HelixNotes vs balu

HelixNotes is a private, open-source Markdown notes app. Your notes remain standard Markdown files under your control. No account is required, and HelixNotes has no company-operated cloud. Write with a clean visual editor or switch to source mode when you want direct access to the Markdown. Organize your work with notebooks, tags, wiki links and full-text search. Features include: • Tasks collected from checklists across your notes • List and calendar views with priorities and due dates • Wiki links and an interactive graph view • Daily notes with a built-in calendar • Markdown tables, code blocks and syntax highlighting • KaTeX mathematical notation and Mermaid diagrams • Outline navigation and tag autocomplete • Version history and automatic backups • Light, dark and customizable themes • Optional WebDAV sync with your own server • Optional AI tools using your own provider Nothing leaves your device unless you enable a feature that connects to an external service. Your notes stay readable outside HelixNotes, without a proprietary format or platform lock-in. HelixNotes is free software released under the GNU AGPLv3. Its source code is publicly available on GitLab.

balu is a calm, fast todo app with one big difference: your tasks live on a server you choose and run. Perfect for your homelab: one docker-compose, no account with us, no cloud subscription, no vendor lock-in - just open-source software and your own data. PLAN LIKE YOU THINK • Start dates and deadlines are separate: decide when to begin, independent of when something is due • Today with a This Evening section, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday and a Logbook • Projects with sections, labels, priorities and repeating tasks CAPTURE AT THE SPEED OF THOUGHT • Quick add understands natural language in English and German: "call Sam friday 5pm" or "Wäsche waschen jeden zweiten Dienstag" • Live token highlighting shows what balu understood while you type WORKS OFFLINE, REALLY • A full copy of your tasks lives on your device • Add, edit and complete in airplane mode; everything syncs when you're back SHARE WITH YOUR PEOPLE • Workspaces with roles, from full editor down to read-only • Assign tasks, discuss them in comments, see everything assigned to you REMINDERS YOUR WAY • Local notifications on your device • Optional nudges through ntfy, email or Telegram from your own server SELF-HOSTED & OPEN SOURCE • MIT-licensed, deployed with a single docker-compose on your hardware • The app connects to the server URL you enter - nothing else balu requires a self-hosted balu server. Set one up in minutes: https://blaumedia.com/balu