head to head · open source
Logseq vs vnote
Logseq has 44,972 GitHub stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. vnote has 12,963 stars, 1,298 forks, 270 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq leads on adoption by 247% (44,972 vs 12,963 stars). Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0; vnote is written in C++ under LGPL-3.0. Logseq has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, vnote 10%. 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 | vnote | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 13K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Clojure | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 vnote if
- You want the vnote feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and vnote 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 vnote
VNote is a Qt based, free and open source note taking application written in native C++, focused on Markdown and aimed at anyone who wants structured note management and a strong editing experience instead of a bare Markdown text editor.
read the full vnote overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Logseq or vnote more popular?
Logseq has 44,972 GitHub stars and vnote has 12,963. Logseq has the larger community by that measure.
Are Logseq and vnote free?
Both are open source. Logseq is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and vnote under LGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Logseq and vnote?
Logseq is written in Clojure and vnote 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 vnote?
Choose Logseq if you want the larger community (44,972 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose vnote if its feature set, stack or LGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.