Alternatives to Roam Research
The networked-thought pioneer
Roam Research ranks #20 of 22 in Personal knowledge management, with an Alt Score of 61. It is proprietary, sold by subscription and available on Web, iOS, Android and macOS. 10 of 14 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Researchers, writers, and knowledge workers who take large volumes of interconnected notes and want to see and build relationships between ideas over time, rather than filing notes into rigid folders.
An outliner where every note is a block that can be nested, tagged, and linked to any other block or page. Bidirectional links and tags automatically surface backlinks, so related notes reference each other without manual upkeep. A daily notes page opens automatically each day as a low-friction entry point for capture. A graph overview visualizes how pages and blocks connect across the whole notebase.
You write in the daily notes page by default, breaking thoughts into short outline blocks, and link concepts using [[page]] or #tag syntax as you go. Roam indexes those links automatically, so any page you reference accumulates a 'linked references' list of everything that mentions it, letting connections emerge from writing rather than upfront organization.
Where Roam Research stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Roam Research
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How Roam Research compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Personal knowledge management checklist | Roam Research | Craft | Heptabase | AppFlowy | Trilium Notes | Logseq |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Block-based editing | ||||||
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| Real-time collaboration | ||||||
| Web clipper | ||||||
| Sync between devices (native) | ||||||
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| Daily notes | ||||||
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| Version history |
Every fact and feature listed for Roam Research is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Status active verified 2026-07-12
Updated on Apr 16, 2026
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.roamresearch.relemma&hl=en_US -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-12
© 2017 Roam Research, Inc.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Pricing model Subscription verified 2026-07-12
Believer subscriber
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Platforms Web, iOS, Android, macOS verified 2026-07-12
Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Markdown support Partial verified 2026-07-12
Pasting a URL over selected text now creates a Markdown link (like the web app).
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Block-based editing Yes verified 2026-07-12
Fixed bug with checking todos inside of a block ref
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Backlinks / graph view Yes verified 2026-07-12
References view will now by default show blocks open which contain only a reference (like the web)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Databases & tables Partial verified 2026-07-12
{{query}} {{table}}
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Templates Yes verified 2026-07-12
Added template (;;), attribute (::) and tag (#) auto completes
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Real-time collaboration Yes verified 2026-07-12
Collaborate with others in real time, or store all your data locally.
https://roamresearch.com/#/app/help -
Sync between devices (native) Yes verified 2026-07-12
Fix syncing issues when editing a graph on mobile and the web app at the same time
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Local-first storage Partial verified 2026-07-12
Collaborate with others in real time, or store all your data locally.
https://roamresearch.com/#/app/help -
Daily notes Yes verified 2026-07-12
Display page shortcuts in sidebar accessible from daily notes page
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273 -
Task management built in Partial verified 2026-07-12
Fixed bug with checking todos inside of a block ref
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273
FAQ
Yes. Craft, Trilium Notes and Logseq have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
AppFlowy, Trilium Notes and Logseq — every license claim links its source.