Linked notes.
Without the $15/mo.

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.