Org-roam
An Emacs package for linked, plain-text personal knowledge management built on Org mode files.
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About Org-roam
Org-roam turns a folder of Org mode files in Emacs into a personal wiki with backlinks between notes. A built-in graph visualization helps you find connections between notes. Notes are plain text, work entirely offline and can be encrypted with GPG.
Because it runs inside Emacs, it uses Emacs text editing and the wider Org mode package ecosystem. Companion projects include org-roam-ui for a browser-based graph, org-roam-bibtex and citar-org-roam for citations, and org-roam-ql for queries.
Strengths
- Plain-text notes that stay fully under your control
- Backlinks and a graph view for connecting ideas
- GPG encryption of notes
- Ecosystem of companion packages for citations and queries
Limitations
- Requires Emacs and familiarity with Org mode
- No mobile app of its own
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source under the GPL version 3 or later.
- License
- GPL-3.0-or-later
- Developer
- The Org-roam contributors
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Emacs users who want a linked, plain-text knowledge base
- Categories
- Note-taking
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to Org-roam
Compare allSoftware that can replace Org-roam for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
Denote
An Emacs note-taking package that organises plain-text notes through a predictable, descriptive file naming scheme.
Denote also runs in Emacs with plain-text notes, using a descriptive file naming scheme and no database instead of Org-roam's backlink and graph approach.
Obsidian
A notes app that works on a folder of plain Markdown files on your own disk, with links between them.
Obsidian provides backlinks and a graph view over plain Markdown files with desktop and mobile apps, but the application itself is not open source.
Logseq
An outliner that stores notes as plain Markdown files, built around a daily journal and linked blocks.
Logseq offers block-level linking over plain Markdown files with desktop and mobile apps, so Emacs knowledge is not needed, though its database version is in beta.
Foam
A personal knowledge management system built on Visual Studio Code and plain Markdown files.
Foam gives wikilinks, backlinks and a graph view over Markdown files inside Visual Studio Code rather than Emacs, with Git for history and sync.
zk
A command-line tool for maintaining a plain-text Markdown Zettelkasten or personal wiki.
zk is a command-line tool for a Markdown Zettelkasten that works with any text editor, so you are not tied to Emacs or Org files.
Roam Research
A networked note-taking outliner for connecting related ideas into a graph of linked notes.
Roam Research is a paid, proprietary web outliner for linked notes with real-time collaboration, moving away from local plain-text Org files.
VimWiki
A Vim plugin that turns linked plain-text files into a personal wiki with its own syntax.
VimWiki is a plain-text personal wiki inside Vim with links and export to a website, suiting Vim users, but it lacks a graph view.
SilverBullet
Keep linked Markdown notes in a self-hosted browser workspace.
SilverBullet keeps linked Markdown notes in a self-hosted browser workspace with queries and extensions, MIT licensed, reachable from any browser rather than Emacs.
Org-roam as an alternative
Listings that name Org-roam as an alternative.
Neorg
A Neovim plugin and file format for notes, tasks and organising your life inside the editor.
Org-roam adds backlinks, graph view and GPG encryption to Org mode files for linked notes, but requires Emacs and familiarity with Org mode.
The Archive
A plain-text Zettelkasten note-taking app for macOS that stores notes as Markdown files.
Org-roam is a free Emacs package for linked plain-text notes built on Org mode files, with backlinks and a graph view but requiring Emacs.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Org mode
A GNU Emacs major mode for notes, outlines, to-do lists and documents kept in plain text.
Emanote
A tool that turns a folder of Markdown notes into a linked, browsable website.
TiddlyWiki
A non-linear personal notebook that runs as a single self-contained HTML file in a browser.
nb
A command-line and local web tool for plain text notes, bookmarks and a Git-backed knowledge base.
