TriliumNext Notes vs Turtl
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?
TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on
VS
Turtl
Encrypted note-taking and bookmarking for privacy
| Feature | TriliumNext Notes | Turtl |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,298 | ★ 632 |
| First released | 2026 | 2014 |
| Replaces | — | Evernote, Google Keep |
Why pick each one
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 TriliumNext Notes or Turtl better?
Neither is universally better. TriliumNext Notes has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are TriliumNext Notes and Turtl free and open-source?
Yes. TriliumNext Notes is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Turtl under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run TriliumNext Notes and Turtl with Docker?
TriliumNext Notes: yes. Turtl: check the project docs for container support.