Logseq

What hackers pick instead

• ObsidianA note app built on a local folder of plain Markdown files, with backlinks and a rich plugin ecosystem that works well with AI agents; critics flag risky community plugins and weak collaboration.447recommend
• Org modeA plain-text Emacs system for notes, TODOs, agendas, tables and literate programming that people find more capable than Markdown, though it's tightly bound to Emacs and poorly supported elsewhere.175recommend
• NotionRecommended for flexible live documents, wikis and collaboration despite bugs and slowness; the most common caveat is weak handling of security and privacy issues.91recommend
• Apple NotesRecommended for quick startup and reliable sync across Apple devices. Common caveat: it slows with very long notes and is weak on Windows, Linux and the web.39recommend
• TolariaOpen-source Markdown notes app with a clean interface and built-in git, liked as an Obsidian alternative. Critics cite sorting bugs and that it is a web wrapper.34recommend

Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 95 comments. Each links to the original.

1. 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.

   Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?”

2. I can fire up my notes from literally anywhere, any device and see a consistent state without having to sync anything.

   Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

3. I find it pretty easy to dump information without too much work due to the block / indenting structure.

   Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?”

4. that's another "freemium open source" app with a pro version that will eventually be enshittified

   Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “Backseat Software”

5. Logseq/Obsidian-style wikilinks are really good at building that personal context graph

   Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?”

6. All of that is very alpha (to be honest, I don't understand them releasing a beta now)

   Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

7. quite happy with it, especially since it has apps for tablets/iPad and phones as well

   Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Note-Taking and Personal Knowledge Management”

8. they're in the process of rebuilding the app from the ground up to be database-driven

   Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Notion leaks email addresses of all editors of any public page”

9. It has been dormant for years and early attempts at syncing didn't work well.

   Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

10. It's open-source, really well designed, local, you can even self-host sync...

    Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

11. Its just so powerful, the infinite nesting and draggable indents and zooming

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file (2020)”

12. would like to migrate to Logseq for reasons of privacy and self-sovereignty

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Why meaningful days look like nothing while you are living them”

13. Unfortunately my notes being in plain text is a non-negotiable for me.

    Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

14. their development stalled; now they have moved to db based structure

    Mixed · Aug 2026 · in “Note-Taking and Personal Knowledge Management”

15. I just use Logseq and put double brackets around my key terms.

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Ask HN: Do you also "hoard" notes/links but struggle to turn them into actions?”

16. I love logseq though I'm increasingly worried it's abandonware

    Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “Notion leaks email addresses of all editors of any public page”

17. it's Markdown files that I can sync with an open-source tool

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Notion leaks email addresses of all editors of any public page”

18. I was really happy to find an offline alternative in Logseq

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

19. logseq takes nearly a minute on only a hundred or so files

    Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

20. both the desktop app and the ios app feel slow and clunky

    Mixed · May 2026 · in “Logseq Doctor: heal your flat old Markdown files before importing to Logseq”

21. their synching product is closed source (not selfhostable), and they have built-in telemetry.

    Criticizes · Apr 2026 · in “Notion leaks email addresses of all editors of any public page”

22. Logseq remained a buggy mess, is now on an unmaintained (thus insecure) version of electron.

    Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

23. They switched from Markdown files to and database, and their sync is paid and closed source.

    Criticizes · Jan 2026 · in “Backseat Software”

24. they've been following the classic enshittification model, albeit slowly, for a while now

    Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

25. I don't want this kind of software that has an incentive to nag you into an upsell.

    Criticizes · Jan 2026 · in “Backseat Software”

26. No mention of a migration guide from V1 to V2, even in the "Big Update" post?

    Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

27. the userbase is just too small and in turn the speed of change is too slow

    Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

28. text just didn't cut it, which was a brief period where I was importing vehicles from Japan and needed lots of images, documents and comparisons up on a big digital whiteboard

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “I Use Obsidian”

29. I find the SQLite database of plain-text to be a worthwhile tradeoff to grow past the limitations of plain markdown files.

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

30. combining notes and todos with a powerful query system is what makes Logseq my goto note and todo management tool

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “I Use Obsidian”

31. Logseq's new db format let's you treat any block as a page, metadata and all which can be super helpful.

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

32. I wanted mobile, reliable sync, and a search that didn’t need the gentle touch of a crowbar.

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Show HN: How I take notes as a VC, and the app I built for it”

33. Logseq was the first note-taking app that really got me to a daily logging habit that stuck

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Ask HN: Ive quit six systems for tracking my illness. What works?”

34. Except for maybe Logseq, which appears to be moving in the direction of using a database.

    Mixed · Jan 2026 · in “Org Mode Syntax Is One of the Most Reasonable Markup Languages to Use for Text”

35. it's a really great concept, way better than anything I tried for notes and organisation

    Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

36. I prefer the customisation potential of logseq with tags, templates, block refs etc.

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Developing a Beautiful and Performant Block Editor in Qt C++ and QML”

37. It was good and I am unable to find aside from the idea that this works in browser

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Show HN: VaultNote – Local-first encrypted note-taking in the browser”

38. I agree it's pretty great - I don't use it often, but it is very handy when I do.

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”

39. is probably the closest we had, but it doesn't quite reach the Obsidian polish

    Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “Hello Worg, the Org-Mode Community”

40. the DB version comes with a fully-fledged CLI bundled with the desktop app

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here”