# Logseq 52 Hacker News commenters recommended Logseq and 28 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Recommended as a free, open-source, local outliner with block structure and powerful queries. Critics say development is slow and sync is paid and closed source. ## Why people recommend it - Local, open-source, plain-text Markdown files (4 comments): "It's open-source, really well designed, local, you can even self-host sync..." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897497)) "would like to migrate to Logseq for reasons of privacy and self-sovereignty" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47743891)) "Unfortunately my notes being in plain text is a non-negotiable for me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897055)) - Block structure for quick capture (3 comments): "Logseq’s block tree gives you “structure by default” (parent/child context), so you can get away with being a bit looser with explicit linking." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46834342)) "I find it pretty easy to dump information without too much work due to the block / indenting structure." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46830962)) "Its just so powerful, the infinite nesting and draggable indents and zooming" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46238979)) - Works across devices, offline (3 comments): "I can fire up my notes from literally anywhere, any device and see a consistent state without having to sync anything." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48898361)) "quite happy with it, especially since it has apps for tablets/iPad and phones as well" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49150875)) "I was really happy to find an offline alternative in Logseq" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897131)) - Wikilinks and personal context graph (2 comments): "Logseq/Obsidian-style wikilinks are really good at building that personal context graph" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46834337)) "I just use Logseq and put double brackets around my key terms." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46830856)) ## What people warn about - Paid, closed-source sync, enshittification fears (5 comments): "that's another "freemium open source" app with a pro version that will eventually be enshittified" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46828606)) "their synching product is closed source (not selfhostable), and they have built-in telemetry." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47826794)) "They switched from Markdown files to and database, and their sync is paid and closed source." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46829919)) - Development stalled or unmaintained (5 comments): "It has been dormant for years and early attempts at syncing didn't work well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896838)) "their development stalled; now they have moved to db based structure" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49151406)) "I love logseq though I'm increasingly worried it's abandonware" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47826336)) - Ongoing database rewrite, alpha quality (3 comments): "All of that is very alpha (to be honest, I don't understand them releasing a beta now)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897407)) "they're in the process of rebuilding the app from the ground up to be database-driven" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47826940)) "No mention of a migration guide from V1 to V2, even in the "Big Update" post?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897616)) - Slow and buggy performance (3 comments): "logseq takes nearly a minute on only a hundred or so files" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48898500)) "both the desktop app and the ios app feel slow and clunky" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48278744)) "Logseq remained a buggy mess, is now on an unmaintained (thus insecure) version of electron." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896645)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Obsidian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/obsidian.md): 447 recommend - [Org mode](https://hackerapproved.com/p/org-mode.md): 175 recommend - [Notion](https://hackerapproved.com/p/notion.md): 91 recommend - [Apple Notes](https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-notes.md): 39 recommend - [Tolaria](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tolaria.md): 34 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Logseq", https://hackerapproved.com/p/logseq/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).