head to head · open source
Outline vs Docmost
Outline has 40,590 GitHub stars, 3,562 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Docmost has 21,710 stars, 1,567 forks, 326 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Outline leads on adoption by 87% (40,590 vs 21,710 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Docmost is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Docmost 7%. Docmost was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Outline | Docmost | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 22K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Outline if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Docmost if
- You want the Docmost feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Docmost fits your workflow better
About Outline
Outline is an open source knowledge base application built with React and Node.js, designed for teams needing a fast, collaborative documentation platform. It runs as a self hosted service or via a hosted option at getoutline.com, and its source code powers the public instance along with all supporting services. The project lives in the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem and uses MobX for state management.
read the full Outline overview →
About Docmost
Docmost is an open source collaborative wiki and documentation software written in TypeScript and licensed under the AGPL 3.0 license. It positions itself as an open alternative to Atlassian Confluence and Notion, and its tagline describes it as a self hosted wiki with AI, compliance, and real time editing. The project lives in the knowledge management and note taking ecosystem, where teams manage documentation and knowledge base content.
read the full Docmost overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or Docmost more popular?
Outline has 40,590 GitHub stars and Docmost has 21,710. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and Docmost free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and Docmost is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and Docmost?
Outline is written in TypeScript and Docmost in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Outline or Docmost?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (40,590 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Docmost if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.