head to head · open source
Zotero vs QOwnNotes
Zotero has 15,847 GitHub stars, 1,174 forks, 1,600 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. QOwnNotes has 5,942 stars, 498 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Zotero leads on adoption by 167% (15,847 vs 5,942 stars). Zotero is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence; QOwnNotes is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. Zotero has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, QOwnNotes 8%. Zotero 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
| Zotero | QOwnNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 5.9K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.2K | ⑂ 498 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Zotero if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- 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 Zotero
Zotero ====== Zotero is a free, easy to use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. Please post feature requests or bug reports to the Zotero Forums. If you're having trouble with Zotero, see Getting Help. For more information on how to use this source code, see the Zotero documentation.
read the full Zotero overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zotero or QOwnNotes more popular?
Zotero has 15,847 GitHub stars and QOwnNotes has 5,942. Zotero has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zotero and QOwnNotes free?
Both are open source. Zotero 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 Zotero and QOwnNotes?
Zotero is written in JavaScript 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, Zotero or QOwnNotes?
Choose Zotero if you want the larger community (15,847 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.