head to head · open source
Outline vs TidGi-Desktop
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars, 3,569 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. TidGi-Desktop has 2,003 stars, 116 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Outline leads on adoption by 1,928% (40,628 vs 2,003 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; TidGi-Desktop is written in TypeScript under MPL-2.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, TidGi-Desktop 6%. 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 | TidGi-Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Custom / other | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 116 |
| 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 TidGi-Desktop if
- You want the TidGi-Desktop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and TidGi-Desktop 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 TidGi-Desktop
TidGi Desktop is a free, MPL 2.0 licensed, cross platform desktop note taking and knowledge management application built on TiddlyWiki and running as an Electron app, aimed at people who want their notes stored locally as files they own, backed up to Git automatically, and optionally published as a blog.
read the full TidGi-Desktop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or TidGi-Desktop more popular?
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars and TidGi-Desktop has 2,003. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and TidGi-Desktop free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and TidGi-Desktop is licensed under MPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and TidGi-Desktop?
Outline is written in TypeScript and TidGi-Desktop 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 TidGi-Desktop?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (40,628 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose TidGi-Desktop if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.