Dnote vs Polynote
Dnote
getdnote.comPolynote
polynote.orgSide by side
| Figure | Dnote | Polynote |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Notebook Software | 8.2 (#11) | 7.4 (#20) |
| Platforms | The CLI has prebuilt binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows, and the site also lists FreeBSD binaries. | Polynote is currently tested on Linux and macOS, using Chrome as the client; Windows support is limited to reports of success on Windows Subsystem for Linux. |
| 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 installation documentation warns that Polynote allows arbitrary remote code execution and says running it on an internet-accessible computer is unsafe. |
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.
Polynote
Polynote is free, open-source notebook software with first-class Scala support. One notebook can mix Scala, Python, SQL, and Vega while sharing data between languages. Its immutable data model and ordered cell semantics support reproducible work. Editing includes autocomplete, error highlighting, rich text, and LaTeX equations. The interface tracks kernel tasks and highlights the statement currently running. A plot editor and Vega support handle visualization. Polynote integrates with Apache Spark for Scala and Python; Python runs through Jep in the JVM and can share data with Scala. The software is a JVM-based server that serves a web client and is distributed for self-hosting on Linux, macOS, and other listed environments. It supports Jupyter .ipynb and Zeppelin .json formats. Runtime documentation reports successful testing with Java 8 and Java 11 and requires Python 3 with pip. Installation warns that arbitrary remote code execution makes internet-accessible deployment unsafe.