Logseq vs TheBrain
We give Logseq a 3.6 GPA and TheBrain a 3.4, out of 4.0. Logseq grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
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
TheBrain
Visual knowledge network linking notes, files and web links
How we grade them
| 3.6GPALogseqExcellent | 3.4GPATheBrainVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe only paid part is Logseq Sync, which comes with a $5 a month Open Collective contribution. That's about the usual price for a notes app here, and it buys sync for up to 10 graphs plus insider builds. Sync is still in beta, so you're backing a project as much as buying a service. | CPro Service is $15 a month billed at $180 a year, or $16 monthly. That's more than twice what note apps typically start at. It buys unlimited private sync, 30 GB of online storage and the full daily AI allowance. Sharing a brain with a team means TeamBrain, at $299 a person a year. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe desktop, web and mobile apps are free and open source, with no commercial licence needed for personal or company use. You get the full app with local graphs. Most people could stay here, as long as they sort out moving files between devices themselves. | AThe complete app is free with no account: every feature, unlimited thoughts, brains and local attachments. Public brains are unlimited too. The caps are on private sync, at 1,000 thoughts and 100 MB of synced storage, and on AI, which is a small daily allowance. |
| Features | ANested blocks you can reference or embed anywhere, backlinks, a knowledge graph, a journals page, tasks, queries, whiteboards, PDF highlighting and spaced-repetition flashcards. That's the whole job of a notes app and then some. | AEvery note, file or link is a thought with as many parents and jump links as you like, shown in a network view called the plex. It also browses as an outline, mind map, cards or a tree. Notes are stored as Markdown, any thought can become a web page, and the Cerebro AI agent answers questions from your brain. |
| Ease of use | BIt's an outliner, so you start by typing bullets on today's journal page. Queries and block references take longer to get your head round. No App Store rating is on record to go by, so a B is as high as we go. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. There's no account to make before you start. It does ask you to organise by links instead of folders, which is a different habit. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, with a Zotero integration for references. Because notes are plain Markdown or Org-mode files, other editors can open them too. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, and a local API lets scripts and AI agents create and query thoughts. No ready-made integrations with other apps are on record, though. |
| Best for | linked outlines kept as plain files you own | seeing your notes, files and links as one network |
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: Logseq and TheBrain. How we grade
Where they differ
- Logseq starts at $5 per month for Open Collective backers, which unlocks Logseq Sync. TheBrain starts at $15 per month, billed at $180 per year (Pro Service).
- Logseq is open source, according to its own site.
- Logseq also covers whiteboard and daily notes.
- TheBrain also covers mind mapping.
At a glance
| Logseq | TheBrain | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month for Open Collective backers, which unlocks Logseq Sync | $15 per month, billed at $180 per year (Pro Service) |
| 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. | Free App: every feature, unlimited thoughts, brains and local attachments, no account needed. Private sync stops at 1,000 thoughts, synced storage at 100 MB, and AI use is a small daily allowance. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Logseq, Inc. | TheBrain Technologies LP |
| Price read from | opencollective.com | thebrain.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 6, 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
TheBrain
- People who organize ideas as a network instead of folders
- Large personal knowledge bases mixing notes, files and web links
- Teams that want one shared, visual knowledge map (TeamBrain)
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.
TheBrain
- Free private sync stops at 1,000 thoughts and 100 MB of synced attachments; going past either needs Pro Service.
- The free AI allowance is a small daily amount, and the vendor says AI services may be unavailable in some countries.
- Multi-user editing and shared brains need TeamBrain, at $299 per person per year.
- Cloud services run only for the paid service period, and on-premises deployment is sold separately through sales.
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.
TheBrain
- The plex and linked thoughts
- Each note, file or link is a thought that can have several parents and jump links to other thoughts, shown in an animated network view called the plex.
- Outline, mind map, tree and card views
- Besides the plex, a brain can be browsed as an outline, a mind map, cards, or a tree that shows thoughts with more than one parent.
- Cerebro AI
- An AI agent that answers questions from a brain, creates thoughts and notes, summarizes attachments and suggests links. Free use is a small daily allowance.
- Markdown notes editor
- Notes are written in a visual editor and stored as Markdown, with tables, math, spellchecking and PDF export.
- Sync and Light Attachments
- Cloud sync keeps brains current across devices, and Light Sync leaves large attachments online until they are needed. Unlimited private sync is paid.
- Shared pages and local API
- Any thought can be published as a web page that needs no account to view, and a local API lets scripts and AI agents create and query thoughts.
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.
TheBrain
Free App$0
The complete app with unlimited thoughts, links and brains, unlimited public brains, private sync up to 1,000 thoughts and 100 MB of synced storage.
Pro Service$15
per month, billed at $180 per year; $16 billed monthly
Unlimited private sync, the full daily Cerebro AI allowance, 30 GB of online storage, encrypted backup and one-on-one support.
TeamBrain$25
per person / month, billed at $299 per year; $29 billed monthly
Everything in Pro Service plus multi-user editing and sync, unlimited shared brains, 100 GB of storage and per-user reporting and auditing.
Max Service$40
per month, billed at $479 per year; $48 billed monthly
Everything in TeamBrain plus 4x the Cerebro AI allowance, 250 GB of storage, unlimited sync devices and early access to new features.
EnterpriseCustom
On-premises server deployment, arranged through the sales team.
Ways to pay less
Logseq
No public discounts listed.
TheBrain
- Annual discount
Save 7% to 20% with yearly billing
The store labels yearly billing as saving 7% on Pro Service ($180 a year against $16 a month), 16% on TeamBrain and 20% on Max Service.
