Roam Research
Outliner for networked notes with bidirectional links
What is Roam Research?
Roam Research is an outliner for networked note-taking. Notes are written as bullet blocks in daily notes and pages, and any page or block can be linked or referenced from elsewhere, so a graph of connected ideas builds up over time. It is sold by subscription with a 31-day trial and no free plan; paid plans cover unlimited graphs and collaborators.
Roam Research is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $15 per month, or $165 per year ($13.75 a month). See every plan
Good for
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Roam Research pricing
- Starts at
- $15 per month, or $165 per year ($13.75 a month)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 31-day free trial, available only if you have never had a plan.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $15per month, or $165 per year | Unlimited private or public graphs, unlimited collaborators, and API access and apps. |
| Believer | $500one 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. |
Roam Research’s own pricing page could not be read, so these figures come from frontdeskreview.com, checked Oct 4, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Roam Research before you buy.
Works with
Roam Research alternatives
- Roam Research vs Logseq
Free plan · from $5/mo
- Roam Research vs Obsidian
Free plan · from $4/mo
- Roam Research vs Tana Outliner
Free plan · from $8/mo
- Roam Research vs Reflect
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
- Roam Research vs Capacities
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Common questions
Is Roam Research free?
No, Roam Research is a paid product, but you can try it first. 31-day free trial, available only if you have never had a plan.
How much does Roam Research cost?
Roam Research lists 2 plans. Pro: $15 per month, or $165 per year. Believer: $500 one payment for 5 years ($8.33 a month). Prices were read from frontdeskreview.com on Oct 4, 2026.
What platforms does Roam Research work on?
Roam Research is available on Web, macOS and iOS.
Does Roam Research have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 4, 2026. Roam Research is listed for Web, macOS and iOS.
Does Roam Research have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 4, 2026. Roam Research is listed for Web, macOS and iOS.
Is Roam Research open source?
Roam Research is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 4, 2026.
Does Roam Research have an API?
Yes. Roam Research offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Roam Research integrate with?
Roam Research's listing names Claude and Cursor. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Roam Research?
Roam Research is made by Roam Research, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Roam Research?
The closest alternatives to Roam Research in our directory are Logseq, Obsidian, Tana Outliner, Reflect and Capacities. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Roam Research.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 4, 2026.