head to head · open source
Khoj vs Notesnook
Khoj has 37,390 GitHub stars, 2,483 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Notesnook has 14,604 stars, 1,007 forks, 1,012 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Khoj leads on adoption by 156% (37,390 vs 14,604 stars). Khoj is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; Notesnook is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Khoj has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Notesnook 7%. Notesnook 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
| Khoj | Notesnook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 15K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-02 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 1.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Khoj if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Notesnook if
- You want the Notesnook 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 Notesnook fits your workflow better
About Khoj
Khoj is a self hostable, open source AI second brain written in Python that turns any local or online large language model into a personal research, automation, and agent platform for individuals, small teams, and enterprises that want their documents and queries kept under their own control.
About Notesnook
Notesnook is an open source, end to end encrypted note taking application in the productivity and knowledge management ecosystem. It is presented as a free alternative to Evernote, with clients for the web, desktop, and mobile platforms. The project uses a TypeScript and JavaScript monorepo, React for the interface, React Native for mobile apps, and Electron for the desktop app.
read the full Notesnook overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Khoj or Notesnook more popular?
Khoj has 37,390 GitHub stars and Notesnook has 14,604. Khoj has the larger community by that measure.
Are Khoj and Notesnook free?
Both are open source. Khoj is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Notesnook under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Khoj and Notesnook?
Khoj is written in Python and Notesnook 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, Khoj or Notesnook?
Choose Khoj if you want the larger community (37,390 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Notesnook if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.