head to head · open source
Outline vs GitJournal
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars, 3,569 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. GitJournal has 4,224 stars, 309 forks, 132 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Outline leads on adoption by 862% (40,628 vs 4,224 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; GitJournal is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, GitJournal 7%. Outline was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | GitJournal | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 4.2K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-05-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 309 |
| 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 GitJournal if
- You want the GitJournal feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and GitJournal 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 GitJournal
GitJournal is a mobile first, privacy focused Markdown note taking app that stores every note in a Git repository of the user's choosing, built for people who want their writing to stay portable and version controlled instead of locked inside a proprietary sync service.
read the full GitJournal overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or GitJournal more popular?
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars and GitJournal has 4,224. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and GitJournal free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and GitJournal is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and GitJournal?
Outline is written in TypeScript and GitJournal in Dart. 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 GitJournal?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (40,628 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose GitJournal if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.