head to head · open source
Outline vs vnote
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars, 3,569 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. vnote has 12,964 stars, 1,298 forks, 270 open issues and last shipped today. Outline leads on adoption by 213% (40,628 vs 12,964 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; vnote is written in C++ under LGPL-3.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, vnote 10%. vnote 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 | vnote | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 13K |
| License | Custom / other | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 vnote if
- You want the vnote feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and vnote 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 vnote
VNote is a Qt based, free and open source note taking application written in native C++, focused on Markdown and aimed at anyone who wants structured note management and a strong editing experience instead of a bare Markdown text editor.
read the full vnote overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or vnote more popular?
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars and vnote has 12,964. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and vnote free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and vnote is licensed under LGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and vnote?
Outline is written in TypeScript and vnote 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, Outline or vnote?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (40,628 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose vnote if its feature set, stack or LGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.