Memos
Open source self-hosted note-taking
The Lens
By Erik Loyd, SaaS CEO and former COO/CFO of an AWS Premier Partner.
Updated Jun 2026
A self-hosted note-taking app that works like a private Twitter for your thoughts. If you want somewhere to quickly dump ideas, code snippets, links, and fleeting notes without the overhead of organizing them into folders or notebooks, Memos nails that workflow. Open it, type, hit enter. Done.
It supports markdown, tags, image uploads, and has a timeline-based interface that feels more like a social feed than a traditional notes app. There's a built-in API, so you can pipe notes in from scripts, shortcuts, or other tools. The whole thing runs as a single Go binary with SQLite by default. docker-compose up and you're live in 30 seconds.
The self-hosted version is completely free under MIT. A managed cloud version exists starting at $4.99/mo for basic use and $9.99/mo for premium features, but honestly the self-hosted version has everything.
The catch: it's not a replacement for structured note-taking. If you need hierarchy, backlinks, or knowledge graph features, this isn't it. That's Obsidian or Logseq territory. Memos is for capture, not organization. The search works but isn't great for finding things months later across thousands of notes. Also, but recent development velocity has slowed to near zero. Keep an eye on whether maintenance continues.
Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid
free self hosted paid cloudPricing Breakdown
Free (self-hosted):
- Full feature set: markdown notes, tags, image uploads, API access
- SQLite or Postgres backend
- Single Go binary or Docker deployment
- No user limits, no storage limits (beyond your server)
- MIT licensed. Do whatever you want with it
Cloud Basic ($4.99/mo):
- Managed hosting, no server to maintain
- Limited storage and features
Cloud Premium ($9.99/mo):
- More storage
- Priority support
- Premium features
Self-hosted ops:
- Docker:
docker run -p 5230:5230 -v ~/.memos/:/var/opt/memos neosmemo/memos:stable - That's literally the whole setup. SQLite embedded, no external database required
- RAM usage: ~30-50MB. Runs on a $5/mo VPS easily
- Backups: copy the SQLite file. Done.
Comparison to alternatives:
- Obsidian: Free (local), $4/mo for sync, $8/mo for publish. Much more powerful but different use case (structured knowledge base vs quick capture)
- Notion: Free for personal, $10/user/mo for teams. Feature-rich but not self-hostable
- Joplin: Free, open source, self-hostable. More traditional note structure with notebooks and folders
- Trilium: Free, self-hosted. Hierarchical notes with backlinks, closer to Obsidian than Memos
The math: Self-host on a $5/mo VPS (or free on hardware you already have) vs $5-10/mo for cloud. Self-hosting saves $60-120/yr and gives you full control. The cloud option exists for people who genuinely don't want to touch a server.
Self-host for free on Docker in 30 seconds. Cloud at $5-10/mo only if you refuse to run a container.
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