head to head · open source
flatnotes vs gramax
flatnotes has 3,274 GitHub stars, 222 forks, 124 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. gramax has 619 stars, 28 forks, 279 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. flatnotes leads on adoption by 429% (3,274 vs 619 stars). flatnotes is written in Vue under MIT; gramax is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. flatnotes has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, gramax 5%. gramax 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
| flatnotes | gramax | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.3K | ★ 619 |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Vue | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-29 | 2026-10-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 222 | ⑂ 28 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick flatnotes if
- You weight community size — 3.3K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Vue
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick gramax if
- You want the gramax feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and gramax fits your workflow better
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 →
About gramax
Gramax is a free, open source application for creating, editing, and publishing docs as code. It stores all data locally in Markdown format, offering flexibility and offline access, and seamlessly integrates with Git for version control and collaboration. Whether you need a product documentation portal, an internal knowledge base, project documentation, or personal notes, Gramax is a versatile solution. Looking for an alternative to GitBook, Mintlify, or typical Static Site Generators (SSGs)? Gramax provides a powerful, Markdown based approach that combines an intuitive visual editor with robust Git integration…
read the full gramax overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is flatnotes or gramax more popular?
flatnotes has 3,274 GitHub stars and gramax has 619. flatnotes has the larger community by that measure.
Are flatnotes and gramax free?
Both are open source. flatnotes is licensed under MIT and gramax under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between flatnotes and gramax?
flatnotes is written in Vue and gramax 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, flatnotes or gramax?
Choose flatnotes if you want the larger community (3,274 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose gramax if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.