head to head · open source
Logseq vs Paperling
Logseq has 45,060 GitHub stars, 2,825 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Paperling has 568 stars, 40 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq leads on adoption by 7,833% (45,060 vs 568 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; Paperling is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Paperling 7%. Logseq was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (markdown, 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 | Paperling | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 568 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Clojure | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-26 | 2026-09-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 40 |
| 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 Paperling if
- You want the Paperling feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Paperling 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 Paperling
Paperling is a minimal, distraction free Markdown reader and editor built with Tauri, React, and TypeScript for developers and note takers who want to open a single .md file, read it rendered beautifully, and edit it with live preview instead of managing a vault.
read the full Paperling overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or Paperling more popular?
Logseq has 45,060 GitHub stars and Paperling has 568. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and Paperling free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Paperling under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Logseq and Paperling?
Logseq is written in Clojure and Paperling 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 Paperling?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (45,060 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Paperling if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.