Self-hosted alternatives to Roam Research
Want networked notes with backlinks without handing your data to Roam Research? These 24 self-hosted apps run on your own server (most are open source; licenses are listed below). Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $3.5/month.
About Roam Research: Networked note-taking app with bidirectional links.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memos | Active | 64.3k | MIT | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| Joplin | Active | 57k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| SiYuan | Active | 47.1k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| TriliumNext Notes | Active | 38.7k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Docs | Active | 17k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Blinko | Active | 11.2k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| HedgeDoc | Active | 7.5k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Standard Notes | Active | 6.7k | GPL-3.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| SilverBullet | Active | 6.5k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| flatnotes | Active | 3.3k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| NoteDiscovery | Active | 2.9k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Jotty | Active | 2k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Atomic Server | Active | 1.6k | MIT | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| bewCloud | Active | 1.2k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| Many Notes | Active | 1.1k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Note Mark | Active | 774 | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Plainpad | Active | 452 | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| plumio | Active | 142 | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| LibreKB | Active | 63 | GPL-3.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Neverkin | Active | 22 | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| memEx | Active | 2 | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Writing | Stale | 1.1k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Turtl | Unknown | – | GPL-3.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Wiznote | Unknown | – | ⊘ Proprietary | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
The options in detail
1. Memos
Knowledge base that works with a SQLite db file.
Active Last commit 2026-11-05. Latest release 26.11.0 (2026-11-01). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
2. Joplin
Note taking application with markdown editor and encryption support for mobile and desktop platforms. Runs client-side and syncs through your own Nextcloud instance or similar (alternative to Evernote).
Active Last commit 2026-11-05. Latest release v3.7.22 (2026-10-28). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
3. SiYuan
Privacy-first personal knowledge management software, written in typescript and golang.
Active Last commit 2026-10-29. Latest release v3.8.10-alpha.5 (2026-11-03). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
4. TriliumNext Notes
Cross-platform hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases (fork of Trilium Notes).
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v0.106.1 (2026-10-23). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
5. Docs
Collaborative note taking, wiki and documentation platform that scales.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v6.0.4 (2026-10-26). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
6. Blinko
Personal note tool with AI features.
Active Last commit 2026-11-05. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release 1.8.8 (2026-06-20). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
7. HedgeDoc
Realtime collaborative markdown notes on all platforms, formerly known as CodiMD and HackMD CE.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release 1.12.2 (2026-11-04). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
8. Standard Notes
Simple and private notes app. Protect your privacy while getting more done. That's Standard Notes.
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. Latest release @standardnotes/mobile@3.203.0 (2026-11-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
9. SilverBullet
Note-taking application optimized for people with a hacker mindset.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release 2.12.1 (2026-10-12). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
10. flatnotes
Database-less note-taking web app that utilises a flat folder of markdown files for storage.
Active Last commit 2026-08-29. 1 release in the past year. Latest release v5.5.5 (2026-08-29). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
11. NoteDiscovery
Markdown note-taking app with plain-file storage, graph view, and MCP integration (alternative to Obsidian, Notion).
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v0.34.0 (2026-11-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
12. Jotty
Lightweight but powerful alternative for managing your personal, file based, notes and checklists.
Active Last commit 2026-10-25. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release 1.29.2 (2026-10-25). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
13. Atomic Server
Knowledge graph database with documents (similar to Notion), tables, search, and a powerful linked data API. Lightweight, very fast and no runtime dependencies.
Active Last commit 2026-11-05. Latest release v0.41.0-beta.8 (2026-10-15). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
14. bewCloud
File sharing + sync, notes, and photos (alternative to Nextcloud and ownCloud's RSS reader).
Active Last commit 2026-10-18. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v4.21.0 (2026-10-18). Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
15. Many Notes
Markdown note-taking web application designed for simplicity.
Active Last commit 2026-10-22. 9 releases in the past year. Latest release v0.18.1 (2026-10-22). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
16. Note Mark
Minimal web-based Markdown notes app.
Active Last commit 2026-10-02. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v1.1.1 (2026-10-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
17. Plainpad
Modern note taking application for the cloud, utilizing the best features of progressive web apps technology.
Active Last commit 2026-10-26. 6 releases in the past year. Latest release 1.2.0 (2026-10-26). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
18. plumio
Markdown notes taking app with live preview, document encryption, multi-user support, multi-organization capabilities and more.
Active Last commit 2026-11-03. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v2.11.0 (2026-08-11). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
19. LibreKB
Web-based knowledge base solution. A simple web app, it runs on pretty much any web server or hosting provider with PHP and MySQL.
Active Last commit 2026-10-30. Latest release v2.3.3 (2026-10-30). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM incl. mysql. How to run it →
20. Neverkin
Collaborative writing, worldbuilding and D&D-session-planning app. Tools for organizing your notes and stories.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v2.69.0 (2026-11-03). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
21. memEx
Structured personal knowledge base, inspired by zettlekasten and org-mode.
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
22. Writing
Lightweight distraction-free text editor, in the browser (Markdown and LaTeX supported). No lag when writing.
Stale Last commit 2022-08-10. Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
23. Turtl
Totally private personal database and note taking app.
Unknown Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
24. Wiznote
Manage your knowledge in documents with folders, markdown, full text search and webpage collection support.
Unknown Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Roam Research?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
Browse related categories
Other alternatives guides
Roam Research is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.