The best Logseq alternatives for Mac
Looking for a Logseq alternative on Mac after the split? Koi, Obsidian, Joplin, Bear, Apple Notes and Craft compared on outlines, backlinks, sync and price.
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What Obsidian does well
Obsidian keeps your notes as plain Markdown files in a folder on your Mac, and the app is free, with no sign-up and no limits. It has backlinks, a graph of how notes link, Canvas, and Bases for database-like views of your notes. There are apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, and a community site full of plugins and themes.
You pay only for extras, on Obsidian's pricing page: Sync is $4 a month billed yearly or $5 monthly, Publish is $8 a site a month billed yearly or $10 monthly, and students get 40% off both. A commercial license is $50 a person a year, and it's optional.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from its own site, help pages or release notes, checked October 21, 2026. We didn't run tests or speed checks.
Stay
Stay on Obsidian if
Stay on Obsidian if
- You think in links: backlinks, the graph and linked mentions are how you find things. Koi has none of them.
- You want plain .md files you open in any editor every day. Koi keeps pages in its own history on your Mac and writes .md files only when you export.
- You need your notes on iPhone, Android, Windows or Linux. Koi is one Mac, with no sync.
- You rely on plugins. Koi has no plugins and no themes.
- You want it free. Obsidian costs nothing; Koi Pro is $20 a month.
Why people look
Why people look for an Obsidian alternative
Most people who leave Obsidian don't leave over files. They leave over setup. Obsidian is a toolkit: out of the box it's a Markdown editor, and the rest comes from settings and community plugins you choose, update and keep working. Some people love that. Others want an editor that already does tables, charts and export without building it.
Export is one example. Obsidian exports a note to PDF on the desktop, with paper size and margins, but not on mobile (Obsidian's help). Word, ePub or HTML come from community plugins, several of which need Pandoc installed. Sync is another: it's a paid add-on, or a folder you sync yourself with iCloud or Git.
And some want voice. Obsidian has no dictation or call transcription of its own; you'd add a plugin or another app.
The list
6 Obsidian alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Pages with tables, charts and math that you can talk into, on one Mac
Koi is a native Mac app whose editor does without plugins what Obsidian users often add: tables with spreadsheet formulas (start a cell with =) and column totals like Notion's, 11 chart types drawn from a small table, LaTeX equations, to-dos and flashcards with spaced repetition. Pages start as wide as the window, or pick A4 or US Letter, and export to Word or PDF.
Then there's voice. Tap Fn + ⌥ and Koi types what you say, on your Mac, offline, in Koi or any other app (more on dictation). Tap Fn + ⌃ to record a call or a class into a page, transcribed on your Mac with no bot joining. Tap Fn + ⌘ and ask Koi to write or change a page; that part uses Koi's AI, which is online.
What you give up is most of what makes Obsidian Obsidian: no backlinks, no graph, no plugins, no Canvas, no sync and no phone app. And it isn't free: Pro is $20 a month after a 3-day trial, or Lifetime from $59 once. The good news if you try it: Export All as Markdown writes every page to a folder of .md files, ready for an Obsidian vault.
2. Bear
Best for: Markdown notes that just work on Mac, iPhone and iPad
Bear is the opposite of a toolkit: open it and write. Notes are Markdown with tags and links between notes, and Pro adds iCloud sync and export to Markdown, Word, PDF, HTML, ePub and more. Pro is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a 7-day trial. It's Apple only, and notes live in Bear's library, not a folder you open elsewhere.
3. Apple Notes
Best for: Free notes on every Apple device, with nothing to set up
Apple Notes is free, syncs through iCloud, and has folders, tags, simple tables and shared notes. On macOS Tahoe it imports and exports Markdown, and exports PDF, per Apple's guide. No LaTeX, no charts and no plugins. More in our Apple Notes alternative page.
4. Logseq
Best for: An open-source outliner with backlinks, if you can live with a beta
Logseq is the closest to Obsidian in spirit: free, open source, local, built on backlinks. But it's mid-change. In April 2026 it split into Logseq OG, for Markdown files, which gets maintenance but no new features, and Logseq, a new database version whose 2.0 beta warns that data loss is possible. More in our Logseq alternatives page.
5. Joplin
Best for: Free, open-source notes with sync you choose and end-to-end encryption
Joplin is a free, open-source notes and to-do app on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. Notes are Markdown, with a rich text editor if you prefer. It syncs through Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or Joplin Cloud, with end-to-end encryption. Joplin Cloud Basic is €2.99 a month, or €28.69 a year (its plans). It looks plainer than Obsidian and has fewer plugins.
6. Craft
Best for: Polished native docs with sync, if you don't need plain files
Craft is native on Mac, iPhone and iPad, with Windows and web apps, and builds documents from blocks with links between them. It syncs through its own cloud. Free covers 1,500 blocks; Plus is $8 a month, or $6.40 a month billed yearly. Our Craft alternatives page goes deeper.
Comparison
Obsidian alternatives compared
From each app's own site, checked October 21, 2026: Obsidian, Bear, Joplin, Craft.
| Notes kept as | Sync | Phone app | Plugins | Word export | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | Markdown files in a folder | Paid add-on, or your own | iPhone and Android | Thousands | With plugins | Free; Sync from $4 a month |
| Koi | Pages in Koi on your Mac; .md on export | None | No | No | Yes, and PDF | $20 a month, or Lifetime from $59 |
| Bear | Bear's library, Markdown inside | iCloud, with Pro | iPhone and iPad | No | Yes, with Pro | $29.99 a year |
| Apple Notes | iCloud or On My Mac | iCloud | iPhone and iPad | No | No (PDF, Markdown) | Free |
| Logseq | Markdown (OG) or a database (beta) | In testing | OG on both; new iOS app in alpha | Yes | Not listed | Free |
| Joplin | Markdown notes | Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Joplin Cloud | iPhone and Android | Yes | Not listed | Free; Cloud from €2.99 a month |
| Craft | Craft's cloud | Craft's cloud | iPhone and iPad | No | Yes | Free to 1,500 blocks; Plus $6.40 a month yearly |
Head to head
Obsidian vs Koi
- Files: Obsidian's notes are .md files you own day to day. Koi's pages live in Koi on your Mac and become .md files when you export them all.
- Links: Obsidian has backlinks, a graph and Canvas. Koi has groups and search, and no links between pages.
- Tables: Obsidian's are Markdown tables, with Bases for views across notes. Koi's tables have spreadsheet formulas and column totals, inside one page.
- Charts: Koi draws 11 kinds from a table you edit. Obsidian needs a plugin or Mermaid code.
- Math: both draw LaTeX. Obsidian uses MathJax; Koi draws it natively, with $$ on both sides for inline math.
- Export: Koi exports Word and PDF on the paper size you pick. Obsidian exports PDF on the desktop, and the rest through plugins.
- Voice: Koi dictates in any app, offline, and records calls and classes into pages. Obsidian has none of its own.
- Price and devices: Obsidian is free on every platform. Koi is one Mac, $192 a year or Lifetime once.
Moving
How to bring Obsidian notes into Koi
- Find the note in your vault folder in Finder. It's already a Markdown file, so there's nothing to export.
- In Koi, choose File, then Import…, or Import in the Documents window, and pick the .md file.
- Koi reads it on your Mac and makes a page of its words. Import takes one file at a time, so start with the notes you work in now.
- Sort the pages into groups. Wiki links and tags don't become links or tags in Koi.
Going back is easy: File, Export All as Markdown… writes every page, its pictures and your groups as folders into a folder you pick. Point Obsidian at it and it's a vault.
Choosing
Which Obsidian alternative should you pick?
- Simpler Markdown notes on every Apple device? Bear.
- Free, with nothing to set up? Apple Notes.
- Backlinks and outlines, open source? Logseq, knowing it's in beta.
- Open source with sync you control? Joplin.
- Polished docs that sync? Craft.
- Pages with tables, charts and math that you can talk into, plus recorded calls, on one Mac? Koi.
Math-heavy notes? See our list of notes apps with LaTeX for Mac. Prefer to pay once? Our notes apps you buy once list compares Koi Lifetime with the rest. Koi's plans are on the pricing page.
Keep exploring
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.
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.
Your AI apps can use Koi now
Connect Claude, Cursor, Claude Code or Codex to Koi over MCP: they search your calls and notes, write pages, and fill in your calendar and expenses.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The app is free with no limits and no sign-up. Sync is $4 a month billed yearly or $5 monthly, and Publish is $8 a site a month billed yearly, at the time of writing.
Not by itself. Obsidian exports a note to PDF on the desktop, and Word comes from community plugins, several of which need Pandoc installed.
No. Koi has groups and search across your pages, but no backlinks, graph or links between pages. If you work through links, stay on Obsidian.
Yes. File, Export All as Markdown writes every Koi page as a .md file, groups as folders and pictures beside them, which Obsidian opens as a vault.
Bear and Apple Notes need no setup and sync to iPhone. Koi needs none either and adds tables, charts, dictation and recorded calls, but it's one Mac only.