head to head · open source
Outline vs MiaoYan
Outline has 41,158 GitHub stars, 3,652 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. MiaoYan has 8,719 stars, 522 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Outline leads on adoption by 372% (41,158 vs 8,719 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; MiaoYan is written in Swift under MIT. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, MiaoYan 6%. Outline 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
| Outline | MiaoYan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 8.7K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 522 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Outline if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick MiaoYan if
- You want the MiaoYan feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and MiaoYan fits your workflow better
About Outline
A fast, collaborative, knowledge base for your team built using React and Node.js. Try out Outline using our hosted version at www.getoutline.com . This is the source code that runs Outline and all the associated services. If you want to use Outline then you don't need to run this code, A hosted version of the app is offered at getoutline.com. You can also find documentation on using Outline in our guide. If you'd like to run your own copy of Outline or contribute to development then this is the place for you. Installation Please see the documentation for running your own copy of Outline in a production…
read the full Outline overview →
About MiaoYan
English 简体中文 MiaoYan Lightweight Markdown note taking app for macOS Features Fantastic : Local first, no data collection, split editor & preview, wikilink backlinks, LaTeX, Mermaid Beautiful : Minimalist design, three column layout, dark mode, macOS 26 glass, distraction free Fast : Swift 6 native, better performance than Electron based apps Simple : Lightweight, version history, keyboard shortcuts, auto formatting Installation 1. Mac App Store (paid, automatic updates): 2. Homebrew : 3. GitHub Releases : download the latest DMG from GitHub Releases (macOS 11.5+) All three options share the same codebase and…
read the full MiaoYan overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or MiaoYan more popular?
Outline has 41,158 GitHub stars and MiaoYan has 8,719. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and MiaoYan free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and MiaoYan is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and MiaoYan?
Outline is written in TypeScript and MiaoYan in Swift. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Outline or MiaoYan?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (41,158 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose MiaoYan if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.