HelixNotes vs Rowboat
Comparing two open source alternatives to Obsidian and Notion . Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.
HelixNotes
AGPL-3.0A fast, privacy-first local markdown note-taking app built with Tauri and SvelteKit. Your notes stay as plain .md files on your device.
Rowboat
Apache-2.0Open-source desktop AI coworker with a living knowledge graph, built-in email, browser, meeting notes, and code mode.
Side-by-side comparison
| HelixNotes | Rowboat | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
| GitHub Stars | 143 | 15,654 |
| Forks | 13 | 1,558 |
| Open Issues | 53 | 103 |
| Last Commit | Jul 7, 2026 | Jul 8, 2026 |
| First Released | Feb 9, 2026 | Jan 13, 2025 |
| Categories | ||
| Tags |
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