The best Obsidian alternatives for Mac
Looking for an Obsidian alternative on Mac? Koi, Bear, Apple Notes, Logseq, Joplin and Craft compared on files, sync, plugins, Word export and price.
Start here
What Logseq does well, and what's changing
Logseq is a free, open-source outliner under the AGPL: every note is a list of bullets, every bullet can link to a page, and backlinks show where each idea came up. It started on plain Markdown files on your own disk, which is why people who care about owning their notes love it.
2026 changed things. On April 24, Logseq announced it was splitting into two products. Logseq OG keeps Markdown files and gets maintenance, security fixes and Electron upgrades, but no new features. Logseq, the new database version, keeps the roadmap and stores your graph in a database, with Markdown as an export. Nobody is forced to move.
The database version is still a beta. Its latest release, 2.0.2 on October 7, 2026, is marked Beta Testing, and its GitHub page says data loss is possible and asks you to keep backups. Its sync, which encrypts on your device, is in alpha, and test invites went first to Open Collective sponsors at $15 a month. The new iOS app is in alpha too, with Android to follow.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from its own site, release notes or forum, checked October 21, 2026. We didn't run tests.
Stay
Stay on Logseq if
Stay on Logseq if
- You think in outlines and daily journals, and link blocks to pages. Koi has no outliner mode, no block links and no backlinks.
- You want open source. Koi isn't.
- Your Markdown files work well in Logseq OG and you don't need new features. Maintenance is promised.
- You need Windows, Linux or a phone. Koi is one Mac, with no sync.
- You want it free. Logseq costs nothing; Koi Pro is $20 a month.
Why people look
Why people look for a Logseq alternative
Mostly the split. If you chose Logseq for Markdown files, the version that keeps them is now in maintenance, and the version that gets new features keeps your notes in a database. Both are honest choices, but either way you're deciding again.
Others leave because an outliner doesn't suit long writing: an essay, a report or a plan for someone else reads better as a document than as bullets. And some want a sync that isn't in testing, or a phone app that isn't in alpha.
The list
6 Logseq alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Documents rather than outlines, with voice, tables and charts, on one Mac
Koi is a document editor, not an outliner. Pages have headings, lists, to-dos, pictures, tables with spreadsheet formulas and column totals, 11 chart types drawn from a small table, LaTeX equations and flashcards studied with spaced repetition. They export to Word or PDF, and Export All as Markdown writes every page to a folder of .md files that Logseq OG can open.
The daily-journal habit fits voice well. Tap Fn + ⌥ and Koi types what you say, on your Mac, offline (more on dictation). Tap Fn + ⌃ to record a meeting or a class into a page, transcribed on your Mac. Tap Fn + ⌘ and ask “what did Sam say about pricing?” and Koi answers from your pages and calls; that part uses Koi's AI, which is online.
What you give up: outlines, block references, backlinks, the graph, plugins, open source, sync and every device but one Mac. Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial, or Lifetime from $59 once.
2. Obsidian
Best for: Markdown files with backlinks, stable and free
The most common move from Logseq. Obsidian keeps Markdown files in a folder, with backlinks, a graph, Canvas and Bases, on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. Daily notes are built in, and community plugins add outlining. It's free; Sync is $4 a month billed yearly or $5 monthly. It isn't open source. More in our Obsidian alternatives.
3. Joplin
Best for: Open source, with end-to-end encrypted sync that's finished
Joplin is free and open source on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, with Markdown notes, notebooks and to-dos. It syncs through Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or Joplin Cloud with end-to-end encryption; Cloud Basic is €2.99 a month. Not an outliner, and no backlinks out of the box.
4. Bear
Best for: Markdown notes with links, polished, on Apple devices
Bear has links between notes and nested tags, formats Markdown as you type, and syncs with iCloud on Pro, at $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Mac, iPhone and iPad only.
5. Apple Notes
Best for: Free notes that just sync, with nothing to set up
Free, on every Apple device, with folders, tags and simple tables. On macOS Tahoe it imports Markdown files and exports Markdown and PDF. No backlinks or outliner.
6. Craft
Best for: Blocks and links in a polished native app, with sync
Craft builds documents from blocks you can nest and link, so it feels closer to an outliner than most document apps. Native on Mac, iPhone and iPad; free to 1,500 blocks, Plus $8 a month or $6.40 billed yearly. Your notes live in Craft's cloud.
Comparison
Logseq alternatives compared
From each app's own site, checked October 21, 2026.
| Shape | Backlinks | Open source | Sync | Phone app | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logseq | Outliner | Yes | Yes | Alpha, for sponsors first | OG; new iOS app in alpha | Free |
| Koi | Documents | No | No | None | No | $20 a month, or Lifetime from $59 |
| Obsidian | Markdown notes | Yes | No | Paid add-on | iPhone and Android | Free; Sync from $4 a month |
| Joplin | Notebooks | No | Yes | Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Joplin Cloud | iPhone and Android | Free; Cloud from €2.99 |
| Bear | Notes | Links | No | iCloud, with Pro | iPhone and iPad | $29.99 a year |
| Apple Notes | Notes | No | No | iCloud | iPhone and iPad | Free |
| Craft | Blocks | Yes | No | Craft's cloud | iPhone and iPad | Free to 1,500 blocks |
Head to head
Logseq vs Koi
- Shape: Logseq is bullets and outlines. Koi is documents you'd send someone.
- Links: Logseq has block references, backlinks and a graph. Koi has groups and search.
- Files: Logseq OG writes Markdown as you go; the new Logseq keeps a database. Koi keeps pages on your Mac and exports Markdown on demand.
- Tables and charts: Koi has tables with formulas and 11 chart types. Logseq's strength is elsewhere.
- Voice: Koi dictates offline in any app and records meetings into pages. Logseq has none of its own.
- Openness: Logseq is open source and free. Koi is neither.
Moving
How to bring Logseq pages into Koi
- In Logseq OG, your pages are .md files in your graph's pages folder. Find the one you want in Finder.
- In Koi, choose File, then Import…, and pick it. Koi makes a page of its words, read on your Mac.
- Bullets come in as a list. Block references, page links and properties don't carry their meaning into Koi.
- Import takes one file at a time, so move what you're working on, not the whole graph.
Staying
If you stay: Logseq OG or the new Logseq?
Both apps can be installed side by side, with file graphs in OG and database graphs in the new app, so you don't have to choose at once. A Markdown graph import tool moves a file graph into the database version when you're ready.
Going the other way is still being built. Logseq's May 2026 update describes a Markdown Mirror that writes a read-only Markdown copy of a database graph to a folder, turned on per graph. The two-way version, where edits to those files flow back into the database, was in development and not shipped (Logseq forum). If plain files are why you're on Logseq, OG is the safe place to stay for now, and Obsidian is the safe place to go.
Choosing
Which Logseq alternative should you pick?
- Backlinks on Markdown files, stable? Obsidian.
- Open source with sync that's finished? Joplin.
- Linked notes on Apple devices? Bear.
- Free and simple? Apple Notes.
- Nested blocks in a polished app? Craft.
- Documents you talk into, with tables, charts and recorded meetings, on one Mac? Koi.
Studying? Koi's flashcards and study notes are on the study page. Koi's plans are on the pricing page.
Keep exploring
The best Craft alternatives for Mac
Looking for a Craft Docs alternative on Mac? Koi, Notion, Apple Notes, Bear, Obsidian and Capacities, compared on sync, databases, voice, export and price.
Notes on your Mac, with tables, charts and math
Koi for Mac is an offline notes app with tables, 11 chart types, LaTeX, to-dos and flashcards. Export to Word or PDF, and start by typing or by talking.
An Apple Notes alternative for Mac, with charts, LaTeX and Word export
An Apple Notes alternative for Mac with charts drawn from a table, LaTeX, Word export and calls recorded into a note. Mac only, no sync, and not free. Compared.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Yes. In April 2026 it split: Logseq OG keeps Markdown files and gets maintenance only, while the new database version gets new features. Its 2.0 release is still marked beta.
Logseq OG does. The new database version keeps your graph in a database and can export Markdown, but the database is the copy that counts.
The new version's sync encrypts on your device and is in alpha, with test invites going to Open Collective sponsors first.
No. Koi is a document editor with lists, tables and charts, not an outliner, and it has no backlinks or block references. It exports every page as Markdown, which Logseq OG can open.