head to head · open source
Outline vs Khoj
Outline has 40,590 GitHub stars, 3,562 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Khoj has 37,390 stars, 2,483 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Outline leads on adoption by 9% (40,590 vs 37,390 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Khoj is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Khoj 7%. Outline 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
| Outline | Khoj | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 37K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 2.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Outline if
- You weight community size — 41K 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 Khoj if
- You want the Khoj feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Khoj fits your workflow better
About Outline
Outline is an open source knowledge base application built with React and Node.js, designed for teams needing a fast, collaborative documentation platform. It runs as a self hosted service or via a hosted option at getoutline.com, and its source code powers the public instance along with all supporting services. The project lives in the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem and uses MobX for state management.
read the full Outline overview →
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.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or Khoj more popular?
Outline has 40,590 GitHub stars and Khoj has 37,390. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and Khoj free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and Khoj is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and Khoj?
Outline is written in TypeScript and Khoj in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Outline or Khoj?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (40,590 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Khoj if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.