GNO vs QMD
Verdict: GNO offers more features (Web UI, REST API, RAG answers, multi-format support) while QMD focuses on markdown-only simplicity. Choose GNO for a complete knowledge platform, QMD for lightweight markdown search.
Both tools provide semantic search for local documents with AI-powered features. Here’s how they compare.
Get Started
# GNO
bun install -g @gmickel/gno
gno init ~/notes --name notes && gno index
# QMD
bun install -g qmd
qmd init && qmd index
Quick Summary
| Aspect | GNO | QMD |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Multi-format knowledge bases | Markdown-only collections |
| Unique strength | Web UI, REST API, RAG answers | Shopify founder’s tool |
| Language support | 30+ languages | English-focused |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GNO | QMD |
|---|---|---|
| File Formats | MD, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, TXT | Markdown only |
| Search Modes | BM25, Vector, Hybrid | BM25, Vector, Hybrid |
| Query Expansion | ✓ LLM-powered | ✓ LLM-powered |
| Reranking | ✓ Cross-encoder | ✓ Cross-encoder |
| HyDE | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Answers (RAG) | ✓ gno ask --answer |
✗ |
| Web UI | ✓ gno serve |
✗ |
| REST API | ✓ gno serve |
✗ |
| Languages | 30+ (auto-detect) | English-focused |
| MCP Install CLI | ✓ 10+ targets | ✗ Manual config |
| Skills | ✓ Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode | ✗ |
| Model Presets | slim/balanced/quality | Single config |
| Search Depth | fast/balanced/thorough | ✗ |
| Incremental Index | ✓ SHA-256 tracking | ✓ |
| Collection Contexts | ✓ Semantic hints | ✓ |
| Output Formats | JSON, CSV, MD, XML, files | JSON, CSV, MD, XML |
| Tab Completion | ✓ bash/zsh/fish | ✗ |
Key Differentiators
GNO Advantages
Multi-format support: Index PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations alongside Markdown. Your knowledge base isn’t limited to one format.
# Index everything in your Documents folder
gno init ~/Documents --name docs
gno index
Multilingual: Auto-detects 30+ languages. Search across notes in English, German, Japanese, and more without configuration.
Web UI & REST API: Visual dashboard for search, browsing, and AI answers. Full REST API for custom integrations.
gno serve # Open http://localhost:3000
MCP install CLI: One-command setup for 10+ targets. QMD requires manual config editing.
gno mcp install --target cursor
Skills: Native integration for Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode via CLI.
RAG answers with citations: Get AI-generated answers with source citations.
gno ask "what is our authentication strategy" --answer
HyDE query expansion: Generates hypothetical answers to improve semantic search quality.
QMD Advantages
- Created by Tobi Lütke (Shopify founder)
- Focused simplicity for markdown-only workflows
- Mature, stable codebase
When to Choose GNO
- You want a Web UI for visual search and browsing
- You need a REST API for custom integrations
- You have PDFs, Word docs, or Office files to search
- You need multilingual support
- You want RAG-style answers from your documents
- You want one-command MCP install for any editor
- You want Claude Code or Codex Skills integration
When to Choose QMD
- Your knowledge base is 100% Markdown
- You don’t need Web UI or REST API
- You prefer a more focused, single-purpose tool
Migration from QMD
If you’re currently using QMD and want to try GNO:
# Install GNO
bun install -g @gmickel/gno
# Initialize with your existing notes folder
gno init ~/your-notes --name notes
# Index (supports same markdown files QMD uses)
gno index
# Search
gno query "your search query"
GNO will index the same Markdown files QMD uses, plus any other document formats in the folder.