Logseq
Privacy-first, open-source outliner for networked thought.
About
Logseq is an open-source, local-first outliner for personal knowledge management from Logseq Inc., positioned as the free, open alternative to Roam Research. Instead of documents, everything is a block: every bullet is an independently addressable unit with a UUID, so you can reference, embed, and transclude individual blocks across pages. Bidirectional links, a graph view, and a Datalog query engine sit on top of plain-text Markdown (or Org-mode) files stored on your own disk, with daily journals as a first-class workflow. Built-in extras include whiteboards, PDF annotation with Zotero integration, and spaced-repetition flashcards.
The project is mid-transition and buyers should know exactly where it stands: the long-standing file-based version was split off as Logseq OG in April 2026, while the main repository now builds the SQLite-backed DB version, which shipped its first beta (2.0.1) in July 2026 with real-time collaboration sync. The DB version is officially in beta with documented data-loss risk during migration, and Logseq Sync remains paid (around $5/month) and invite-only, with iOS in alpha and Android not yet in testing. The app is AGPL-3.0 licensed with roughly 45,000 GitHub stars and a community marketplace of several hundred plugins; there is no first-party AI, though community projects add MCP and local-LLM integrations.
What it can do
- Block-based outliner: every bullet is a first-class, referenceable block
- Block references and embeds across pages
- Bidirectional links and knowledge graph view
- Datalog query engine over notes and properties
- Daily journal pages as a first-class workflow
- Whiteboards for visual thinking
- Built-in spaced-repetition flashcards
- PDF annotation with Zotero integration
- Local-first Markdown/Org-mode files (OG version) or local SQLite (DB version)
- Community plugin marketplace and themes
- AGPL-3.0 open source, ~45k GitHub stars
Setup
Download the desktop app from logseq.com for Windows, macOS, or Linux (mobile apps are in alpha/beta). Choose the DB version (current) or the file-based OG version. Create a graph stored locally on your disk. For sync, use the paid Logseq Sync (invite-only during beta) or self-manage with Git, Syncthing, iCloud, or Dropbox on the file-based version.
Prerequisites
Windows, macOS, or Linux for the desktop app; comfort with outline-style writing helps.
Use cases
Works with
Trust score — 8/10
Scored 8/10 (metrics tier, metrics-v1). Evidence: ~45.3k GitHub stars with commits pushed October 16, 2026; AGPL-3.0; independent 2026 analyses confirm the block model, Datalog queries, built-in SRS, PDF/Zotero support, and the April 2026 split into Logseq OG (file-based) and the DB beta (SQLite, 2.0.1). Strengths: genuinely open source, privacy-first local storage, powerful block granularity. Docked for: (1) the DB version is beta with officially documented data-loss risk during migration; (2) Logseq Sync is paid and invite-only with mobile apps still in alpha; (3) ~898 open issues suggest maintainer bandwidth strain on a small team. License: AGPL-3.0.
★ 45,255 GitHub stars
How the trust score is built
Full methodology →- Adoption · stars/downloads, log-scaled vs peers
- 9.0/10
- Maintenance · recency, releases, issue load
- 8.0/10
- Openness · license + docs
- 10.0/10
- Manual review · sanity read + red-flag check
- 7.0/10
- · ~45.3k GitHub stars (Oct 16, 2026 snapshot), commits pushed same day; AGPL-3.0; ~898 open issues
- · DB version 2.0.1 beta (Jul 2026) is the main line; file-based OG split to logseq/og Apr 2026; official docs warn of data-loss risk in migration
- · Logseq Sync ~$5/mo invite-only; iOS alpha, Android not in testing; no first-party AI (community mcp-logseq/ollama plugins only)
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these sources. Where a claim comes from the provider and couldn't be independently verified, the text says so.