head to head · open source
mkdocs-material vs flatnotes
mkdocs-material has 27,596 GitHub stars, 4,154 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. flatnotes has 3,274 stars, 222 forks, 124 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. mkdocs-material leads on adoption by 743% (27,596 vs 3,274 stars). mkdocs-material is written in Python under MIT; flatnotes is written in Vue under MIT. mkdocs-material has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, flatnotes 7%. mkdocs-material 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
| mkdocs-material | flatnotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 3.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Vue |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-08-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 222 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick mkdocs-material if
- You weight community size — 28K stars and counting
- You want the MIT 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-material
A powerful documentation framework on top of MkDocs Write your documentation in Markdown and create a professional static site for your Open Source or commercial project in minutes – searchable, customizable, more than 60 languages, for all devices. Check out the demo – squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs material . Silver sponsors Bronze sponsors <img src=" height="58"
read the full mkdocs-material 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-material or flatnotes more popular?
mkdocs-material has 27,596 GitHub stars and flatnotes has 3,274. mkdocs-material has the larger community by that measure.
Are mkdocs-material and flatnotes free?
Both are open source. mkdocs-material is licensed under MIT and flatnotes under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between mkdocs-material and flatnotes?
mkdocs-material 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-material or flatnotes?
Choose mkdocs-material if you want the larger community (27,596 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose flatnotes if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.