OpenKnowledge vs Scratch

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

OpenKnowledge

GPL-3.0

AI-native, local-first markdown editor and LLM wiki with built-in integrations for Claude, Codex, and other agents.

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Scratch

MIT

Scratch is a minimalist, offline-first markdown note-taking app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Plain text files, keyboard-driven, with no cloud lock-in or account required.

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Side-by-side comparison

	OpenKnowledge	Scratch
License	GPL-3.0	MIT
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	4,309	1,580
Forks	285	153
Open Issues	48	81
Last Commit	Sep 24, 2026	Jul 28, 2026
First Released	Jun 3, 2026	Jan 31, 2026
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools
Tags	#markdown #notes #ai #second-brain #agents	#markdown #note taking #offline #cross-platform #desktop-app

GitHub stars over time

OpenKnowledge4,309

Scratch

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