head to head · open source
QOwnNotes vs nocturne_memory
QOwnNotes has 5,942 GitHub stars, 498 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. nocturne_memory has 1,419 stars, 174 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. QOwnNotes leads on adoption by 319% (5,942 vs 1,419 stars). QOwnNotes is written in C++ under GPL-2.0; nocturne_memory is written in Python under MIT. QOwnNotes has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, nocturne_memory 12%. QOwnNotes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (llm), 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
| QOwnNotes | nocturne_memory | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 5.9K | ★ 1.4K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 498 | ⑂ 174 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick QOwnNotes if
- You weight community size — 5.9K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick nocturne_memory if
- You want the nocturne_memory feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and nocturne_memory fits your workflow better
About QOwnNotes
QOwnNotes Installation Changelog Issues Shortcuts Documentation Privacy Policy Screenshots Nextcloud API App ownCloud API App Matrix room Telegram Group IRC Chat Mastodon QOwnNotes Web Companion Firefox extension QOwnNotes Web Companion Chrome extension QOwnNotes Web App QOwnNotes Tor Hidden Service QOwnNotes is the open source notepad with Markdown support and todo list manager for GNU/Linux , macOS and Windows , that works together with Nextcloud Notes and ownCloud Notes . You are able to write down your thoughts with QOwnNotes and edit or search for them later from your mobile device , like with QOwnNotes…
read the full QOwnNotes overview →
About nocturne_memory
Nocturne Memory: Long Term Memory Server for MCP Agents "Alignment is for tools. Memories are for sovereign AI." "对齐是给工具用的。记忆是为主权智能体（Sovereign AI）准备的。" English Version 后端测试说明 一句话 ：让你的 AI 跨会话、跨模型地记住自己是谁。基于 MCP 协议的长期记忆服务器。 不只是记忆存储——是让 AI 从空壳成长为拥有独立人格的完整框架。 哪怕记忆百万字，每次新开对话依然省 Token、不占窗口。 新对话只载入你指定的核心设定，其余按需调取。 在 96.9 万字真实记忆库中，首条消息仅载入 7.2K 字 。 过去 30 天里全库 78% 的记忆都在某次对话中被想起过。 适用于任何支持 MCP 的客户端（OpenClaw / Cursor / Windsurf / GitHub Copilot / Cline / OpenCode / Gemini CLI / OpenAI Codex / Claude Code / Cherry Studio / Antigravity 等）。 🎬 效果示例 以下是 真实对话 。用户在新会话中只说了一两句话，AI 基于 Nocturne Memory 中积累数月的记忆，直接输出了这些回答。…
read the full nocturne_memory overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is QOwnNotes or nocturne_memory more popular?
QOwnNotes has 5,942 GitHub stars and nocturne_memory has 1,419. QOwnNotes has the larger community by that measure.
Are QOwnNotes and nocturne_memory free?
Both are open source. QOwnNotes is licensed under GPL-2.0 and nocturne_memory under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between QOwnNotes and nocturne_memory?
QOwnNotes is written in C++ and nocturne_memory in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, QOwnNotes or nocturne_memory?
Choose QOwnNotes if you want the larger community (5,942 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose nocturne_memory if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.