Best PKM Apps Compared: 2025 Edition

Lokus vs Obsidian vs Notion vs Roam Research vs Logseq. Find the best personal knowledge management app for your workflow.

Lokus

Recommended

Free, open-source, local-first PKM

Free forever

Open source, no paywalls

Pros
  • 100% free and open source
  • Local-first - data stays on your device
  • Infinite canvas included
  • 90+ template features
Cons
  • Newer app, smaller community
  • No mobile app yet
  • No built-in sync (use any cloud)

Obsidian

Popular markdown-based PKM

Free / $50+ for Sync

Sync & Publish are paid

Pros
  • Large plugin ecosystem
  • Strong community
  • Local-first storage
  • Good mobile apps
Cons
  • Not fully open source
  • Sync costs $8/month ($96/yr)
  • Publish costs $8/month

Notion

All-in-one workspace

Free / $8+ per month

Teams start at $8/user/mo

Pros
  • Great collaboration features
  • Databases and views
  • Clean interface
  • Mobile apps
Cons
  • Cloud-only (privacy concerns)
  • No true offline support
  • No graph view

Detailed Feature Comparison

Pricing

FeatureLokusObsidianNotionRoamLogseq
Free tierFullFullLimitedNoneFull
Paid featuresNoneSync, PublishTeams, AIAllSync
Open sourceYesNoNoNoYes

Core Features

FeatureLokusObsidianNotionRoamLogseq
Markdown editingpartialpartial
Wiki links [[]]partial
Backlinks
Graph view
Infinite canvasplugin
Templates90+pluginlimited

Privacy & Storage

FeatureLokusObsidianNotionRoamLogseq
Local-first
Offline supportlimited
Plain text files
No account required

Platform

FeatureLokusObsidianNotionRoamLogseq
macOS
Windows
Linuxwebweb
iOSsoon
Androidsoon

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Lokus vs Obsidian

Both are markdown-based and local-first. Compare features, pricing, and philosophy.

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Lokus vs Notion

Local-first vs cloud-based. Privacy vs collaboration. Which is right for you?

Read comparison

Lokus vs Roam Research

Free vs $15/month. Compare networked thought features and value.

Read comparison

Lokus vs Logseq

Two open-source PKM apps. Compare document vs outliner approaches.

Read comparison

Our Recommendation

If you value privacy, want a free solution with no paywalls, and prefer local-first storage, Lokus is the best choice. It combines the best features of Obsidian (markdown, graph view) with unique features like infinite canvas and a powerful template system - all completely free and open source.

Try Lokus Free