Notion vs NoteDiscovery
NoteDiscovery is a focused, self-hosted Markdown knowledge base rather than a feature-complete Notion replacement. Choose it for personally managed or small-team notes when source availability, simple files, and infrastructure control matter. Choose Notion when the workspace must also provide documented project tracking, enterprise search across connected applications, calendar functions, meeting-note automation, or5
Decision guide
The practical reasons to choose either option, based on documented capabilities.
Choose NoteDiscovery if
- Individuals maintaining a self-hosted personal wiki or second brain
- Developers who prefer Markdown files and folder-based storage
- Small teams able to operate a private knowledge base on their own infrastructure or through PikaPods<|DELIM_VELC|>users who need a knowledge base on a local network or air-gapped environment<|DELIM_VELC|>workflows that_f
Stay with Notion if
- Project planning and delivery tracking must be built into the workspace
- Users need enterprise search across knowledge and connected applications
- Teams require a built-in calendar alongside documents and projects<|DELIM_VELC|>meetings require built-in AI note capture rather than reusable templates or an external MCP assistant<|DELIM_VELC|>organizations need custom
Deployment and operations
NoteDiscovery is MIT-licensed and can run from a prebuilt Docker image, Docker Compose, or source with Python 3.8+. Notes persist in a mounted data directory. Operators are responsible for hosting and maintenance: the project advises against direct internet exposure, recommends HTTPS through a reverse proxy, and calls for authentication changes, backups, dependency updates, plugin review, and suitable file permissions. Kubernetes support is not documented in the supplied material.
Migration considerations
Notes use plain Markdown files in ordinary folders. The project says an existing Obsidian vault can be placed directly into NoteDiscovery and that the same files remain usable in other Markdown editors. No Notion-specific importer, export mapping, or compatibility process is documented.
Feature fit
What NoteDiscovery covers
- Knowledge-base pages and notes
- Searchable written content
- Organization with folders and tags
- AI-assisted note search and editing
What’s different or missing
- No documented project tracking
- No documented enterprise connected-app search
- No documented AI meeting-note capture
- No documented custom task-routing agents
- No documented calendar module
- No documented broad application connections
Project snapshot
- GitHub stars
- 2,746
- Contributors
- 13
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last commit
- Aug 14, 2026
- Latest release
- Aug 14, 2026
Categories: Document Collaboration, Knowledge Management, AI Assistants, Project Management, Note Taking, File Sync & Storage, Calendars & Scheduling, Task Management, Digital Whiteboards
Sources and editorial review11 linked sources
Public documentation supports this comparison. Automation assists collection and classification; editorial standards and corrections remain the responsibility of Kris.
Your Self-Hosted Knowledge Base
readme · github.comWrite, organize, and discover your notes with a beautiful, modern interface—all running on your own server.
readme · github.comYour notes are saved in ./data/.
readme · github.comNoteDiscovery includes a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, letting AI assistants directly interact with your notes.
readme · github.comdocker run -d --name notediscovery ... ghcr.io/gamosoft/notediscovery:latest
readme · github.comNoteDiscovery is a lightweight, self-hosted note-taking application
readme · github.comNoteDiscovery is a **lightweight, self-hosted note-taking application** that puts you in complete control of your knowledge base.
verdict · github.comNoteDiscovery includes a built-in **Model Context Protocol (MCP)** server, letting AI assistants directly interact with your notes:
shared feature · github.comMIT License - Free to use, modify, and distribute.
deployment · github.com⚠️ **Do NOT expose directly to the internet** without additional security measures - Run behind a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy) with HTTPS for production use
deployment · github.comYes. Notes are plain Markdown files in normal folders. You can drop an existing Obsidian vault straight in, or open the same files in any other Markdown editor. There is no proprietary database to escape from.
migration · notediscovery.com
