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Memos vs Notesnook
Choose Memos if you want a free, simple timeline on your own server and an API. Choose Notesnook if end-to-end encryption and native offline apps matter more than server-side search and automation.
Notesnook is an open-source notes app that encrypts everything end to end, with native apps on every platform and a self-hostable sync server. Memos is an open-source web app on your server with a simpler model: short Markdown memos, readable by the server you control, with tags, sharing, and an API.
| At a glance | Memos | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open source (MIT) | Open source (GPL-3.0) |
| Hosting | Self-hosted web server | Hosted service or self-hosted sync server |
| Encryption | Server can read memos; secure the server | End-to-end encrypted by default |
| Format | Markdown | Rich text with Markdown shortcuts |
| Best for | Short memos in a timeline | Private notebooks across native apps |
| Cost | No license fee (you host) | Free plan; paid tiers for storage |
The decision
Choose for the work in front of you.
Choose Memos when
You want every feature free on your own server with no plan tiers.
You want server-side search, webhooks, and an API for automation.
You prefer plain Markdown over a rich-text editor.
Choose Notesnook when
Notes must be unreadable to any server, including your own.
You want native offline apps and encrypted attachments.
You want built-in importers from many other note apps.
Feature by feature
What each one actually does.
Memos answers honestly, including the rows where it says no.
| Feature | Memos | Notesnook |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | ||
| Open source | Yes.MIT license, developed in public on GitHub | Yes.GPL-3.0 clients and server source |
| Self-hosting | Yes.Docker image or a single binary on your server | Yes.Sync server is self-hostable source |
| Official hosted service | No.No official hosted plan; you run the instance | Yes.notesnook.com |
| Where notes live | SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL on your server | Encrypted on their server or yours; decrypted on your devices |
| Price | No license fee; you pay for hosting | Free plan; paid tiers for storage and features source |
| Writing | ||
| Markdown | Yes.Write in Markdown with live rendering, code blocks, and math | Partial.Rich text editor with Markdown shortcuts; Markdown export |
| Tags | Yes.Inline #tags, nested with a slash | Yes.Tags and notebooks |
| Links between notes | Yes.Relations link memos to each other | Yes.Internal note links |
| Attachments | Yes.Images and files, stored on disk or in S3 | Partial.Encrypted attachments; storage limits by plan |
| Full-text search | Yes.Full-text search with tag, date, and visibility filters | Yes.Local full-text search |
| Reach | ||
| Works offline | No.Browser app; reading and writing need a reachable server | Yes.Local-first native apps |
| Desktop app | Partial.Install the web app as a PWA; no official native app | Yes.Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 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.Encrypted sync |
| Public sharing | Yes.Per-memo visibility: private, workspace, or public link | Yes.Monographs: public encrypted note links |
| Data | ||
| API and webhooks | Yes.REST and gRPC APIs, signed webhooks | No.No public API |
| Import and export | Partial.ZIP export of Markdown and JSON; import from Memos exports only | Yes.Imports Evernote, Obsidian, Markdown and more; exports Markdown, HTML, PDF |
| End-to-end encryption | No.The server you run can read your memos; protect it with TLS and disk encryption | Yes.End-to-end encrypted by default source |
Questions
Questions people ask.
Is Memos encrypted like Notesnook?
Not end to end. Memos stores memos readably so the server can search, render, and serve them to any browser. Protect the server with TLS and disk encryption.
Which is simpler to self-host, Memos or Notesnook?
Memos: one container serves the whole app. Notesnook's self-hosted setup runs several services and you still install native apps on each device.
Can I import Notesnook notes into Memos?
Export from Notesnook as Markdown, then create memos through the Memos API. There is no direct importer.
Keep exploring
Related comparisons and features.
More comparisons
- Memos vs JoplinTwo open-source note apps with different shapes: a timeline vs. encrypted notebooks.
- Memos vs Standard NotesA plain self-hosted timeline vs. an end-to-end encrypted notes service you can also self-host.
- Memos vs Trilium NotesA flat timeline of short memos vs. a deep tree of hierarchical notes, both on your server.
Memos in detail
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.