Relanote vs Roam Research
We give Relanote a 3.4 GPA and Roam Research a 2.8, out of 4.0. Relanote grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Relanote
Linked note-taking in the browser with AI writing and chat tools
Roam Research
Outliner for networked notes with bidirectional links
How we grade them
| 3.4GPARelanoteVery good | 2.8GPARoam ResearchGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is $4.99 a month, or $49 a year if paid annually, for unlimited notes and 30,000 AI credits a month. That's about typical for a category where paid plans usually start at $5.99. The AI being included helps. The 1 GB storage cap on a paid plan doesn't. | C$15 a month, or $165 a year, which works out at $13.75. Note apps typically start around $5.99, so this is the dear end. Two things soften it: collaborators cost nothing extra, and Believer is $500 once for 5 years, about $8.33 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BStarter is free for life with no card required: up to 100 notes, 100 MB of storage and 3,000 AI credits a month, with private sharing. A real plan, but tight. Keep notes on one course or one project and you'll reach 100 quickly. | CNo free plan. There's a 31-day trial, but only if you've never had a plan, and the listing can't say whether it asks for a card. After that you pay or stop. |
| Features | AFolders, two-way links you make by typing @, tags, and a graph you can filter. AI writes inside a note, builds a notebook of 50 or more notes from a short prompt, and chats over notes, PDFs, web pages and YouTube videos. Chosen notes can be encrypted on your device, and the last 10 edits of a note can be restored. | ATwo-way links, block references, daily notes, and graphs you can host, keep offline or encrypt. A graph can be shared with unlimited collaborators. Then there's Roam Depot for community extensions, plus an official MCP server and command-line tool so Claude or Cursor can read and write your notes. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. Sign up in a browser and start. Sync between devices just happens, with no folders or services to connect first. | BThere's no rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. Writing starts in today's dated daily note, and links from there connect each entry to the rest of your graph. |
| Platforms and integrations | AAny browser on a computer, plus iPhone and Android apps that sync, and an optional daily backup to Google Drive. That clears our bar for an A, if only just: Google Drive is the single integration, there's no API on the listing, and there's no desktop app. | BWeb, Mac and iPhone, with an API, an MCP server and extensions. The listing has no Android or Windows app. And the local API that the MCP server and CLI rely on only works in the desktop app, not on the web. |
| Best for | linked notes in a browser with AI help built in | bullet notes where every line can be linked |
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: Relanote and Roam Research. How we grade
Where they differ
- Relanote starts at $4.99 per month, or $49 per year if paid annually. Roam Research starts at $15 per month, or $165 per year ($13.75 a month).
- Relanote has a free plan. Roam Research does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Relanote lists an Android app.
- Only Roam Research lists a macOS app.
- Relanote also covers chat assistant.
- Roam Research also covers daily notes.
At a glance
| Relanote | Roam Research | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, or $49 per year if paid annually | $15 per month, or $165 per year ($13.75 a month) |
| Free plan | Starter plan, free for life with no card required: up to 100 notes, 100 MB of storage, 3,000 AI credits a month, private sharing and community support. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 31-day free trial, available only if you have never had a plan. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Ubidesk LLC | Roam Research, Inc. |
| Price read from | relanote.com | frontdeskreview.com (not the vendor's own page) |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Relanote
- Students and researchers building a linked set of notes on a topic
- People who want Zettelkasten-style links without setting up sync
- Drafting study notes with AI and then chatting with PDFs or videos
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
Relanote
- The free Starter plan stops at 100 notes and 100 MB of storage, with 3,000 AI credits a month.
- Premium still caps storage at 1 GB and AI use at 30,000 credits a month.
- Publishing a note publicly needs Premium, and a privately shared note can only be opened by someone with a Relanote account.
- The features page lists iOS and Android apps only; on a computer Relanote runs in the browser.
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
Relanote
- Links, folders and tags
- Folders and sub-folders sit alongside wiki-style bi-directional links. Typing @ creates a new note or links to an existing one without leaving the page, and # adds a tag.
- Graph view
- A mind map-style graph shows how notes and notebooks connect, can be filtered by notebook or tag, and opens any note with a click.
- AI notebooks and writing tools
- A few words of prompt can produce a notebook of 50 or more notes. A / shortcut inside a note opens Write with AI, auto-complete and summarizing.
- Chat and Q&A with your material
- AI chat works over notes, notebooks, PDFs, web pages and YouTube videos. The Q&A tool answers a question and lays out follow-up questions as a graph.
- Sharing and publishing
- Notes and notebooks can be shared privately on every plan with people who have a Relanote account. Publishing them at a public link needs Premium.
- Backup, history and encryption
- A daily backup to Google Drive is optional, notes export as HTML, JSON or text, the last 10 edits of a note can be restored, and chosen notes can be encrypted on the device.
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
Relanote
Starter$0
Up to 100 notes, 100 MB of storage and 3,000 AI credits a month, with private sharing and community support.
Premium$4.99
per month, or $49 per year if paid annually
Unlimited notes and notebooks, 1 GB of storage, 30,000 AI credits a month, priority support and public sharing.
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.
Ways to pay less
Relanote
- Annual discount
About 18% less when paid annually
Premium is $4.99 a month or $49 a year if paid annually. Twelve monthly payments come to $59.88, so the annual price saves about 18%.
- Education
Discount for students and teachers
The FAQ offers students and teachers a discount on the annual plan that lasts as long as the subscription continues. It gives no figure and excludes the monthly plan.
- Nonprofit
Discount for nonprofits on request
Nonprofits can email support from their organization's address with a link to their website to receive a discount. The FAQ does not state the amount.
Roam Research
No public discounts listed.
