head to head · open source
Outline vs QOwnNotes
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars, 3,569 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. QOwnNotes has 5,884 stars, 500 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Outline leads on adoption by 590% (40,628 vs 5,884 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; QOwnNotes is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, QOwnNotes 8%. 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 | QOwnNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 5.9K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 500 |
| 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 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 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 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 Outline or QOwnNotes more popular?
Outline has 40,628 GitHub stars and QOwnNotes has 5,884. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and QOwnNotes free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and QOwnNotes is licensed under GPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and QOwnNotes?
Outline 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, Outline or QOwnNotes?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (40,628 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose QOwnNotes if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.