head to head · open source
mkdocs vs flatnotes
mkdocs has 22,532 GitHub stars, 2,658 forks, 192 open issues and last shipped 1.0 years ago. flatnotes has 3,272 stars, 222 forks, 124 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. mkdocs leads on adoption by 589% (22,532 vs 3,272 stars). mkdocs is written in Python under BSD-2-Clause; flatnotes is written in Vue under MIT. mkdocs has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, flatnotes 7%. flatnotes 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
| mkdocs | flatnotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 23K | ★ 3.3K |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Vue |
| Last push | 2025-10-20 | 2026-08-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 222 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick mkdocs if
- You weight community size — 23K stars and counting
- You want the BSD-2-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- 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 mkdocs
MkDocs Project documentation with Markdown [![PyPI Version][pypi v image]][pypi v link] [![Build Status][GHAction image]][GHAction link] [![Coverage Status][codecov image]][codecov link] MkDocs is a fast , simple and downright gorgeous static site generator that's geared towards building project documentation. Documentation source files are written in Markdown, and configured with a single YAML configuration file. It is designed to be easy to use and can be extended with third party themes, plugins, and Markdown extensions. Please see the [Documentation][mkdocs] for an introductory tutorial and a full user…
read the full mkdocs 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 mkdocs or flatnotes more popular?
mkdocs has 22,532 GitHub stars and flatnotes has 3,272. mkdocs has the larger community by that measure.
Are mkdocs and flatnotes free?
Both are open source. mkdocs is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and flatnotes under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between mkdocs and flatnotes?
mkdocs is written in Python 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, mkdocs or flatnotes?
Choose mkdocs if you want the larger community (22,532 stars) or its BSD-2-Clause licence terms. Choose flatnotes if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.