Files.md vs HelixNotes

Comparing two open source alternatives to Notion and Obsidian and Evernote. Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

Files.md

MIT

A simple local-first note-taking app for your plain .md files with Telegram bot access.

Visit Full details

HelixNotes

AGPL-3.0

A fast, privacy-first local markdown note-taking app built with Tauri and SvelteKit. Your notes stay as plain .md files on your device.

Visit Full details

Side-by-side comparison

	Files.md	HelixNotes
License	MIT	AGPL-3.0
Self-hostable	Yes	No
GitHub Stars	4,155	155
Forks	218	15
Open Issues	10	57
Last Commit	Sep 2, 2026	Jul 23, 2026
First Released	May 23, 2023	Feb 9, 2026
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools
Tags	#markdown #notes #local-first #pwa #wiki	#markdown #notes #knowledge-management #productivity #privacy

GitHub stars over time

Files.md4,155

HelixNotes

Similar open source alternatives

AppFlowy

Open source Notion alternative that brings projects, wikis, and teams together with AI while keeping you in control of your data.

Alternative to:

Notion

Jotty

Lightweight self-hosted app for managing personal file-based notes and checklists.

Alternative to:

Notion

Outline

The fastest growing-team knowledge base — beautiful, realtime collaborative, feature packed, and markdown compatible Notion and Confluence alternative.

Alternative to:

Notion

memos

Privacy-first, self-hosted note-taking platform with markdown support, tagging, and built-in AI — a lightweight alternative to Notion and Obsidian.

Alternative to:

Obsidian

AFFiNE

Open-source knowledge base combining note-taking, whiteboard, and project planning in one workspace.

Alternative to:

Notion

SilverBullet

Markdown-based note-taking app with powerful live queries, templates, and a pluggable scripting system for power users.

Alternative to:

Notion