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Indie alternatives to Roam Research
5 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Roam Research does, 4 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.
At a glance
| Product | Price | Open source | Self-host | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacities | Free plan | – | – | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Logseq | Free plan | Yes | – | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Obsidian | Free plan | – | – | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Tana | Free plan | – | – | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Reflect | Paid | – | – | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS |
The alternatives
1. Capacities
Object-based notes app for building a personal knowledge base
Capacities organizes notes as typed objects such as people, books and ideas, linked together in a networked knowledge base with daily notes.
Free plan · Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗
2. Logseq
Open-source outliner for networked notes and journals
A privacy-first, open-source outliner that stores notes as local Markdown or Org files with backlinks, daily journals and graph view. For people building a personal knowledge base.
Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗
4. Tana
Outliner and knowledge graph with structured nodes and AI
A note-taking and knowledge-management tool that combines an outliner with structured data (supertags), queries and AI features. For people organizing notes, meetings and projects in one graph.
Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Website ↗
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Roam Research?
Yes. 4 of the 5 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: Capacities, Logseq, Obsidian and Tana.
Is there an open-source alternative to Roam Research?
Logseq is open source.
Which Roam Research alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?
On Linux: Capacities, Logseq and Obsidian. On Android: Capacities, Logseq, Obsidian and 1 more. On the web: Capacities, Tana and Reflect.
What makes these alternatives to Roam Research “indie”?
They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Roam Research.
Ask your AI instead
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