head to head · open source
Joplin vs Logseq
Joplin has 56,416 GitHub stars, 6,296 forks, 632 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq has 44,955 stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Joplin leads on adoption by 25% (56,416 vs 44,955 stars). Joplin is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0. Joplin has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Logseq 6%. Logseq was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (note-taking), 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
| Joplin | Logseq | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 56K | ★ 45K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Clojure |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.3K | ⑂ 2.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Joplin if
- You weight community size — 56K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Logseq if
- You want the Logseq feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Clojure
- You evaluated both and Logseq fits your workflow better
About Joplin
Joplin is a free, open source, privacy focused note taking and to do application that keeps notes as Markdown on your own device and synchronises them, end to end encrypted, across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
read the full Joplin overview →
About Logseq
Logseq is an open source, privacy first knowledge management platform built for local first workflows. It runs as a desktop application and web interface, storing data locally in Markdown or Org mode files, with optional SQLite backed DB graphs for advanced features. The project lives in the Clojure/ClojureScript ecosystem and is licensed under AGPL 3.0.
read the full Logseq overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Joplin or Logseq more popular?
Joplin has 56,416 GitHub stars and Logseq has 44,955. Joplin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Joplin and Logseq free?
Both are open source. Joplin has no licence declared in this registry, and Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Joplin and Logseq?
Joplin is written in TypeScript and Logseq in Clojure. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Joplin or Logseq?
Choose Joplin if you want the larger community (56,416 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Logseq if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.