head to head · open source
Open-Notebook vs IdeaMemo
Open-Notebook has 41,664 GitHub stars, 4,790 forks, 110 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. IdeaMemo has 1,170 stars, 167 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Open-Notebook leads on adoption by 3,461% (41,664 vs 1,170 stars). Open-Notebook is written in TypeScript under MIT; IdeaMemo is written in Kotlin under GPL-3.0. Open-Notebook has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, IdeaMemo 14%. 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 | IdeaMemo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 42K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 167 |
| 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 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 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 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 Open-Notebook or IdeaMemo more popular?
Open-Notebook has 41,664 GitHub stars and IdeaMemo has 1,170. Open-Notebook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open-Notebook and IdeaMemo free?
Both are open source. Open-Notebook is licensed under MIT and IdeaMemo under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Open-Notebook and IdeaMemo?
Open-Notebook 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, Open-Notebook or IdeaMemo?
Choose Open-Notebook if you want the larger community (41,664 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose IdeaMemo if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.