Flomo vs Memos (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Flomo grades higher than Memos: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Flomo grades higher on ease of use and platforms. Memos grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Flomo if
- Fits if you jot thoughts down from WeChat and review them later
- Works for Chinese readers who want capture and review, not an all-in-one workspace
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you can't read Chinese, because the site and help centre have no English version
- Tight if you stay free: 500MB of storage, compressed images and no review tools
- Watch out: prices are in yuan, with no dollar price, and the page says they may change
- Too light for long, formatted documents, as notes are short and plain
Pick Memos if
- Fits if you already run a home server and want your quick notes on it
- Works for jotting short things like a work log, or capturing notes through an API or a Telegram bot
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run and back up a server, as there's no hosted service
- Not for you if you sort notes into folders or notebooks, because Memos has neither
- Too light for long structured documents, since it's built around short posts on a timeline
- Tight if you want a phone or desktop app, as there are none, only the web app installed as a PWA
- Watch out: import is a work in progress and takes only a Memos export ZIP, not files from other note apps
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFlomoVery good | 2.8GPAMemosGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APRO is 99 yuan a year and MAX 299 yuan, both far under the $5.99 a month the category's middle plan costs. Prices are in yuan only, and the page says they may change. | AThe pricing page puts the whole product at $0 under the MIT license, with no seat fees and no premium features, in a category whose middle plan is $6 a month. The only bill is your server, and that goes to your host. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree accounts get notes, multi-level tags, search and sync on every platform, with 500MB for images and files; text doesn't count. One person can live on that. | AEverything is free: sharing, Spaces, the API and all three database options. One codebase, no Pro edition above it, no cap to run into. |
| Features | CCapture, tags, search and voice notes. The review tools, API and MCP connection are PRO, and notes are short and plain, with no formatting. | CMarkdown memos with code, tables, task lists, math and diagrams, found by text, nested tags, date or place, each one private or public. The listing names the gaps: no folders or notebooks at all, a Space that won't let two people edit one memo, and import that takes only Memos' own export. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Capture is quick, but the site and help centre are Chinese only, which is a hurdle for English readers. | DYou host it yourself. It ships as a Docker container or a binary, and running and backing up the server is on you. Writing a memo is simple enough once it's up; getting it up is the work. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, plus WeChat input, a developer API and an MCP connection for tools such as ChatGPT and Claude. | BA web app that installs as a PWA, a clipper for Chromium browsers and Firefox, a Telegram bot, REST and gRPC APIs, webhooks and an MCP endpoint. No native phone or desktop app is listed, so it's the browser or the API. |
| Best for | quick short notes, especially via WeChat | a private timeline of quick notes on your own server |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Flomo and Memos. How we grade
Where they differ
- Memos is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Flomo also covers dictation.
- Memos also covers Markdown and web clipper.
In commonFree planWebBrowser extensionPublic APINotesLinked notes
At a glance
| Flomo | Memos | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | ¥99 per year (PRO) | Free |
| Free plan | Free accounts can record notes and sync across all platforms, with 500MB of storage for images and files; text does not count toward storage. | Free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid plans, seat fees or premium features. The only cost is whatever server, domain or backup storage you choose to run it on. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | flomo | The Memos project |
| Price read from | help.flomoapp.com | usememos.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Flomo
- Prices are listed in Chinese yuan (CNY); no US dollar price was found.
- The site and help center are in Chinese; no English version was found.
- The free plan has 500MB of storage and compresses images.
- The page says benefits and prices may change and that the in-app membership page has the latest figures.
Memos
- The project runs no hosted service, so you need to operate and back up a server yourself or use an instance someone else runs.
- No native mobile or desktop apps are listed; phones and computers use the web app, which can be installed as a PWA.
- Import is marked as work in progress and accepts only a Memos export ZIP; imports from other note apps are not supported.
- Memos are not arranged in folders or notebooks, and a Space does not let several people edit the same memo.
Key features
Flomo
- Fast capture
- Write short notes with no formatting through WeChat, the apps, the web or a browser extension.
- Tags and search
- Multi-level tags and search find earlier notes, and notes can reference each other.
- Review tools
- Daily review, random walk and a cognitive map resurface old notes; these are PRO features.
- AI features
- AI insights and related-note suggestions on PRO; MAX adds an Agent that reads your notes and chats in WeChat.
- Voice input
- Voice notes are turned into text; PRO allows 10 minutes per note and 500 minutes a month.
- API and MCP
- A developer API and an MCP connection let other tools, including ChatGPT and Claude, read or save notes.
Memos
- Timeline of Markdown memos
- Memos are written in Markdown with code highlighting, tables, task lists, math and diagrams, and need no title or folder before saving.
- Search, tags, calendar and map
- Find a memo by its text, nested #tags, the day it was written or the place attached to it. Views save a filter expression for reuse.
- Per-memo visibility and Spaces
- Each memo is private, open to signed-in users, public or limited to a Space. Spaces gather members and memos in one feed but do not grant shared editing.
- Self-hosted in one container
- Runs with Docker, Kubernetes or a binary for Linux, macOS or Windows, and keeps data in SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL on infrastructure you control.
- API, webhooks and MCP server
- REST and gRPC APIs cover the product's features, signed webhooks fire when memos change, and a built-in MCP endpoint lets AI assistants search and write memos.
- Web Clipper and Telegram capture
- A browser extension for Chromium-based browsers and Firefox saves pages, selections and images as Markdown, and a Telegram bot forwards messages into Memos.
Plans
Flomo
Free¥0
Notes, multi-level tags, search and sync on every platform, with 500MB of storage and compressed images.
PROÂ¥99
per year
20GB storage, daily review, random walk, cognitive map, related notes, password lock, 30-day version history, developer API, MCP connection, and 2 AI insight runs a day.
MAXÂ¥299
per year
500GB storage, the flomo Agent (Beta) with 1000 points a day, AI memory profile, 50 AI insight runs a day and longer voice notes on top of PRO.
Memos
Memos software$0
Every feature, including sharing, Spaces, the API and all three database backends. Hosting is arranged and paid for separately.
Ways to pay less
Flomo
- Education
Student and teacher offer
The membership page says enrolled students, university teachers and recent graduates (within 2 years) can find an education offer in the membership center; availability depends on the app.
Memos
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Flomo or Memos?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Flomo starts at ¥99 per year (PRO), and Memos is free.
Which has a free plan, Flomo or Memos?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Flomo and Memos have a free plan.
Which platforms do Flomo and Memos run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Flomo lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app and a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.