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Comparison · Collab

Trilium Notes vs Readwise

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Trilium Notes and Readwise — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Trilium Notes vs Readwise: at a glance

FeatureTrilium NotesReadwise
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score6.36.3
Sparks · 30d11
Top themesself-hosted, note-taking, block-editor, ai-agentsebook-store, reading-apps, pricing, mcp
Last editorial update3d ago3d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Trilium Notes?

Trilium 0.107 turns a text note into blocks you can embed, quote and link

Trilium 0.107 rebuilds the text editor around blocks: notes can embed other notes and edit them in place, quote live excerpts that sync back to the source, and link to a single paragraph. Tables gain merged cells and sorting, the AI chat now asks before any tool reads or changes a note, and a ChatGPT Codex subscription can replace an API key. The sync protocol moves from 39 to 41, so server and every client must update together.

Read the full Trilium Notes trajectory →

What is Readwise?

Readwise launches Books, its own ebook store and reading app, a week after unbundling.

Readwise now sells three products. A week after splitting Reader and Highlights into separate plans, it launched Readwise Books on October 30: an iOS and Android ebook store and reading app stocked by the major publishers, with reading sessions, following other readers, and Kindle and Goodreads imports. The same release added 13 Books tools to the Readwise MCP server, moved podcast transcripts onto the YouTube cleanup pipeline, and lets the Reader API set reading progress.

Read the full Readwise trajectory →

Trilium Notes vs Readwise: editorial side-by-side

T6.3

Trilium 0.107 turns a text note into blocks you can embed, quote and link

◆ Current state

Trilium 0.107 rebuilds the text editor around blocks: notes can embed other notes and edit them in place, quote live excerpts that sync back to the source, and link to a single paragraph. Tables gain merged cells and sorting, the AI chat now asks before any tool reads or changes a note, and a ChatGPT Codex subscription can replace an API key. The sync protocol moves from 39 to 41, so server and every client must update together.

◆ Where it's heading

After 0.105 made backups restorable and 0.106 rebuilt the kanban board, Trilium is now reworking its core unit, the text note, toward a block-based model with cross-note reuse. The AI layer is being made safe for a real database through approval prompts and cheaper through subscriptions rather than per-token keys.

◆ Prediction

Expect 0.107.x patches fixing block-editor and sync regressions, and the web clipper 1.2 release that was waiting on 0.107.

R
Readwise
COLLAB
6.3

Readwise launches Books, its own ebook store and reading app, a week after unbundling.

◆ Current state

Readwise now sells three products. A week after splitting Reader and Highlights into separate plans, it launched Readwise Books on October 30: an iOS and Android ebook store and reading app stocked by the major publishers, with reading sessions, following other readers, and Kindle and Goodreads imports. The same release added 13 Books tools to the Readwise MCP server, moved podcast transcripts onto the YouTube cleanup pipeline, and lets the Reader API set reading progress.

◆ Where it's heading

Readwise is moving from a layer on top of other people's reading apps to owning the purchase and the reading itself. The unbundle, the free Books app and the shared MCP server point to separate entry products that all feed the same account. Reader keeps its weekly cadence of TTS, transcript and parsing work underneath.

◆ Prediction

Expect weekly Books fixes and Kindle-import work, and a move from invite-only to open signup if the store holds up.

Alternatives to Trilium Notes and Readwise

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Trilium Notes or Readwise.

See all Trilium Notes alternatives → · See all Readwise alternatives →

Recent activity from Trilium Notes and Readwise

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 5d agoTrilium Notes0.107 turns text notes into editable blocks and gates AI tool calls ⚡
  2. 7d agoReadwisePhone text width, cross-device resume and GPT-6.1 BYOK models
  3. 14d agoReadwiseReadwise launches Books, an ebook store and reading app ⚡
  4. 21d agoTrilium Notes0.106.1 patches a pre-auth Node.js flaw in server images
  5. 21d agoReadwiseReadwise unbundles: Reader-only and Highlights-only plans
  6. 28d agoReadwiseReader fixes: Listen start point, mobile rendering, 3D Secure
  7. 1mo agoTrilium NotesWeb clipper 1.2 RC adds a preview card and PDF clipping
  8. 1mo agoReadwiseLifelike voices get steadier pacing as TTS stalls are fixed
  9. 1mo agoReadwiseLifelike TTS voices, reading themes and a faster Reader launch
  10. 1mo agoTrilium Notes0.106.0 rebuilds the kanban board for project tracking
  11. 2mo agoTrilium NotesBackups become restorable and the database becomes manageable ⚡
  12. 3mo agoTrilium NotesLLM providers become dynamic; OneNote import hardened

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Trilium Notes and Readwise?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Trilium Notes and Readwise are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Trilium Notes better than Readwise?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Trilium Notes and Readwise are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Trilium Notes?

Top Trilium Notes alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Trilium Notes alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/trilium for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Readwise?

Top Readwise alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Readwise alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/readwise for the full list with editorial commentary on each.