Capacities vs Reflect

Capacities

• People who organize notes around people, books and projects rather than folders
• Daily-note journaling with capture from WhatsApp, Telegram and email
• Individuals who want one notes app across web, desktop and mobile, including Linux

Reflect

• Mac users who want free, open-source notes kept as plain Markdown files
• People who work from a daily note and link ideas together
• Users who prefer to bring their own AI provider and API key

Capacities

• There are no team or organization plans, and sharing is limited to view-only access to notes.
• Task management, the AI assistant, calendar integrations, smart queries, version history and API access all need Pro.
• The free plan caps media uploads at 5 GB in total, then 100 MB per month.
• Capacities is not end-to-end encrypted, as its own documentation states.

Reflect

• Only the Mac app is free; the iPhone and iPad app requires a paid subscription.
• There is no web app, and the vendor says Windows and Android versions are not available and have no release dates.
• AI features need your own API key, and the AI provider bills that usage separately.
• Reflect Open adds no end-to-end encryption of its own; sync and encryption rely on iCloud Drive or Git.

Capacities

Object types

Every note is a typed object, such as a person, book or project, with its own properties and templates. Objects can be shown as lists, galleries, tables or cards.

Daily notes

One note per day works as an inbox for quick thoughts. Content can also be sent in from WhatsApp, Telegram or by email.

Links, backlinks and graph view

Links between objects work in both directions. A backlinks panel lists every reference to an object, and a graph view draws the whole network.

AI assistant (Pro)

AI chat, property auto-fill and analysis of web links and images, limited by a monthly budget. The Plus add-on raises that budget.

Smart queries, tasks and calendar (Pro)

Pro adds saved queries, task management with actions for apps such as Todoist and Things, and calendar integration for Google, Microsoft, Apple and CalDAV.

Offline mode and web extension

Offline mode lets you open, create and edit content without a connection. A browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox saves pages to a space.

Reflect

Local Markdown notes

Notes are plain Markdown files in a folder you choose. There is no account, no telemetry and no Reflect-hosted cloud service.

Daily notes and calendar

The app starts on today's note. Apple Calendar events appear beside the daily note and can be turned into meeting notes.

Wiki links and backlinks

Double-bracket links connect notes into a graph, backlinks are tracked for each note, and one search covers notes, backlinks and tags.

Optional AI with your own key

Add an OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or OpenRouter key to ask questions about your notes, pull out takeaways and fix grammar. Requests go directly to the provider.

Voice notes and transcription

Record audio inside the app and transcribe it through the transcription provider you connect.

Capture and sync

The Reflect Capture Chrome extension saves links, selected text and screenshots. Notes sync between devices through iCloud Drive or Git.

Capacities

• Capacities Basic$0

  Unlimited spaces, objects, blocks and custom object types, with sync and offline support. Media uploads up to 5 GB, then 100 MB per month.

• Capacities Pro$9.99

  per month, billed yearly

  Adds task management, an AI assistant with a monthly budget, calendar integrations, smart queries, version history, API access and unlimited media uploads.

• Capacities BelieverFrom $12.49

  per month, billed yearly

  Everything in Pro, plus beta access to major new features. Positioned as the plan for supporters of the team.

• Plus AI Power-Up (add-on)$8.33

  per month, billed annually, on top of Pro or Believer

  Optional add-on with a substantially larger monthly AI budget and one-time or automatic top-ups.

Reflect

• Mac app$0

  Free and open source under the MIT license. No subscription and no account.

• Reflect Pro (iPhone and iPad)$9.99

  per month, or $99 per year (US App Store)

  Subscription for the iPhone and iPad app, bought in the App Store, where prices are set per country.

Capacities

• Annual discount

  16% lower price with yearly billing

  The pricing page marks yearly billing as 16% cheaper than monthly billing for Pro and Believer. The Plus add-on includes 2 months free when billed annually.

• Education

  40% off annual plans for students

  Students can apply with proof of enrollment for a 40% discount on the annual plan of Capacities Pro or Capacities Believer.

Reflect

• Annual discount

  About 17% lower price with the yearly subscription

  On the US App Store, Reflect Pro is $99 per year versus $9.99 per month, which works out to about 17% less over a year.

• Other savings

  One year of the mobile app free for Classic subscribers

  Reflect's site says paid Reflect Classic subscribers get one year of the iPhone and iPad app free.