head to head · open source
Open-Notebook vs Darkwrite
Open-Notebook has 41,535 GitHub stars, 4,772 forks, 110 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Darkwrite has 320 stars, 15 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 21 days ago. Open-Notebook leads on adoption by 12,880% (41,535 vs 320 stars). Open-Notebook is written in TypeScript under MIT; Darkwrite is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Open-Notebook has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Darkwrite 5%. Open-Notebook 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
| Open-Notebook | Darkwrite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 42K | ★ 320 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 15 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Open-Notebook if
- You weight community size — 42K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 Open-Notebook
[![Forks][forks shield]][forks url] [![Stargazers][stars shield]][stars url] [![Issues][issues shield]][issues url] [![MIT License][license shield]][license url] Open Notebook An open source, privacy focused alternative to Google's Notebook LM! Join our Discord server for help, to share workflow ideas, and suggest features! Checkout our website » Follow @lfnovo on X for updates 📚 Get Started · 📖 User Guide · ✨ Features · 🚀 Deploy Deutsch Español français 日本語 한국어 Português Русский 中文 A private, multi model, 100% local, full featured alternative to Notebook LM In a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence…
read the full Open-Notebook overview →
About Darkwrite
Follow on Twitter Download Darkwrite Report bugs 📓 Take notes the way you want. ✒️ Darkwrite lets you take notes without getting in your way. Head over to the releases page to get started. ⭐ Star this repository to know when we release new updates. 🖊️ Just start typing. 🖋️ Unleash the power of a rich editor which supports formatting, headings, todo lists, numbered lists, links, images, tables and much more. 🖌️ Make it yours. 🎨 Choose from the selection of included themes or create your own. Say goodbye to boring light and dark themes. ✒️ Pick the fonts you like. You can change the default styles for your…
read the full Darkwrite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open-Notebook or Darkwrite more popular?
Open-Notebook has 41,535 GitHub stars and Darkwrite has 320. Open-Notebook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open-Notebook and Darkwrite free?
Both are open source. Open-Notebook is licensed under MIT and Darkwrite under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Open-Notebook and Darkwrite?
Open-Notebook is written in TypeScript 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, Open-Notebook or Darkwrite?
Choose Open-Notebook if you want the larger community (41,535 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Darkwrite if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.