head to head · open source
Logseq vs QOwnNotes
Logseq has 44,972 GitHub stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. QOwnNotes has 5,882 stars, 500 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq leads on adoption by 665% (44,972 vs 5,882 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; QOwnNotes is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, QOwnNotes 9%. Logseq was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (local-first, 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 | QOwnNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 5.9K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Clojure | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 500 |
| 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 QOwnNotes if
- You want the QOwnNotes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and QOwnNotes 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 QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes is a GPL 2.0 licensed, C++ plain text notepad and todo list manager with Markdown support for GNU/Linux, macOS and Windows that stores every note as a Markdown file and pairs with Nextcloud or ownCloud so the same notes stay readable on mobile and in the web service.
read the full QOwnNotes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or QOwnNotes more popular?
Logseq has 44,972 GitHub stars and QOwnNotes has 5,882. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and QOwnNotes free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and QOwnNotes under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Logseq and QOwnNotes?
Logseq is written in Clojure and QOwnNotes in C++. 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 QOwnNotes?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (44,972 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose QOwnNotes if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.