| First released | 2024 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Evernote, OneNote, Notion | OneNote, Notion |
Why pick each one
Choose Trilium Notes Next if…
- Excellent for large knowledge bases
- Powerful and extensible
Frequently asked questions
Is Trilium Notes Next or Zim better?
Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes Next has the larger community, while Zim is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Trilium Notes Next and Zim free and open-source?
Yes. Trilium Notes Next is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Zim under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Trilium Notes Next and Zim with Docker?
Trilium Notes Next: yes. Zim: check the project docs for container support.