head to head · open source
Outline vs saber
Outline has 41,158 GitHub stars, 3,652 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. saber has 5,011 stars, 421 forks, 401 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Outline leads on adoption by 721% (41,158 vs 5,011 stars). Outline is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; saber is written in Dart under GPL-3.0. Outline has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, saber 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 | saber | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 5.0K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 421 |
| 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 saber if
- You want the saber feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and saber fits your workflow better
About Outline
A fast, collaborative, knowledge base for your team built using React and Node.js. Try out Outline using our hosted version at www.getoutline.com . This is the source code that runs Outline and all the associated services. If you want to use Outline then you don't need to run this code, A hosted version of the app is offered at getoutline.com. You can also find documentation on using Outline in our guide. If you'd like to run your own copy of Outline or contribute to development then this is the place for you. Installation Please see the documentation for running your own copy of Outline in a production…
read the full Outline overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Outline or saber more popular?
Outline has 41,158 GitHub stars and saber has 5,011. Outline has the larger community by that measure.
Are Outline and saber free?
Both are open source. Outline has no licence declared in this registry, and saber is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Outline and saber?
Outline is written in TypeScript and saber in Dart. 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 saber?
Choose Outline if you want the larger community (41,158 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose saber if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.