Logseq
Open-source outliner and knowledge base built around daily journals and linked blocks.
Liked for its daily journal and block-based outlining that make it easy to dump notes123, and for being fully open source, plugins included.456 The most common complaint is slow, stagnant development78, with the newer database version stuck in a long beta that still has rough edges.910
Why people recommend it
Open source · 3
Commenters value that Logseq and its plugins are fully FOSS.
“Using Logseq[1][2] for years and quite happy with it”
“I've been a longtime user of Logseq, and thankfully both it and its plugins are open source.”
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“Check Logseq for an open source alternative to Obsidian”
Fits their thinking · 3
Users say the daily journal and block structure suit how they think and make capture easy.
“Logseq came the closest, the daily journal clicked for me”
“I use it and like it, it fits my brain better than obsidian”
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“use Logseq day-to-day. I find it pretty easy to dump information without too much work”
Hackable plugins · 1
One user enjoys cloning and tweaking open-source plugins to add the features they want.
“I've been a longtime user of Logseq, and thankfully both it and its plugins are open source.”
DB version speed · 1
One nightly DB user calls it very fast and easy to learn, with useful block tags.
“it's a really great concept, way better than anything I tried for notes and organisation”
Mobile apps · 1
One user appreciates that it has apps for tablets and phones.
“Using Logseq[1][2] for years and quite happy with it”
Privacy-first · 1
It is described as a privacy-first knowledge base.
“logseq, a privacy-first, open-source knowledge base”
Caveats and dissent
Slow development · 2
Some users say development has stagnated, and one moved to Obsidian partly for that reason.
“Despite enjoying logseq a lot it has stagnated for so long (and the mobile app is atrocious) that I ended up moving to obsidian.”
“I love the concept of logseq, but the userbase is just too small”
Perpetual beta · 2
The DB rewrite is criticized as a long beta with half-baked features and rough edges.
“Despite enjoying logseq a lot it has stagnated for so long (and the mobile app is atrocious) that I ended up moving to obsidian.”
“it's a really great concept, way better than anything I tried for notes and organisation”
Slow indexing · 1
One user reports indexing taking nearly a minute on about a hundred files.
“I use it and like it, it fits my brain better than obsidian”
Mobile app · 1
One former user calls the mobile app atrocious.
“Despite enjoying logseq a lot it has stagnated for so long (and the mobile app is atrocious) that I ended up moving to obsidian.”
Small userbase · 1
One commenter says the userbase is too small to keep change moving.
“I love the concept of logseq, but the userbase is just too small”
Sync monetization · 1
One user suspects the DB move is about selling sync rather than helping users.
“I use it and like it, it fits my brain better than obsidian”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Logseq 2.0 Beta (DB version) is here 4 mentions
- Show HN: How I take notes as a VC, and the app I built for it 1 mention
- Note-Taking and Personal Knowledge Management 1 mention
- Decker 1 mention
- Fired by Google for Creating the Google Workspace CLI 1 mention
- Ask HN: What are tools you have made for yourself since the advent of AI 1 mention
Data: logseq.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 13
“Logseq came the closest, the daily journal clicked for me”
“Using Logseq[1][2] for years and quite happy with it”
“some ppl like logseq which has some feature overlap w obsidian but is db-driven”
“I use it and like it, it fits my brain better than obsidian”
“Despite enjoying logseq a lot it has stagnated for so long (and the mobile app is atrocious) that I ended up moving to obsidian.”
“it's a really great concept, way better than anything I tried for notes and organisation”
“I love the concept of logseq, but the userbase is just too small”
“it saves me a ton of time creating a logseq meeting note page for important meetings.”
“I've been a longtime user of Logseq, and thankfully both it and its plugins are open source.”
“I don't think any of the popular alternatives like logseq or joplin even attempt to do automatic file merges”
“use Logseq day-to-day. I find it pretty easy to dump information without too much work”
“Check Logseq for an open source alternative to Obsidian”
“logseq, a privacy-first, open-source knowledge base”