head to head · open source
saber vs Darkwrite
saber has 5,011 GitHub stars, 421 forks, 401 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Darkwrite has 320 stars, 15 forks, 8 open issues and last shipped 21 days ago. saber leads on adoption by 1,466% (5,011 vs 320 stars). saber is written in Dart under GPL-3.0; Darkwrite is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. saber has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Darkwrite 5%. saber was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (cross-platform, linux, macos, notes-app), 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
| saber | Darkwrite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 5.0K | ★ 320 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 421 | ⑂ 15 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick saber if
- You weight community size — 5.0K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Darkwrite if
- You want the Darkwrite feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Darkwrite fits your workflow better
About saber
Saber [ ][google play] [ ][f droid] [ ][app store] [ ][download windows] [ ][flathub] [ ][download appimage] English čeština Deutsch 中文 (简体中文, 中国) 中文 (繁體, 台灣) العربية Tiếng Việt Saber is the notes app built for handwriting. It's designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible, while still delivering unique features that you'll actually use. Additionally, Saber is available across all your devices, large and small, and syncs between them seamlessly. Notably, it can invert your notes when you're in dark mode. This allows you to write with white ink on a black background, which is much easier on the eyes in low…
read the full saber overview →
About Darkwrite
Follow on Twitter Download Darkwrite Report bugs 📓 Take notes the way you want. ✒️ Darkwrite lets you take notes without getting in your way. Head over to the releases page to get started. ⭐ Star this repository to know when we release new updates. 🖊️ Just start typing. 🖋️ Unleash the power of a rich editor which supports formatting, headings, todo lists, numbered lists, links, images, tables and much more. 🖌️ Make it yours. 🎨 Choose from the selection of included themes or create your own. Say goodbye to boring light and dark themes. ✒️ Pick the fonts you like. You can change the default styles for your…
read the full Darkwrite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is saber or Darkwrite more popular?
saber has 5,011 GitHub stars and Darkwrite has 320. saber has the larger community by that measure.
Are saber and Darkwrite free?
Both are open source. saber is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Darkwrite under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between saber and Darkwrite?
saber is written in Dart and Darkwrite 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, saber or Darkwrite?
Choose saber if you want the larger community (5,011 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Darkwrite if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.