Trilium Notes
FreePowerful self-hosted hierarchical knowledge base
About Trilium Notes
Trilium Notes is an open-source hierarchical personal knowledge base application with feature depth that competes with commercial note-taking tools. With 28,000+ GitHub stars since its 2017 founding, it has developed a dedicated following among power users who need structured, interlinked knowledge management. Notes are organized in a tree hierarchy, but each note can appear in multiple locations via cloning, providing both structure and flexibility. The WYSIWYG rich text editor supports text formatting, code blocks with syntax highlighting across dozens of languages, Mermaid diagrams for flowcharts and sequence diagrams, and LaTeX math equations. Relation maps visualize connections between notes as interactive node graphs, enabling knowledge graphing comparable to Obsidian but with a hierarchical structure as the foundation. Full-text search with filters and saved search notes powers knowledge retrieval at scale. A browser extension enables web clipping for research workflows. Individual notes can be protected with passwords using end-to-end encryption for sensitive content. Trilium runs as both an Electron desktop application with no server required and as a self-hosted server accessible via browser. Server mode enables access from any device on the network. A REST API enables scripting and automation. The project has historically been maintained by a primary developer, raising succession concerns that newer contributors are working to address. For researchers and knowledge workers who need deep hierarchical organization with rich content support, Trilium is the most capable self-hosted option available.
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Free
- Self-hosted or desktop
- All features included
- Unlimited notes
- REST API access
Pros
- Powerful hierarchical organization
- Relation maps for knowledge graphing
- Desktop and server modes
- Code block syntax highlighting
- Excellent search
- Web clipper for research
Cons
- UI looks dated compared to modern note apps
- Mobile experience via browser is limited
- Single developer project
- Learning curve for power features
- No native mobile app
Best For
- Researchers and knowledge workers building complex interlinked note hierarchies
- Developers wanting a self-hosted knowledge base with code block support
- Privacy-focused users who want Evernote-level features without the cloud
Not Ideal For
- Users wanting a modern polished mobile note-taking experience
- Teams needing real-time collaborative editing
Potential Deal Breakers
- Single developer project raises long-term maintenance concerns
- No native mobile app — only browser-based access on mobile
- UI aesthetics lag behind Notion and Obsidian significantly
Data & Privacy
Self-hosted knowledge base. All notes, attachments, and relation data stay on your server or local device. No telemetry, no cloud dependency. Encrypted note option for sensitive content.
Who Is This For?
Hands-on tested 2026-05
Signup Experience
Self-hosted via Docker or desktop app — no account needed. First launch imports a demo database to explore features. Setup is quick for both self-hosted and desktop modes.
For Home Users
Best self-hosted option for hierarchical personal knowledge bases. Tree structure and clone notes are powerful for complex note organization. Steeper learning curve than Obsidian.
For Business Users
Strong for individuals and small teams needing structured knowledge management without cloud dependency. Not suited for large teams due to limited collaboration features.
Our Verdict
Trilium has the deepest feature set of any self-hosted note-taking tool. The hierarchical structure and relation maps are genuinely powerful for knowledge management. The UI is functional rather than beautiful but the capabilities are unmatched in the self-hosted space.