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Trilium Notes

✓ Verified FOSSAGPL-3.0
Top open-source alternative to Roam Research / Evernote
⭐ 38,295 StarsOfficial Website ↗

Build your personal knowledge base with Trilium Notes

Tech StackJavaScript, Node.js, SQLite
Self-Host DifficultyEasy
License ModelAGPL-3.0
GitHub Repositoryzadam/trilium

Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing

Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)
Min RAM:1 GB
Rec RAM:2 GB
Compute:1 vCPU
Disk Space:10 GB SSD

Trilium Notes vs Roam Research / Evernote Comparison Matrix

Evaluation CriteriaTrilium Notes (Open Source)Roam Research / Evernote (Proprietary)
Performance at ScaleHandles 100,000+ notes via fast local SQLiteEvernote slows down after 5,000 notes
INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $98/user/mo

Financial Impact: Migrating from Roam Research / Evernote to Self-Hosted Trilium Notes

Detailed Stack Calculator →
5 Users (Early Startup)50 Users (Scaleup)200 Users (Enterprise Org)
Roam Research / Evernote (Cloud SaaS)Per-Seat Tax
$29,400per year ($2,450/mo)
3-Year Spend:$88,200

* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages

Trilium Notes (Self-Hosted)Zero Per-Seat Fee
$120per year ($10/mo Linux VPS)
3-Year Compute:$360

* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance

Cumulative 3-Year ROI+$87,840Net savings across 36 months (100% reduction)
Annual Free Cash:+$29,280/yr
Need C-Level Buy-In? Generate an instant ROI proposal memo to present to your CTO or CFO.
HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLES // SIDE-BY-SIDE AUDIT

Compare Trilium Notes Head-to-Head

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★ PRIMARY REPLACEMENTFOSS vs SaaS
Trilium Notes logo
Trilium Notesvs
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Roam Research / Evernote

Comprehensive benchmark comparing Trilium Notes against proprietary Roam Research / Evernote licensing and features.

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Core Capabilities & Features

✓Infinite hierarchical note tree organization
✓Full scriptability: execute custom JavaScript notes on schedule

Self-Host Trilium Notes with Docker Compose

Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:

1-Click Docker Compose Generator

Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.

Trilium NotesAGPL-3.0

Hierarchical note taking application with focus on building large personal knowledge bases

Difficulty: Easy38,295 ⭐
Configure Parameters
docker-compose.trilium.yml
version: '3'

services:
  trilium:
    image: zadam/trilium:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "${SERVER_PORT:-8080}:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./trilium-data:/home/node/trilium-data
$docker compose up -d

Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Trilium Notes

How do I self-host Trilium Notes using Docker Compose?

You can deploy Trilium Notes (zadam/trilium) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.

How does Trilium Notes compare to Roam Research / Evernote?

Trilium Notes is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Roam Research / Evernote built with JavaScript, Node.js, SQLite. Unlike Roam Research / Evernote ($15 / month ($180/year)), Trilium Notes has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.

What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Trilium Notes?

For production self-hosting (Easy difficulty tier), we recommend at least 2 GB RAM (minimum 1 GB), 1 vCPU, and 10 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean).

Is Trilium Notes free for commercial business use under the AGPL-3.0 license?

Yes. Distributed under the AGPL-3.0 license, Trilium Notes can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.

README INTEGRATION // REPO EMBED

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SIMILAR REPOSITORIES // PEER COMPARISON

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