head to head · open source
Open-Notebook vs QOwnNotes
Open-Notebook has 41,599 GitHub stars, 4,781 forks, 110 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. QOwnNotes has 5,942 stars, 497 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Open-Notebook leads on adoption by 600% (41,599 vs 5,942 stars). Open-Notebook is written in TypeScript under MIT; QOwnNotes is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. Open-Notebook has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, QOwnNotes 8%. 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 (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
| Open-Notebook | QOwnNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 42K | ★ 5.9K |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 497 |
| 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 QOwnNotes if
- You want the QOwnNotes feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and QOwnNotes 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 QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes Installation Changelog Issues Shortcuts Documentation Privacy Policy Screenshots Nextcloud API App ownCloud API App Matrix room Telegram Group IRC Chat Mastodon QOwnNotes Web Companion Firefox extension QOwnNotes Web Companion Chrome extension QOwnNotes Web App QOwnNotes Tor Hidden Service QOwnNotes is the open source notepad with Markdown support and todo list manager for GNU/Linux , macOS and Windows , that works together with Nextcloud Notes and ownCloud Notes . You are able to write down your thoughts with QOwnNotes and edit or search for them later from your mobile device , like with QOwnNotes…
read the full QOwnNotes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open-Notebook or QOwnNotes more popular?
Open-Notebook has 41,599 GitHub stars and QOwnNotes has 5,942. Open-Notebook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open-Notebook and QOwnNotes free?
Both are open source. Open-Notebook is licensed under MIT and QOwnNotes under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Open-Notebook and QOwnNotes?
Open-Notebook is written in TypeScript and QOwnNotes in C++. 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 QOwnNotes?
Choose Open-Notebook if you want the larger community (41,599 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose QOwnNotes if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.