Find your fit
Who it is for
Someone who wants a lightweight daily log can write one thought at a time, add a tag while writing, and return to an earlier date through the timeline or calendar.
A small group can contribute in a Space, but each person retains authorship. A Space is a shared browsing context rather than a jointly editable document.
A reader archiving research snippets or procedures can link related memos, search their text and save recurring filters. Test the absence of a separate title field against your own retrieval habits.
Anyone planning to publish or share a sensitive note should check its visibility and attachments. A share link is a separate anonymous access grant and can remain valid even when the instance is switched to private mode.
The work it supports
Core capabilities
Create a short, untitled memo from the global composer and browse it by time in the timeline or calendar. Write with directly editable Markdown, including code blocks, checklists and file attachments.
Type hashtags in memo text to group entries, including slash-separated subtopics. Search content and metadata within the current browsing scope; consistent opening lines and tags help when notes have no title field.
Save frequently used filters as Views, such as notes with a particular tag or property. A View shows live matches rather than storing another copy of each memo.
Link related notes with Relations to navigate both directions. Each linked memo keeps its own access setting, so a link does not reveal a private note to another reader.
Archive old material to clear the active timeline while retaining it for search and later restoration. Archive is not a substitute for a database backup.
Place memos in a Space for member browsing and contribution. Choose placement and visibility separately: assigning a memo to a Space does not automatically limit its audience to members.
Set each memo to author-only, signed-in, public or Space-member visibility as appropriate. A separate share link can expose one memo and attachments without sign-in; use an expiry or revoke the link when access should end.
Export your own memos and attachments as a ZIP of Markdown and JSON, then preview a Memos-format import on another instance. The export is unencrypted, misses other users and some instance state, and arbitrary Markdown is not a supported direct import.
For full recovery, back up the active database, any separate attachment storage and the deployment settings. Rehearse restoration with harmless notes because a personal export is not a complete instance backup.
Understand the offer
Pricing and getting started
Memos has no software subscription, seat fee or premium feature tier; its code is MIT-licensed. Hosting infrastructure and maintenance are separate costs.
Run it on infrastructure you control and choose SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL to fit the installation. Confirm where attachments actually live before estimating storage and recovery effort.
Look a little closer
Before you choose
Before adopting it, write a few sample memos with tags and attachments, find them through search and a View, then check that the timeline style suits the information you keep.
Test each visibility level with a harmless memo. In particular, check public access and a share link from a signed-out browser, then revoke the link; private instance mode does not revoke an existing token.
Export a sample, import it into a separate test account, check placement and audience, and restore a database/attachment backup. Keep the unencrypted export secure and do not assume it transfers users, settings or Space membership.
12 distinct sources behind this profile. Research observed Oct 27, 2026. Features and offers can change.
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