head to head · open source
docsify vs flatnotes
docsify has 31,575 GitHub stars, 5,785 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. flatnotes has 3,272 stars, 222 forks, 124 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. docsify leads on adoption by 865% (31,575 vs 3,272 stars). docsify is written in JavaScript under MIT; flatnotes is written in Vue under MIT. docsify has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, flatnotes 7%. docsify was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (markdown), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| docsify | flatnotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 3.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | Vue |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-08-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 222 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick docsify if
- You weight community size — 32K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick flatnotes if
- You want the flatnotes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Vue
- You evaluated both and flatnotes fits your workflow better
About docsify
A magical documentation site generator. Gold Sponsor via Open Collective Docsify turns one or more Markdown files into a Website, with no build process required. Features No statically built HTML files Simple and lightweight Smart full text search plugin Multiple themes Useful plugin API Emoji support Quick Start Get going fast by using a static web server or GitHub Pages with this ready to use Docsify Template, review the quick start tutorial or jump right into a CodeSandbox example site with the button below. Showcase A large collection of showcase projects are included in awesome docsify. Links Documentation…
read the full docsify overview →
About flatnotes
A self hosted, database less note taking web app that utilises a flat folder of markdown files for storage. Log into the demo site and take a look around. Note: This site resets every 15 minutes. Contents Design Principle Features Getting Started Hosted Self Hosted Roadmap Contributing Sponsorship Thanks Design Principle flatnotes is designed to be a distraction free note taking app that puts your note content first. This means: A clean and simple user interface. No folders, notebooks or anything like that. Just all of your notes, backed by powerful search and tagging functionality. Quick access to a full text…
read the full flatnotes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is docsify or flatnotes more popular?
docsify has 31,575 GitHub stars and flatnotes has 3,272. docsify has the larger community by that measure.
Are docsify and flatnotes free?
Both are open source. docsify is licensed under MIT and flatnotes under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between docsify and flatnotes?
docsify is written in JavaScript and flatnotes in Vue. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, docsify or flatnotes?
Choose docsify if you want the larger community (31,575 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose flatnotes if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.