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-3.0

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

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Rowboat

Apache-2.0

Open-source desktop AI coworker with a living knowledge graph, built-in email, browser, meeting notes, and code mode.

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Side-by-side comparison

	HelixNotes	Rowboat
License	AGPL-3.0	Apache-2.0
Self-hostable	No	Yes
GitHub Stars	157	17,338
Forks	16	1,720
Open Issues	57	159
Last Commit	Jul 23, 2026	Aug 20, 2026
First Released	Feb 9, 2026	Jan 13, 2025
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools Automation Tools AI Coding Agents
Tags	#markdown #notes #knowledge-management #productivity #privacy	#ai #ai agent #desktop-app

GitHub stars over time

HelixNotes157

Rowboat

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