head to head · open source
Logseq vs Beaver Notes
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Beaver Notes has 1,344 stars, 65 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Logseq leads on adoption by 3,245% (44,955 vs 1,344 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; Beaver Notes is written in JavaScript under MIT. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Beaver Notes 5%. Logseq 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
| Logseq | Beaver Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Clojure | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 65 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Logseq if
- You weight community size — 45K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Clojure
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Beaver Notes if
- You want the Beaver Notes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Beaver Notes fits your workflow better
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 →
About Beaver Notes
Beaver Notes is an open source, local first workspace for notes, projects, and meetings. It is a JavaScript application under the MIT license, and it presents itself as a privacy focused note taking tool. The core idea is that notes stay on the user's device unless the user explicitly chooses a sync method.
read the full Beaver Notes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or Beaver Notes more popular?
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars and Beaver Notes has 1,344. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and Beaver Notes free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Beaver Notes under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Logseq and Beaver Notes?
Logseq is written in Clojure and Beaver Notes in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Logseq or Beaver Notes?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (44,955 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Beaver Notes if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.