head to head · open source
Memos vs Darkwrite
Memos has 63,129 GitHub stars, 4,766 forks, 67 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Darkwrite has 315 stars, 14 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Memos leads on adoption by 19,941% (63,129 vs 315 stars). Memos is written in Go under MIT; Darkwrite is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Memos has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Darkwrite 4%. Memos 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
| Memos | Darkwrite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 63K | ★ 315 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 14 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Memos if
- You weight community size — 63K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Darkwrite if
- You want the Darkwrite 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 Darkwrite fits your workflow better
About Memos
Memos is an open source, self hosted note taking tool designed for rapid capture of short form content like daily logs, links, code snippets, and microblog style entries. It lives in the Go ecosystem and uses a Markdown native, timeline based interface. Unlike traditional note apps that enforce folders or rigid templates, Memos prioritizes speed and simplicity: users write in Markdown, attach media, and save without selecting titles or locations.
read the full Memos overview →
About Darkwrite
Darkwrite is an open source, cross platform desktop note taking application written in TypeScript and built on Electron, made for people who want to write notes without distraction, accounts, or a server holding their data.
read the full Darkwrite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Memos or Darkwrite more popular?
Memos has 63,129 GitHub stars and Darkwrite has 315. Memos has the larger community by that measure.
Are Memos and Darkwrite free?
Both are open source. Memos is licensed under MIT and Darkwrite under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Memos and Darkwrite?
Memos is written in Go and Darkwrite 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, Memos or Darkwrite?
Choose Memos if you want the larger community (63,129 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Darkwrite if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.