Alternatives
Nodum compared with 18 other note apps
Nodum is a free, open-source, browser-based knowledge base, and it is a credible alternative to Obsidian, Notion, Roam, Evernote, Logseq and the rest of this category — for some people. These pages say which people, and are equally clear about who should stay where they are.
How to read these pages
Comparison pages are usually adverts with a table in them. These try not to be. Every page opens with what the other tool is, fairly described, and then commits to four things: a list of what it does better than Nodum, a list of what Nodum does better, who should switch, and who should stay exactly where they are.
The facts table on each page sticks to structural claims — licence, hosting model, storage format, link syntax, graph, pricing model, platforms and export path. Those are checkable and they do not rot the way a price does. Where a number would go stale in a month, you get the shape instead.
Open-source tools
Where the argument is about model and architecture rather than licence — because everything here, Nodum included, publishes its source.
- Nodum vs LogseqNodum and Logseq are both open source and both link notes. Nodum is a document editor in the browser; Logseq is a local-first outliner. Here is the honest split.AGPL-3.0
- Nodum vs JoplinJoplin and Nodum are both open source and both markdown. Joplin is notebooks and sync targets; Nodum is linked notes, backlinks and a browser-native graph.AGPL-3.0
- Nodum vs AnytypeAnytype is local-first objects and relations under a source-available licence. Nodum is MIT-licensed markdown files with wikilinks, backlinks and a graph.Source-available for most of its history, with a stated move toward a fully open licence
- Nodum vs Trilium NotesTrilium is a self-hosted hierarchical knowledge base with scripting. Nodum is self-hosted markdown with [[wikilinks]], backlinks and a GPU knowledge graph.AGPL-3.0
- Nodum vs AFFiNEAFFiNE pairs docs with an infinite canvas. Nodum is markdown notes, wikilinks, backlinks and a knowledge graph — MIT licensed and self-hostable.MIT
- Nodum vs AppFlowyAppFlowy is the open-source Notion clone — pages and databases. Nodum is open-source linked markdown with backlinks and a knowledge graph, in the browser.AGPL-3.0
- Nodum vs SilverBulletBoth are self-hosted, browser-based markdown PKMs. SilverBullet is Lua-scriptable and minimal; Nodum adds a GPU graph, collaboration and publishing.MIT
Proprietary tools
Good software, closed source. The comparison is usually about what happens to your notes if the company changes its mind.
- Nodum vs ObsidianNodum is a free, MIT-licensed Obsidian alternative for the web: same [[wikilinks]], same backlinks, same graph — no install, and you can read the source.Proprietary
- Nodum vs NotionNodum is a free, open-source Notion alternative built on plain markdown, [[wikilinks]] and a knowledge graph — self-hostable, exportable, no per-seat pricing.Proprietary
- Nodum vs EvernoteLeaving Evernote? Nodum is free and open source, stores plain markdown, links notes with [[wikilinks]], and has a web clipper of its own. Self-hostable.Proprietary
- Nodum vs Roam ResearchRoam made bidirectional linking mainstream and charges for it. Nodum is open source, free, self-hostable, and keeps your notes as plain markdown files.Proprietary
- Nodum vs Obsidian PublishPublish a vault as a public site without a per-site subscription. Nodum has note links and whole-vault sites built in, MIT licensed and self-hostable.Proprietary
- Nodum vs Microsoft OneNoteOneNote is a freeform canvas tied to Microsoft accounts. Nodum is open-source, markdown-based linked notes with backlinks and a graph, self-hostable.Proprietary
- Nodum vs Apple NotesApple Notes is free and excellent — on Apple devices. Nodum is open-source linked markdown notes in any browser, with backlinks, a graph and real export.Proprietary
- Nodum vs RemNoteRemNote pairs an outliner with spaced repetition. Nodum is open-source markdown notes with wikilinks, backlinks and a knowledge graph — no subscription.Proprietary
- Nodum vs TanaTana is supertags and structured outlining in the cloud. Nodum is open-source markdown, wikilinks, backlinks and a knowledge graph you can self-host.Proprietary
- Nodum vs CapacitiesCapacities organises notes as typed objects in the cloud. Nodum is open-source markdown with wikilinks, backlinks and a knowledge graph, self-hostable.Proprietary
- Nodum vs HeptabaseHeptabase is whiteboard-first visual sensemaking. Nodum is open-source markdown notes with wikilinks, backlinks and a force-directed knowledge graph.Proprietary
Questions people ask
What is the best open-source alternative to Obsidian?
Logseq if you want a local-first outliner with block references, and Nodum if you want a browser-based document editor with the same wikilink syntax, automatic backlinks and a knowledge graph. Nodum is MIT licensed across frontend and backend, imports and exports Obsidian vaults as zips, and self-hosts with one Docker Compose command.
How do these comparisons decide what is better?
They do not declare a winner. Each page lists what the other tool does better, what Nodum does better, who should switch and who should not, plus a structural facts table covering licence, storage format, link syntax, graph, pricing model and export path. Facts were last checked in August 2026.
Can I import my notes from these apps into Nodum?
From anything that exports markdown, yes — Obsidian, Logseq, Notion, Joplin, Roam and most others. Zip the exported folder and import it from Settings → Vault → Import; Nodum resolves wikilinks across the whole batch. Evernote and OneNote need a conversion step first, which the relevant pages describe.
Or start from the problem, not the product
Try it against your own vault.
Import a zip, look at the graph, export it again. The whole evaluation takes ten minutes and costs nothing.