head to head · open source
fsnotes vs Darkwrite
fsnotes has 7,563 GitHub stars, 588 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Darkwrite has 320 stars, 15 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 21 days ago. fsnotes leads on adoption by 2,263% (7,563 vs 320 stars). fsnotes is written in Swift under MIT; Darkwrite is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. fsnotes has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Darkwrite 5%. fsnotes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (macos, notes-app), 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
| fsnotes | Darkwrite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.6K | ★ 320 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Swift | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 588 | ⑂ 15 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick fsnotes if
- You weight community size — 7.6K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Darkwrite if
- You want the Darkwrite 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 Darkwrite fits your workflow better
About fsnotes
FSNotes 简体中文 · 繁體中文 Own your notes. Find them instantly. FSNotes is a fast, native notes app for macOS and iOS. It gives you a focused writing experience while keeping every note in portable Markdown or plain text files—not a proprietary database. Why choose FSNotes No lock in. Open and edit your notes with any compatible app, now or years from now. Fast at any scale. Search and navigate smoothly across collections of 10,000+ notes. Built around your workflow. Use multiple folders, external editors, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and optional Git backups. More than basic Markdown. Connect ideas with tags and [[links]]…
read the full fsnotes overview →
About Darkwrite
Follow on Twitter Download Darkwrite Report bugs 📓 Take notes the way you want. ✒️ Darkwrite lets you take notes without getting in your way. Head over to the releases page to get started. ⭐ Star this repository to know when we release new updates. 🖊️ Just start typing. 🖋️ Unleash the power of a rich editor which supports formatting, headings, todo lists, numbered lists, links, images, tables and much more. 🖌️ Make it yours. 🎨 Choose from the selection of included themes or create your own. Say goodbye to boring light and dark themes. ✒️ Pick the fonts you like. You can change the default styles for your…
read the full Darkwrite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is fsnotes or Darkwrite more popular?
fsnotes has 7,563 GitHub stars and Darkwrite has 320. fsnotes has the larger community by that measure.
Are fsnotes and Darkwrite free?
Both are open source. fsnotes is licensed under MIT and Darkwrite under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between fsnotes and Darkwrite?
fsnotes is written in Swift and Darkwrite 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, fsnotes or Darkwrite?
Choose fsnotes if you want the larger community (7,563 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Darkwrite if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.