head to head · open source
Memos vs Logseq
Memos has 63,129 GitHub stars, 4,766 forks, 67 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Logseq has 44,955 stars, 2,815 forks, 942 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Memos leads on adoption by 40% (63,129 vs 44,955 stars). Memos is written in Go under MIT; Logseq is written in Clojure under AGPL-3.0. Memos has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Logseq 6%. 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
| Memos | Logseq | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 63K | ★ 45K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | Clojure |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 2.8K |
| 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 Logseq if
- You want the Logseq feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Clojure
- You evaluated both and Logseq 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 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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Memos or Logseq more popular?
Memos has 63,129 GitHub stars and Logseq has 44,955. Memos has the larger community by that measure.
Are Memos and Logseq free?
Both are open source. Memos is licensed under MIT and Logseq under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Memos and Logseq?
Memos is written in Go and Logseq in Clojure. 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 Logseq?
Choose Memos if you want the larger community (63,129 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Logseq if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.