The research shortlist
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AppFlowyTop pick
A free, open-source workspace for docs, projects, tasks, and wikis.
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Strongest Craft match: it combines structured documents, projects, collaboration, templates, and AI in a modern workspace. The current v0.13.2 release includes macOS downloads, and the official pricing page offers a free-forever tier.
AppFlowy is a Notion-like block workspace combining structured pages, projects, tasks, templates, collaboration, and optional AI, with local and self-hosted control plus native macOS builds.
- 01Block-based pages with rich text, projects, tasks, tables, and templates
- 02Wikis and connected workspaces for organizing knowledge
- 03Real-time collaboration and optional AI assistance
- 04Native macOS Intel and Universal downloads
- The free tier is limited to one workspace, up to two members, 5 GB of storage, and capped AI usage; larger cloud workspaces and expanded AI are paid.
Evidence sources (13)
- AppFlowy official GitHub repositorySource available ·
- AppFlowy LICENSELicense ·
- AppFlowy releases and macOS assetsRelease ·
- AppFlowy official downloadsDocumented macOS path ·
- AppFlowy pricing and free tierFree at review time ·
- AppFlowy official homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- AppFlowy official product screenshotScreenshots ·
- AppFlowy official tasks screenshotScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- GitHub license metadataLicense ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
- Latest macOS release assetFree at review time ·
- AppFlowy macOS installation documentationDocumented macOS path ·
Joplin
A mature open-source notebook for Markdown notes, attachments, and sync.
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Best reliability/value pick: Joplin has a mature, active codebase, a current v3.6.15 release, explicit macOS and Apple Silicon installers, and an unambiguous free/open-source core.
Full review — capabilities, 1 caveat, evidence
Joplin is a durable Markdown-based notebook and to-do app with notebooks, search, tags, multimedia attachments, import/export, and optional cross-device synchronization. Joplin Cloud is a separate service from the free desktop app.
- 01Markdown notes organized in notebooks with search and tags
- 02Images, videos, PDFs, audio, diagrams, and mathematical notation
- 03Cross-device synchronization, desktop/mobile/terminal clients, and Web Clipper
- 04Evernote and Markdown import with portable note formats
- It is more notebook- and Markdown-centric, and less visually rich or collaborative than Craft; Joplin Cloud synchronization is optional and separately priced.
Evidence sources (17)
- Joplin official GitHub repositorySource available ·
- Joplin LICENSELicense ·
- Joplin releasesRelease ·
- Joplin official installation pageDocumented macOS path ·
- Joplin official homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- Joplin official product screenshotScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
- Latest macOS release assetFree at review time ·
- Joplin dev branch commit historySource available ·
- Joplin LICENSELicense ·
- Joplin 3.6.15 macOS downloadFree at review time ·
- Joplin plans and pricingFree at review time ·
- Joplin project iconScreenshots ·
- Joplin multimedia notes product imageScreenshots ·
- Joplin collaboration product imageScreenshots ·
- Joplin web clipper product imageScreenshots ·
Logseq
A local-first open-source knowledge base for linked notes, tasks, and collaboration.
Metadata checked Aug 18, 2026
Best knowledge-management alternative after AppFlowy and Joplin: Logseq directly targets structured notes and collaboration, has active nightly releases, and publishes macOS desktop artifacts from its official repository.
Full review — capabilities, 2 caveats, evidence
Logseq is an outline-first knowledge-management app that stores Markdown or Org-mode graphs locally and adds backlinks, tasks, PDF annotation, plugins, database graphs, and experimental real-time collaboration.
- 01Outline and block-based notes in Markdown or Org-mode
- 02Backlinks, graph navigation, search, themes, and plugins
- 03Task management and PDF annotation
- 04Local-first desktop app with database graphs and RTC collaboration in beta
- The newer database and RTC collaboration path is explicitly beta/alpha, with the project warning that data loss is possible and recommending backups.
- Its outline-first workflow is more technical and less polished for presentation-oriented documents than Craft.
Evidence sources (11)
- Logseq official GitHub repositorySource available ·
- Logseq LICENSE.mdLicense ·
- Logseq releases and macOS desktop assetsRelease ·
- Logseq official downloadsDocumented macOS path ·
- Logseq official homepageWebsite ↗ ·
- Logseq official repository iconScreenshots ·
- GitHub REST repository APISource available ·
- GitHub license metadataLicense ·
- Latest GitHub releaseRelease ·
- Latest macOS release assetFree at review time ·
- Logseq LICENSE.mdLicense ·
Specifications, side by side
| Attribute | 1 · AppFlowy | 2 · Joplin | 3 · Logseq |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0-only | AGPL-3.0-or-later | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Status | Checked | Checked | Checked |
| Version | v0.13.2 | v3.6.15 | v2.0.1 |
| Stars | 75.7k | 56.0k | 44.5k |
| Last push | |||
| Caveats | 1 | 1 | 2 |
About Craft
Craft — Note-taking and document app for Mac. Create, link, share, and collaborate with beautiful formatting.
Setapp listing: Create and structure documents
