Trilium Notes vs WizNote
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Trilium Notes
Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases
VS
WizNote
Cross-platform note-taking app with a self-hosted server
| Feature | Trilium Notes | WizNote |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 18 · At risk |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,958 | ★ 2,660 |
| First released | 2017 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Evernote, Notion | Evernote, OneNote |
What are Trilium Notes and WizNote?
Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is a hierarchical note-taking application designed for building large personal knowledge bases with rich linking and scripting. It targets power users who want a structured second brain. It is deployed via Docker as a server with desktop and web clients.
- Deep hierarchical note tree
- Note attributes and relations
- Scripting and automation
- Encrypted protected notes
WizNote
WizNote is a cross-platform note-taking app with desktop and mobile clients. The Qt desktop client is open source; the self-hostable sync server is distributed as a closed-source Docker image with a free tier for small teams.
- Cross-platform note clients
- Self-hostable sync server
- Rich note formatting
- Attachment support
Trilium Notes vs WizNote: key differences
Trilium Notes is written in TypeScript, while WizNote is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes versus GPL-3.0 for WizNote. Trilium Notes is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for WizNote. WizNote is the more established project (first released 2011), while Trilium Notes arrived in 2017. Trilium Notes has the considerably larger community, at 37,958 GitHub stars versus 2,660.
Why pick each one
Choose Trilium Notes if…
- Powerful for big knowledge bases
- Flexible structure
- Scriptable
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Single-user oriented
Choose WizNote if…
- Mature multi-platform apps
- Server can be self-hosted
Watch out for
- Documentation strongest in Chinese
- Client and server are separate projects
Frequently asked questions
Is Trilium Notes or WizNote better?
Trilium Notes is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider WizNote if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Trilium Notes and WizNote free and open-source?
Yes. Trilium Notes is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WizNote under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Trilium Notes and WizNote with Docker?
Trilium Notes: yes. WizNote: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Trilium Notes or WizNote?
Trilium Notes has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for WizNote. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.