SHSelfHostIndex

Trilium Notes vs Zettlr

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?
Trilium Notes Hierarchical note-taking for building knowledge bases VS ZE Zettlr Markdown editor for writers, researchers, and Zettelkasten users
FeatureTrilium NotesZettlr
Deploy effort≈5-minute setupRead-the-docs project
Health score99 · Excellent94 · Excellent
CategoryNotes & Knowledge BaseNotes & Knowledge Base
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metalbare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 37,958★ 13,577
First released20172017
ReplacesEvernote, NotionNotion, Obsidian

What are Trilium Notes and Zettlr?

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

Read the full Trilium Notes guide →

Zettlr

Zettlr is a desktop Markdown editor designed for academic writing and Zettelkasten note management, with citation support and internal linking. While desktop-first, it works on plain Markdown folders that can sync between machines.

  • Zettelkasten linking
  • Citation manager support
  • Multi-format export
  • Folder-based projects

Read the full Zettlr guide →

Trilium Notes vs Zettlr: key differences

Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Trilium Notes versus GPL-3.0 for Zettlr. Trilium Notes has the considerably larger community, at 37,958 GitHub stars versus 13,577. Trilium Notes lists first-class Docker deployment; Zettlr does not.

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
Trilium Notes details

Choose Zettlr if…

  • Strong academic features
  • Plain Markdown files

Watch out for

  • Desktop only
  • No native sync server
Zettlr details

Frequently asked questions

Is Trilium Notes or Zettlr better?

Neither is universally better. Trilium Notes has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Trilium Notes and Zettlr free and open-source?

Yes. Trilium Notes is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Zettlr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Trilium Notes and Zettlr with Docker?

Trilium Notes: yes. Zettlr: check the project docs for container support.

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