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Memos vs Google Keep

Choose Memos if you want Keep-style quick notes with Markdown on your own server. Choose Google Keep if you want zero setup and deep integration with Google apps.

Google Keep is free, instant, and tied to a Google account. Memos keeps the quick-capture feel but runs on a server you control, supports Markdown, and can be exported at any time.

Install Memos Try Live Demo

At a glance	Memos	Google Keep
License	Open source (MIT)	Proprietary
Hosting	Self-hosted web server	Google's cloud
Data ownership	Your database, zero telemetry	Google account
Format	Markdown with tags	Plain text, labels, checklists
Best for	Short memos in a timeline	Quick notes & reminders
Cost	No license fee (you host)	Free with a Google account

Facts checked October 2026.

The decision

Choose for the work in front of you.

Choose Memos when

You want your notes on infrastructure you control instead of a Google account.
You want Markdown, tags, and a searchable timeline rather than sticky-note cards.
You want open-source software you can export from at any time.

Choose Google Keep when

You want zero setup and instant sync across Google apps.
You mainly jot short notes, lists, and reminders.
You do not want to run a server.

Feature by feature

What each one actually does.

Memos answers honestly, including the rows where it says no.

Feature	Memos	Google Keep
Ownership
Open source	Yes.MIT license, developed in public on GitHub	No.Proprietary
Self-hosting	Yes.Docker image or a single binary on your server	No.Cloud only
Official hosted service	No.No official hosted plan; you run the instance	Yes.Part of a Google account
Where notes live	SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL on your server	Google's cloud
Price	No license fee; you pay for hosting	Free with a Google account
Writing
Markdown	Yes.Write in Markdown with live rendering, code blocks, and math	No.Basic rich text; no Markdown
Tags	Yes.Inline #tags, nested with a slash	Yes.Labels and colors
Links between notes	Yes.Relations link memos to each other	No.No links between notes
Attachments	Yes.Images and files, stored on disk or in S3	Yes.Images, drawings, audio
Full-text search	Yes.Full-text search with tag, date, and visibility filters	Yes.Search by text, label, color, and type
Reach
Works offline	No.Browser app; reading and writing need a reachable server	Yes.Mobile apps and Chrome work offline
Desktop app	Partial.Install the web app as a PWA; no official native app	Partial.Web app and Chrome extension; no native desktop app
Mobile app	Partial.PWA on iOS and Android, plus community-built apps	Yes.iOS and Android
Cross-device sync	Yes.The server is the source of truth, so every device sees the same memos	Yes.Google account
Public sharing	Yes.Per-memo visibility: private, workspace, or public link	Partial.Share with collaborators; no public link
Data
API and webhooks	Yes.REST and gRPC APIs, signed webhooks	Partial.Keep API for enterprise Workspace accounts only
Import and export	Partial.ZIP export of Markdown and JSON; import from Memos exports only	Partial.Export through Google Takeout; no import
End-to-end encryption	No.The server you run can read your memos; protect it with TLS and disk encryption	No.Google can read content

Questions

Questions people ask.

Is Memos a good Google Keep alternative?

Yes, if you want the same quick notes with Markdown on a server you control. You give up Keep's reminders, Google integrations, and zero-setup sync.

Can I move my Google Keep notes into Memos?

Export them with Google Takeout, which gives you one file per note. Memos has no Keep importer, so create memos from those files through the API or by pasting.

Does Memos have reminders like Google Keep?

No. Memos is a timeline of memos with tags and search. It does not send reminders or notifications on a schedule.

Keep exploring

Related comparisons and features.

Start here

Start with one memo.

Install Memos on a server you choose and write your first memo. Open source under MIT, with no license fee.