Dnote vs Hex
Dnote
getdnote.comHex
hex.techSide by side
| Figure | Dnote | Hex |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $36/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Notebook Software | 8.2 (#11) | 8.2 (#12) |
| Integrations | The API can be accessed from any HTTP client, and the CLI can accept piped input from standard input. | Hex connects to data warehouses, local files including TXT, CSV, JSON, Parquet, Avro, and XLSX, metadata and semantic-layer tools, catalogs, machine-learning tools, and workflow orchestrators. |
| Security | Dnote's end-to-end encryption feature was removed; the maker says the removal restored full-text search on the web, embedded notes in emails, and password recovery. | The Trust Center lists SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, CCPA, EU-US DPF, Swiss-US DPF, and UK-US DPF badges. |
| Support | The maker's documentation links to GitHub for the project and documentation feedback. | The pricing comparison lists email support on Community and Professional, priority SLA support options on Team, and Enterprise SLA support options including Slack and Microsoft Teams where offered. |
Plans
In their own words
Dnote
Dnote is a free, open-source terminal notebook for storing commands, snippets, and insights, then locating them with full-text search. It runs locally on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with an API platform option and self-hosted deployment. Notes live in books; Dnote creates a book automatically when its first note is added. Editing uses the text editor configured on your system, whether terminal-based or graphical. The command-line client stores data in SQLite and follows the XDG Base Directory convention for configuration and data paths. You can optionally run a self-hosted server to synchronize notes between devices. That server exposes a REST API for notes and books, reachable from any HTTP client, while the CLI accepts standard-input piping. Deployment options include Docker Compose, Docker, or a standalone binary. The web note-taking interface was removed, and end-to-end encryption was removed according to the maker.
Hex
Hex is a hosted data platform for exploring data, asking questions, and building data applications through notebooks and conversational self-service. It supports SQL, Python, and R, with real-time collaboration and version history. Users can connect data warehouses and local TXT, CSV, JSON, Parquet, Avro, and XLSX files, as well as metadata, semantic-layer, catalog, machine-learning, and workflow tools. Airflow, Dagster, and dbt integrations can trigger analytical flows and app runs from data pipelines. Hex says its agent grounds answers in organizational context and can connect with Claude, Codex, Cursor, Slack, MCP, a CLI, APIs, or custom agents. Users can build apps from prompts, with code underneath and controls for the finished app. Context Studio and Evals provide visibility into topics, trends, and warnings about answer quality. Community is free; Professional costs $36 a month per Editor, and Team costs $75 a month per Editor. Community and Professional allow up to five published apps, while Team and Enterprise allow unlimited published apps. A 14-day trial is listed.