head to head · open source
Logseq vs Standard Notes
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Standard Notes has 6,633 stars, 551 forks, 99 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq leads on adoption by 578% (44,955 vs 6,633 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; Standard Notes is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Standard Notes 8%. 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 | Standard Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 6.6K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Clojure | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 551 |
| 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 Standard Notes if
- You want the Standard Notes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Standard Notes 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 Standard Notes
Standard Notes is an end to end encrypted note taking application for individuals and professionals who want to capture notes, files, and long term work in a place only they can read, with clients on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and the web.
read the full Standard Notes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or Standard Notes more popular?
Logseq has 44,955 GitHub stars and Standard Notes has 6,633. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and Standard Notes free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Standard Notes under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Logseq and Standard Notes?
Logseq is written in Clojure and Standard Notes 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 Standard Notes?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (44,955 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Standard Notes if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.