head to head · open source
Outline vs Blinko
Outline has 40,590 GitHub stars, 3,562 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Blinko has 11,020 stars, 782 forks, 418 open issues and last shipped 22 days ago. Outline leads on adoption by 268% (40,590 vs 11,020 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Blinko is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Blinko 7%. Outline was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (react), 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
| Outline | Blinko | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 11K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 782 |
| 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 Blinko if
- You want the Blinko feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Blinko fits your workflow better
About Outline
Outline is an open source knowledge base application built with React and Node.js, designed for teams needing a fast, collaborative documentation platform. It runs as a self hosted service or via a hosted option at getoutline.com, and its source code powers the public instance along with all supporting services. The project lives in the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem and uses MobX for state management.
read the full Outline overview →
About Blinko
Blinko is AI powered note taking app. It lives in Productivity & Utilities / Note Taking & Knowledge Management category. Project targets individuals who need quick capture and organization of fleeting thoughts. It stores notes as plain text with Markdown. It supports self hosted deployment, so users keep notes and data in their own environment. Project uses TypeScript and GPL 3.0 license. GitHub metadata lists 11011 stars, 780 forks, and last push 2026 08 27. Project has 418 open issues. README lists live demo, official site, and documents.
read the full Blinko overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or Blinko more popular?
Outline has 40,590 GitHub stars and Blinko has 11,020. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and Blinko free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and Blinko is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and Blinko?
Outline is written in TypeScript and Blinko 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, Outline or Blinko?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (40,590 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Blinko if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.