head to head · open source
Logseq vs dnote
Logseq has 45,481 GitHub stars, 2,867 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. dnote has 3,091 stars, 123 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 20 days ago. Logseq leads on adoption by 1,371% (45,481 vs 3,091 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; dnote is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, dnote 4%. 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 | dnote | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Clojure | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-05 | 2026-10-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 123 |
| 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 dnote if
- You want the dnote feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and dnote fits your workflow better
About Logseq
Logseq A privacy first, open source platform for knowledge management and collaboration Home Page Blog Documentation Roadmap Table of Contents 🚀 Database Version 🤔 Why Logseq? 👀 How can I use it? 📚 Learn more 🫶 Support Logseq Development 💡 Feature requests 🔌 Plugin API 🌟 Contributing to Logseq 🛠️ Setting Up a Development Environment ✨ Inspiration 🙏 Thank You 🚀 Database Version The Database version (DB version) of Logseq introduces DB graphs. See this page to get an overview of the main features for DB graphs. If you are an existing user, see changes with the DB version. The DB version has its own new…
read the full Logseq overview →
About dnote
========================= Dnote is a simple command line notebook. Single binary, no dependencies. Since 2017. Your notes are stored in one SQLite file portable, searchable, and completely under your control. Optional sync between devices via a self hosted server with REST API access. Installation Or download binary. Server (Optional) Server is a binary with SQLite embedded. No database setup is required. If using docker, create a compose.yml: Then run: Or see the guide for binary installation. Documentation See the Dnote doc.
read the full dnote overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or dnote more popular?
Logseq has 45,481 GitHub stars and dnote has 3,091. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and dnote free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and dnote under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Logseq and dnote?
Logseq is written in Clojure and dnote in Go. 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 dnote?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (45,481 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose dnote if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.