Rowboat vs Scratch

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

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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Scratch

MIT

A minimalist, offline-first markdown note-taking app for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

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Side-by-side comparison

	Rowboat	Scratch
License	Apache-2.0	MIT
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	15,654	1,490
Forks	1,558	131
Open Issues	103	64
Last Commit	Jul 8, 2026	May 5, 2026
First Released	Jan 13, 2025	Jan 31, 2026
Categories	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools Automation Tools AI Coding Agents	Note Taking & Knowledge Management Tools
Tags	#ai #ai agent #desktop-app	#markdown #note taking #offline #cross-platform #desktop-app

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