Top Free Alternatives to Roam Research
Stop paying expensive subscriptions for Notetaking tools. Discover the best free and open-source replacements for Roam Research.
Why switch from Roam Research?
Roam Research is a proprietary service with licensing limits and pricing models that scale with usage or user counts. Switching to an open-source alternative lets you self-host, secure your business data, and avoid licensing taxes.
Athens Research
Free / Open Source
Knowledge graph for research and notetaking
Key Features
- 100% data control
- Self-hostable
- No vendor lock-in
- Community-driven
Pros
- + Ownership of your data
- + Flexible and customisable
- + Cost-effective
Cons
- - Requires server setup
- - Smaller commercial support
Dendron
Free / Open Source
Knowledge base plugin for VS Code
Key Features
- 100% data control
- Self-hostable
- No vendor lock-in
- Community-driven
Pros
- + Ownership of your data
- + Flexible and customisable
- + Cost-effective
Cons
- - Requires server setup
- - Smaller commercial support
Joplin
Free / Open Source
Secure, Cross-platform, Open-Source Markdown Note Taking App
Key Features
- 100% data control
- Self-hostable
- No vendor lock-in
- Community-driven
Pros
- + Ownership of your data
- + Flexible and customisable
- + Cost-effective
Cons
- - Requires server setup
- - Smaller commercial support
Logseq
Free / Open Source
Knowledge base manager
Key Features
- 100% data control
- Self-hostable
- No vendor lock-in
- Community-driven
Pros
- + Ownership of your data
- + Flexible and customisable
- + Cost-effective
Cons
- - Requires server setup
- - Smaller commercial support
Notabase
Free / Open Source
Powerful and easy-to-use note-taking app for networked thinking
Key Features
- 100% data control
- Self-hostable
- No vendor lock-in
- Community-driven
Pros
- + Ownership of your data
- + Flexible and customisable
- + Cost-effective
Cons
- - Requires server setup
- - Smaller commercial support