head to head · open source
Logseq vs Butterfly
Logseq has 44,984 GitHub stars, 2,816 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped today. Butterfly has 2,024 stars, 151 forks, 47 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Logseq leads on adoption by 2,123% (44,984 vs 2,024 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; Butterfly is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Butterfly 7%. 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
| Logseq | Butterfly | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Clojure | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 151 |
| 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 Butterfly if
- You want the Butterfly feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and Butterfly 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 Butterfly
Butterfly is a free, open source, cross platform note taking and drawing application built with Flutter and Dart, made for people who think visually and want an endless workspace for handwritten, typed, and imported content on desktop and Android.
read the full Butterfly overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or Butterfly more popular?
Logseq has 44,984 GitHub stars and Butterfly has 2,024. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and Butterfly free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Butterfly under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Logseq and Butterfly?
Logseq is written in Clojure and Butterfly in Dart. 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 Butterfly?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (44,984 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Butterfly if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.