head to head · open source
Logseq vs Outline
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Outline has 40,590 stars, 3,562 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq leads on adoption by 11% (44,955 vs 40,590 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Outline 9%. 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 | Outline | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 41K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Clojure | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 3.6K |
| 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 Outline if
- You want the Outline feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Outline 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 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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or Outline more popular?
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars and Outline has 40,590. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and Outline free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and Outline has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Logseq and Outline?
Logseq is written in Clojure and Outline 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, Logseq or Outline?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (44,955 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Outline if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.