head to head · open source
Notesnook vs IdeaMemo
Notesnook has 14,891 GitHub stars, 1,047 forks, 1,012 open issues and last shipped today. IdeaMemo has 1,170 stars, 167 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Notesnook leads on adoption by 1,173% (14,891 vs 1,170 stars). Notesnook is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0; IdeaMemo is written in Kotlin under GPL-3.0. Notesnook has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, IdeaMemo 14%. Notesnook was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (notes-app), 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
| Notesnook | IdeaMemo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-11-06 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.0K | ⑂ 167 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Notesnook if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick IdeaMemo if
- You want the IdeaMemo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and IdeaMemo fits your workflow better
About Notesnook
Notesnook An end to end encrypted note taking alternative to Evernote. Website About us Roadmap Downloads Twitter Discord Overview Notesnook is a free (as in speech) & open source note taking app focused on user privacy & ease of use. To ensure zero knowledge principles, Notesnook encrypts everything on your device using XChaCha20 Poly1305 & Argon2 . Notesnook is our proof that privacy does not (always) have to come at the cost of convenience. We aim to provide users peace of mind & 100% confidence that their notes are safe and secure. The decision to go fully open source is one of the most crucial steps towards…
read the full Notesnook overview →
About IdeaMemo
IdeaMemo A quick record app written with Jetpack Compose. 简体中文 English 🖌️ Screenshots ✨ Features IdeaMemo is an Android lightweight note taking app. Here are the current features: Privacy First : No need to apply any permissions, all runtime data is firmly stored in your local database or can be uploaded to your own WEBDAV private cloud. Simplicity and cleanliness : Indexed by TAG , it supports mixed text and graphics to record and organize your sudden inspirations. But as a card note, it is not recommended to record too long text. Review at any time : Support calendar view, heatmap and random walk to review…
read the full IdeaMemo overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Notesnook or IdeaMemo more popular?
Notesnook has 14,891 GitHub stars and IdeaMemo has 1,170. Notesnook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Notesnook and IdeaMemo free?
Both are open source. Notesnook is licensed under GPL-3.0 and IdeaMemo under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Notesnook and IdeaMemo?
Notesnook is written in TypeScript and IdeaMemo in Kotlin. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Notesnook or IdeaMemo?
Choose Notesnook if you want the larger community (14,891 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose IdeaMemo if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.