Linked notes.
Without the $15/mo.
$15/mo for bullet points? Craft gives you beautiful linked documents, offline, and AI — for less.
Which one is right for you?
Craft
Fraction of the price — free tier available vs Roam's $15/mo minimum
Native mobile apps — Roam has no dedicated mobile experience
Works fully offline — Roam requires internet for everything
Beautiful documents with covers, media, and formatting — not just bullets
Active development with regular updates — not years of stagnation
Roam Research
Block-level transclusion and references are non-negotiable
Custom Datalog queries are core to your research workflow
You've built complex graphs over years that can't easily migrate
Daily-note-centric bullet journaling is your primary use case
Roam pioneered bi-directional linking, but at $15/mo with no free tier, no real mobile apps, no offline support, and stalled development, many users feel they're overpaying. Craft links documents beautifully with native apps everywhere — starting free.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
See how Craft and Roam Research compare across key features
Feature
Craft
Roam Research
Winner
Performance
Native apps, instant launch on all platforms
Web-only, slows down with large graphs
Craft
Sync
Sub-second sync, works offline
Cloud-only — no internet, no notes
Craft
Document Design
Beautiful covers, layouts, rich typography
Bullet outlines only, minimal formatting
Craft
AI Features
Included free in all plans
Basic and poorly integrated
Craft
Offline Access
Full offline on all platforms
No offline — requires internet connection
Craft
Apple Pencil
Native drawing and annotation on iPad
Not available (no native iPad app)
Craft
Web Publishing
One-click beautiful web pages
Public graph export only
Craft
Pricing
Free plan available / $4.99/mo Plus
No free tier — $15/month minimum
Craft
Organization
Folders, collections, linked documents
Flat graph — everything in one pile
Craft
Why users switch to Craft
M
Mikailkraft
“ Craft gets rid of all the noise from Notion while not becoming as barebones as Obsidian. It’s a perfect balance of features – and it’s done seamlessly. Synching is immediate, and the app feels right at home on my Mac and my iPad.”
App Store Award
Mac App of the Year
Apple Design Awards
Finalist
Webby
Awarded three times in various categories
German Design Award
Excellent Communications Design Interactive UX
What matters most
Craft gets it right
Quick idea capture
Capture ideas on any device — Mac, iPad, iPhone, Windows, or Web — with sync included free
Fast, beautiful writing
Rich formatting with covers, tables, and media — not just plain markdown bullets
Offline access
Keep working anywhere without WiFi — Roam requires internet for everything
Easy Organization
Spaces, folders, collections, and tags — more than just a flat graph of bullet points
Task management
Built-in tasks with due dates and daily notes — no third-party app needed
API, MCP & Automations
Connect with Claude, ChatGPT, Apple Shortcuts, and build custom workflows
Why users switch to Craft
J
Jeffb129
“ Craft is way more functional than Apple or Google Notes while being much easier to use than Notion”
Compare the cost
Plan
Craft
Roam Research
Starter
Free
Free
Plus Personal
$4.8
$15/mo
Plus Family and Groups
$9.0 /person
from $12/user/mo
AI Assistant Feature
Included
In Business plan only
Switch From Roam To Craft
Export Your Graph
In Roam, go to Settings → Export All. Choose Markdown format to preserve your links.
Import to Craft
In Craft, use Import to bring in your Markdown files. Page links are preserved as document links.
Start Creating
Your knowledge base is in Craft with real offline support. Add formatting, collaborate, and access notes anywhere.
Ready for linked notes at a fair price?
Start for free. No credit card required.
Common Questions
For many users, yes – especially if you want a polished native experience with less complexity. Craft offers linking and organization capabilities with a beautiful interface, offline access, and mobile apps that actually work well. If you rely heavily on Roam's query language and graph database, Craft is a simpler but more refined alternative.
Writers, professionals, and thinkers who want structured notes without the steep learning curve. Craft is fully native on Apple platforms with automatic sync and full offline access. Roam is better for power users who want to build complex knowledge graphs.
Yes. Craft supports real-time collaboration, comments, and team spaces. Share documents with anyone via link. Roam's collaboration features are expensive ($15/month per user) and less intuitive.
Roam costs $15/month ($180/year) with no free tier. Craft has a free plan and Plus starts at $5/month with AI included. Craft is 67% cheaper and offers more features for most users.
Publish beautiful web pages, use native Apple Pencil support, enjoy true offline access, collaborate in real-time, use AI assistance, and work on polished native mobile apps. Roam's web-only approach limits these experiences.
Yes – and this is a major advantage. Craft provides full offline access on all devices. Create, edit, and search without internet. Roam is entirely web-based and requires constant internet connection.
Yes. Export your Roam graph as Markdown files (Settings → Export All → Markdown). Import them into Craft. Your formatting and basic links transfer. Roam's block references won't transfer, but document links will.
Yes. Craft supports bi-directional linking between documents with backlinks. It's simpler than Roam's block-level linking, but covers most knowledge management needs without the complexity.
Craft is significantly faster with native apps and sub-second sync. Roam's web-based architecture becomes slow with large graphs. Many Roam users report multi-second load times that don't exist in Craft.
Yes. Craft has a built-in Daily Notes feature with calendar integration. Capture your thoughts each day, link to documents, and review past entries. Similar concept to Roam's daily pages.
Yes. Craft lets you publish beautiful web pages with one click. Anyone can view without an account. Roam's published graphs are hard to navigate and look unpolished by comparison.
Yes. Craft has native Apple Pencil support on iPad for writing, drawing, and annotating. Mix handwritten notes with typed text. Roam has no handwriting support.
Yes. Craft includes AI assistant in all plans at no extra cost. Write, edit, summarize, and organize content. Roam has basic AI features but they're less integrated and polished.
If you value offline access, native mobile apps, beautiful publishing, and a lower price, yes. Many Roam users switch when they realize they don't need block-level references for their workflow.
Yes. Craft offers a free Education plan. Roam has no student discount at $15/month. Craft's offline access and native apps are perfect for lectures and study sessions.
Craft is better for writers who want to publish and share polished work. Beautiful typography, one-click publishing, and distraction-free writing. Roam is better for researchers building knowledge networks.
Craft syncs in sub-second time across all devices and works offline. Roam requires internet and changes are saved to the server directly. Craft's approach is faster and more reliable.
Export your Roam graph as Markdown (Settings → Export All → Markdown). Use Craft's Import feature. Your page links become Craft document links. Block references won't transfer, but the content does cleanly.
Why users switch to Craft
Aaron
“ Best App for Everyone. It features every features with excellent UI and UX taking note taking to next level and I even replaced Notion with this one.”