# SilverBullet

> Scriptable Markdown knowledge base, self-hosted or on desktop

SilverBullet is a Markdown knowledge management system created by Zef Hemel that keeps notes as plain files in a folder you control. Pages link to one another, can be queried like a database, and can be extended with Space Lua, a scripting language built into the notes. It runs as a free, open-source server used from any browser, or as a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that is free for personal use and paid for work.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Zef Hemel (since 2022)
- **Website:** https://silverbullet.md
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

SilverBullet has a free plan. Paid plans start at $50 per user / year (Desktop Pro, required for work use).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** SilverBullet Server is free and open source for any number of users. Desktop Personal is free for personal use and education, with unlimited spaces and sync with any Server.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://silverbullet.md/pricing on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SilverBullet before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Desktop is free for use in education** (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. Source: https://silverbullet.md/pricing

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Git, Docker, PikaPods

**Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable, Works offline, Notes, Markdown, Linked notes, Wiki

## Alternatives

- [Obsidian](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obsidian): Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/obsidian-vs-silverbullet)
- [Logseq](https://toolgpa.com/tools/logseq): Open-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/logseq-vs-silverbullet)
- [Trilium Notes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/trilium-notes): Free, open-source hierarchical notes for a personal knowledge base. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/silverbullet-vs-trilium-notes)
- [TiddlyWiki](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tiddlywiki): Open-source personal wiki kept in a single HTML file. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/silverbullet-vs-tiddlywiki)
- [SiYuan](https://toolgpa.com/tools/siyuan): Open-source, local-first notes built on linked content blocks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/silverbullet-vs-siyuan)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://silverbullet.md/
- https://silverbullet.md/pricing
- https://silverbullet.md/desktop
- https://silverbullet.md/server
- https://silverbullet.md/hosting
- https://silverbullet.md/features
- https://silverbullet.md/faq
- https://silverbullet.md/refund
- https://silverbullet.md/about

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/silverbullet
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).