SilverBullet vs Tolaria

SilverBullet

• People who want Markdown notes they can query and script
• Self-hosters running a personal or team wiki from one container
• Developers keeping documentation in the same git repository as their code

Tolaria

• People who want notes kept as plain Markdown files on their own disk
• Developers comfortable using Git for history and sync
• Users of CLI coding agents who want them to work on their notes

SilverBullet

• Using the Desktop app at work requires Pro at $50 per user per year; only personal and education use is free.
• Desktop is not open source. The FAQ says only SilverBullet Server is, with the same editor and Space Lua in both.
• There is no app-store mobile app: phones open the Server in a browser and can install it as a PWA.
• The features page marks live sync, the Mention Inbox and the object graph as experimental.

Tolaria

• Desktop only: no mobile or web app is offered, and the docs call Windows and Linux support early, with macOS as the primary target.
• There is no sync service of its own; syncing between devices means connecting a Git remote and relying on your system's Git authentication.
• Coding agents are installed separately and keep their own sign-in, and hosted model providers need your own API key.
• A spreadsheet note holds a single sheet; several tabs inside one note are not supported.

SilverBullet

Live Preview Markdown editor

Plain Markdown is rendered as you type, including links, tasks, tables, code and widgets. Outlining, templates, slash commands, a daily journal and an optional Vim mode are included.

Wiki links and Linked Mentions

Double-bracket links connect pages, headings or positions, every page lists where it is mentioned, and a page or section can be embedded inside another.

Live queries

Notes can be queried like a database from inside a page, for example open tasks across projects or every page with a tag, and the results update as notes change.

Space Lua scripting

A Lua dialect built into the notes adds commands, widgets and automations with no build step, and CSS written in a page restyles the interface.

Server for browsers and teams

The Server runs as one container or a single binary and is used from any browser, with accounts and roles, comments, @-mentions, single sign-on and read-only publishing.

Desktop app with sync

Desktop opens any local folder as a space, binds system-wide shortcuts to commands, and syncs both ways with your own or a hosted SilverBullet Server.

Tolaria

Plain Markdown vaults

A vault is a folder of Markdown files with YAML frontmatter. Attachments, type definitions and saved views are files too, and there is no database.

Block editor with wikilinks

A block-based editor with slash commands, wikilink autocomplete, a raw Markdown mode, whiteboards and media previews that saves to Markdown.

Types and relationships

Notes are grouped by a type field rather than by folder, and frontmatter fields holding wikilinks become relationships with computed inverses and backlinks.

Built-in Git client

Review diffs, commit, pull, push and resolve conflicts inside the app, with history for the whole vault and for each note. Sync runs through any Git remote.

Coding agents and direct models

The AI panel runs local CLI agents such as Claude Code and Codex with tools to edit the vault, or chats with Ollama, LM Studio, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or OpenRouter models.

Spreadsheet notes

A note can open as a single-sheet spreadsheet with formulas, stored as CSV-like text in the same Markdown file so it stays readable and diffable in Git.

SilverBullet

• Server$0

  The MIT-licensed server for any number of users, at home or at work, run on your own hardware and used from a browser.

• Desktop Personal$0

  The desktop app for personal use and education, with unlimited spaces and sync with any SilverBullet Server.

• Desktop Pro$50

  per user / year

  Needed for work use. Adds Meta Space, the Edge release channel of nightly builds, and bulk seats that can be assigned to a team.

• Cloud$2

  per month and up, billed by PikaPods

  SilverBullet Server hosted by PikaPods, an independent host, with one-click deployment and starting credit at sign-up.

Tolaria

• Free$0

  The full desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, including the Git client, the AI panel and the MCP server.

SilverBullet

• Education

  Desktop is free for use in education

  SilverBullet Desktop is free for personal use and for use in education. Only work use needs the Pro license at $50 per user per year.

Tolaria

No public discounts listed.