NoteDiscovery vs Trilium Notes
We give NoteDiscovery a 3.0 GPA and Trilium Notes a 3.4, out of 4.0. Trilium Notes grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
NoteDiscovery
Self-hosted Markdown knowledge base that runs in the browser
Free
Trilium Notes
Free, open-source hierarchical notes for a personal knowledge base
Free
How we grade them
| 3.0GPANoteDiscoveryVery good | 3.4GPATrilium NotesVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the MIT licence. The site says there are no paid tiers, no accounts and no telemetry. You'd only pay if you rent a server or deploy through PikaPods, which is a separate hosting service. | AEntirely free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. No paid tiers, no accounts and no feature paywalls. The project accepts donations. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe full app is free and there's nothing above it to upgrade to. Install it with Docker, or run it directly with Python 3.8 or higher. | AEvery feature is free, in the desktop apps and the self-hosted server alike, including sync, scripting and the REST API. |
| Features | BAn editor with split and preview modes, [[wikilinks]], a backlinks panel, a graph view, tags, templates, LaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams and a sketch editor. That's a good spread. But text search covers what's inside notes only, not file or folder names, and it's set up for a single user. | ANotes nest inside notes, and one note can sit in several places in the tree. Rich text, Markdown, code, spreadsheet, canvas, diagram and mind map notes mix together, and a group can show as a calendar, table or kanban board. Selected notes can be encrypted behind a password, and revisions are kept in the background. |
| Ease of use | DYou must host it yourself. There's no hosted version from the maker, so step one is a server and a Docker container. Want more than one user? The README points you to a reverse proxy with OAuth or SSO. | CNo rating on record. On one computer it's simple, as the desktop app runs without an account. But there's no official hosted version, so syncing devices means running your own server or paying a third-party host such as PikaPods. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app you can install as a PWA on a phone or computer, with a built-in MCP server that hooks it up to Claude Desktop, Cursor, Ollama and Open WebUI. There are no native desktop or mobile apps. | BDesktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux, a browser extension, and browser access through your own server. There's a REST API too. But there's no official mobile app, so phones reach your server through the browser or an installed PWA. |
| Best for | reaching a folder of Markdown notes from any browser | a big personal knowledge base you host yourself |
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: NoteDiscovery and Trilium Notes. How we grade
Where they differ
- NoteDiscovery is free. Trilium Notes is free.
- Only Trilium Notes lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Only Trilium Notes lists a browser extension.
- NoteDiscovery also covers linked notes and templates.
- Trilium Notes also covers web clipper.
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostablePublic APINotesMarkdown
At a glance
| NoteDiscovery | Trilium Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the MIT license. The site states there are no paid tiers, no accounts and no telemetry; you run it on your own server. | Entirely free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license, with no paid tiers, accounts or feature paywalls. The project accepts donations. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Gamosoft | Elian Doran and the community |
| Price read from | notediscovery.com | triliumnotes.org |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
NoteDiscovery
- Self-hosters who want notes kept as Markdown files on their own server
- People with an Obsidian vault who want to reach it from a browser
- Connecting a personal note collection to AI assistants over MCP
Trilium Notes
- People building a large personal knowledge base on a desktop computer
- Self-hosters who want sync on a server they control
- Tinkerers who want to script and extend their notes app
Worth knowing
NoteDiscovery
- There is no hosted version from the maker and no cloud sync: you run a server yourself or deploy through PikaPods, a separate hosting service.
- There are no native desktop or mobile apps; it is used in a browser and can be installed as a progressive web app.
- Password protection is off by default and is one password built for single-user use; the README suggests a reverse proxy with OAuth or SSO for multi-user setups.
- Text search covers note contents only, not file or folder names.
Trilium Notes
- There is no official mobile app; phones reach a self-hosted server through the browser or an installed PWA.
- There is no official hosted version, so syncing devices means running your own server or paying a third-party host such as PikaPods.
- It is designed for a single user: real-time editing of the same notes by several people is not supported.
- Notes are kept in an SQLite database rather than plain-text files, and are not encrypted unless marked as protected.
Key features
NoteDiscovery
- Markdown editor with live preview
- Edit, split and preview modes with auto-save, code highlighting, LaTeX math through MathJax and Mermaid diagrams.
- Wikilinks, backlinks and graph view
- Notes link with [[wikilink]] syntax, a backlinks panel shows which notes point at the current one, and an interactive graph maps the connections.
- Plain-file storage
- Notes are Markdown files in normal folders, so an existing Obsidian vault can be dropped in and the files open in any other Markdown editor.
- Built-in MCP server
- A Model Context Protocol server lets assistants such as Claude Desktop and Cursor search, create, edit and organize notes.
- Tags and templates
- Tags are set in YAML frontmatter and can be combined with text search. New notes can start from templates with dynamic placeholders.
- Drawing editor and public sharing
- Sketches are saved as PNG files beside the notes, and a note can be shared through a token-based link or exported as standalone HTML.
Trilium Notes
- Hierarchical notes
- Notes nest inside other notes instead of folders, and a single note can appear in several places in the tree. Labels and relations add structure.
- Many note types
- Rich text, Markdown, code, spreadsheet, canvas, Mermaid diagram, mind map and file notes can be mixed freely in the same tree.
- Collections
- Display a group of notes as a calendar, table, kanban board, map, presentation or dashboard, and switch between layouts at any time.
- Sync through your own server
- A self-hosted server syncs notes across devices, gives access from a browser and can publish a subtree of notes as a read-only website.
- Scripting and REST API
- JavaScript runs in the app or on the server to add widgets and automate work, and a built-in REST API reads, creates and updates notes over HTTP.
- Protected notes and revisions
- Selected notes can be encrypted behind a password-protected session, and periodic background revisions let you review or undo changes.
Plans
NoteDiscovery
NoteDiscovery$0
The full self-hosted app, installed with Docker or run directly with Python 3.8 or higher.
Trilium Notes
Free$0
Every feature of the desktop apps and the self-hosted server, including sync, scripting and the REST API.
