head to head · open source
Docmost vs QOwnNotes
Docmost has 21,735 GitHub stars, 1,566 forks, 326 open issues and last shipped yesterday. QOwnNotes has 5,884 stars, 500 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Docmost leads on adoption by 269% (21,735 vs 5,884 stars). Docmost is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; QOwnNotes is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. Docmost has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, QOwnNotes 8%. Docmost 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
| Docmost | QOwnNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 5.9K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 500 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Docmost if
- You weight community size — 22K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 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 Docmost
Docmost is an open source collaborative wiki and documentation software written in TypeScript and licensed under the AGPL 3.0 license. It positions itself as an open alternative to Atlassian Confluence and Notion, and its tagline describes it as a self hosted wiki with AI, compliance, and real time editing. The project lives in the knowledge management and note taking ecosystem, where teams manage documentation and knowledge base content.
read the full Docmost overview →
About QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes is a GPL 2.0 licensed, C++ plain text notepad and todo list manager with Markdown support for GNU/Linux, macOS and Windows that stores every note as a Markdown file and pairs with Nextcloud or ownCloud so the same notes stay readable on mobile and in the web service.
read the full QOwnNotes overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docmost or QOwnNotes more popular?
Docmost has 21,735 GitHub stars and QOwnNotes has 5,884. Docmost has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docmost and QOwnNotes free?
Both are open source. Docmost is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and QOwnNotes under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docmost and QOwnNotes?
Docmost 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, Docmost or QOwnNotes?
Choose Docmost if you want the larger community (21,735 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose QOwnNotes if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.