Logseq vs Roam Research
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Logseq
Open-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files
Free plan · from $5/mo
Roam Research
Outliner for networked notes with bidirectional links
Free trial · from $15/mo
Where they differ
- Logseq starts at $5 per month for Open Collective backers, which unlocks Logseq Sync. Roam Research starts at $15 per month, or $165 per year ($13.75 a month).
- Logseq has a free plan. Roam Research does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Logseq lists Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Logseq is open source, according to its own site.
- Logseq also covers Markdown and whiteboard.
In commonWebmacOSiOSNotesLinked notesDaily notes
At a glance
| Logseq | Roam Research | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5 per month for Open Collective backers, which unlocks Logseq Sync | $15 per month, or $165 per year ($13.75 a month) |
| Free plan | The desktop, web and mobile apps are free and open source, and no commercial license is needed for personal or company use. Syncing between devices is the paid part. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 31-day free trial, available only if you have never had a plan. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Logseq, Inc. | Roam Research, Inc. |
| Price read from | opencollective.com | frontdeskreview.com (not the vendor's own page) |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Logseq
- People who think in outlines and want their notes as plain-text files
- Students and researchers who annotate PDFs and manage sources in Zotero
- Users who prefer open-source software licensed under AGPL-3.0
Roam Research
- People who work from daily notes and want every block to be linkable
- Researchers who reference and reuse individual blocks across notes
- Groups sharing a graph who do not want to pay per collaborator
Worth knowing
Logseq
- Sync is not part of the free app: Logseq Sync is in beta and limited to active Open Collective contributors paying $5 or $15 per month.
- Logseq 2.0, the database version, is still in beta, and its release notes advise backing up data before testing it.
- The mobile app for the database version is in alpha on iOS only, with Android listed as coming soon.
Roam Research
- There is no free plan; after the 31-day trial a paid subscription is required.
- The lowest monthly-equivalent price, the Believer plan, is a single $500 payment covering 5 years.
- The local API used by the official MCP server and CLI works only in the desktop app, not the web version.
Key features
Logseq
- Outliner on local files
- Notes are nested bullet blocks saved as plain-text Markdown or Org-mode files on your device.
- References, backlinks and knowledge graph
- Pages and blocks can be referenced or embedded anywhere else, with backlinks and a graph showing how pages connect.
- Journals, tasks and queries
- A journals page collects dated entries, tasks and to-dos sit inside the outline, and queries pull matching blocks into one place.
- Whiteboards
- A spatial canvas where blocks from your notes sit next to shapes, drawings, website embeds and connectors.
- PDF highlights and flashcards
- Highlight PDFs inside the app, bring in references through the Zotero integration and review notes as spaced-repetition cards.
- Logseq Sync and the DB version
- Logseq Sync (beta) encrypts and syncs up to 10 graphs for backers. Logseq 2.0, a database-based version with real-time collaboration sync, is in beta.
Roam Research
- Bidirectional links and block references
- Pages link to each other in both directions, and individual blocks can be referenced from other notes.
- Daily notes
- Writing starts in a dated daily note, and links from there connect entries to the rest of the graph.
- Hosted, offline and encrypted graphs
- A graph can be hosted in Roam's cloud or kept offline as a local-only graph, and graphs can be encrypted. Paid plans allow unlimited private or public graphs.
- Shared graphs
- Plans include unlimited collaborators with no per-seat charge, and a graph can be edited on mobile and in the web app at the same time.
- Roam Depot extensions
- A marketplace of community-built extensions, which developers submit through GitHub pull requests.
- MCP server, CLI and SDKs
- An official MCP server and command-line tool connect Claude, Cursor and other AI assistants to a graph to read, write, search and query it.
Plans
Logseq
Free$0
The full app with local graphs. No commercial license is required for personal or company use.
Backers$5
per month, as an Open Collective contribution
Monthly donation that gives access to Logseq Sync (beta) for up to 10 graphs, plus early access to insider builds.
Sponsors$15
per month, as an Open Collective contribution
A larger monthly donation with the same Logseq Sync access and early access to insider builds.
Roam Research
Pro$15
per month, or $165 per year
Unlimited private or public graphs, unlimited collaborators, and API access and apps.
Believer$500
one payment for 5 years ($8.33 a month)
Everything in Pro, plus first access to new features, community calls with the team and priority support.
