Roam Research

The browser-based outliner that popularised daily notes, backlinks and block references.

Verified facts: 1 of 1
Alternatives ranked: 6
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Roam Research

Roam Research is an outliner for what its makers call networked thought. Every page is a bulleted outline, every day gets a daily note, and you link ideas with double square brackets, which builds backlinks automatically and lets you embed or reference individual blocks anywhere. That model, which took off around 2020, inspired a wave of tools such as Logseq, Obsidian's backlinks and Tana. Roam runs in the browser with desktop and mobile apps, and supports queries, a graph view, templates and JavaScript extensions through Roam Depot. It is a paid service with no free plan, offered as a monthly or annual Pro subscription and a multi-year Believer plan. The downsides are the price compared with free rivals, slower development than in its early years, and a cloud-only database rather than local files. It still suits researchers and writers who think in outlines and want block-level linking.

Best for: Researchers and writers who think in outlines and want block-level links.

What works

Block references and embeds work very well
Daily notes and backlinks with no setup
Extensions through Roam Depot

Why people leave

No free plan
Cloud-only, with no local file storage
Development pace has slowed
Mobile apps are weaker than the web app

Top Roam Research alternatives

See all 6

1
Logseq
A free, open-source outliner with the same daily notes and block references.
76.8
2
Obsidian
Free for personal use, with backlinks over local Markdown files.
67.8
3
Reflect
Simpler daily notes and backlinks in a free Mac app.
64.7
4
Tana Outliner
A modern outliner with supertags, AI and a free plan.
62.6
5
RemNote
Outliner notes with built-in flashcards and spaced repetition.
57.2

Why people left Roam Research

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Roam Research: common questions

Is Roam Research free?

No, Roam Research is a paid product.

Is Roam Research open source?

No, Roam Research is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Logseq and Reflect.

What platforms does Roam Research run on?

Roam Research is available for Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Roam Research?

The highest-ranked Roam Research alternatives right now are Logseq, Obsidian and Reflect. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 6 Roam Research alternatives