Dnote vs nb (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, nb grades higher than Dnote: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
nb grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Dnote if
- Fits if you spend your day in a terminal and want to save commands you'll need again
- Works for people who are happy to host their own sync server
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a window to click in, as it is command line only
- Skip it if you need hosted sync: the vendor lists none
- Too light for long documents, links or images, as it is built for short notes
- Watch out: there is no mobile or web app on its site
Pick nb if
- Fits if you live in a terminal and want your notes as files under Git
- Works for people who also save bookmarks and todos in the same place
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a window to click in, as it is command line and a local web view
- Skip it if you are on Windows without WSL, MSYS or Cygwin
- Watch out: some features need Pandoc, Chromium or Chrome installed
- Too light for sharing, as there is no phone app or hosted service
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADnoteGood | 2.8GPAnbGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source, with no paid plan; the program is a single binary. | AOpen source and free, installed from a package manager or as one script. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright. Syncing across devices needs a server you run yourself. | AFree outright, with no paid tier listed. |
| Features | CFull-text search, your own editor, one SQLite file, a REST API and self-hosted sync. The listing's gaps: no hosted sync, no phone or web app. | BNotes, bookmarks with cached pages, todos, tags, wiki links, encryption, Git sync and a local web view, all from one script. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in that job. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It runs in a terminal, and sync means running your own server. | DNo store rating on record. It runs in a terminal, and some features need Pandoc or a Chrome browser. |
| Platforms and integrations | CmacOS, Linux and Windows programs only. The REST API needs your own server. | CmacOS and Linux programs, and on Windows only through WSL, MSYS or Cygwin. Works with Git, Vim, Emacs and VS Code. |
| Best for | command-line notes with self-hosted sync | plain-text notes and bookmarks in a terminal |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dnote and nb. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dnote has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. nb has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
nb scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other note-taking apps on the chart, none scores higher than Dnote for less, and none scores higher than nb for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Dnote is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- nb also covers Markdown, linked notes, tasks and bookmarks.
In commonFree planmacOSLinuxWindowsOpen sourceNotes
At a glance
| Dnote | nb | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The vendor says Dnote is free and open source and will always be free. | No price is listed; the project's GitHub page shows an AGPL-3.0 license. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Dnote | xwmx |
| Price read from | getdnote.com | xwmx.github.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dnote
- Sync between devices requires running your own server; the vendor lists no hosted service.
- It is a command-line tool with no mobile or web app listed on its site.
- Binaries are listed for macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and Windows; FreeBSD is not a platform on this site.
nb
- It needs a Unix-like shell; on Windows it runs through WSL, MSYS or Cygwin.
- Some features rely on optional tools such as Pandoc and Chromium or Chrome.
- There is no mobile app or hosted service on its site.
Key features
Dnote
- Full-text search
- Search every saved note from the terminal to find a command or snippet without scrolling shell history.
- Bring your own editor
- Notes can be written in any text editor, in a terminal or as a GUI.
- Single SQLite file
- All data is in one file that can be backed up to any storage, queried with standard tools or migrated.
- Self-hosted sync server
- An optional single-binary server with SQLite syncs data between devices and can be deployed with Docker or run directly.
- REST API
- The server exposes notes over a REST API for integrations or any HTTP client.
nb
- Plain-text storage
- Notes are text files in Markdown, Org, LaTeX, AsciiDoc or any other format, written in the editor you choose.
- Git versioning and sync
- Notebooks are Git-backed, giving revision history and syncing through a Git remote.
- Bookmarks with cached pages
- Saved pages are stored as Markdown for local full-text search, with Wayback Machine lookup for broken links.
- Encryption
- Notes and bookmarks can be password-protected.
- Wiki links, tags and todos
- Items link with [[wiki-style]] links, take #tags, and can hold todos with tasks.
- Local web browsing
- A locally served web view lets you read notes and bookmarks in a terminal or GUI browser.
Plans
Dnote
Dnote$0
Free and open source (Apache-2.0 per its GitHub page). Sync needs a server you run yourself.
nb
nb$0
Open-source command-line tool installed from a package manager or as a script; no paid tier is listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dnote or nb?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Dnote and nb are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Dnote or nb?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Dnote and nb have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.