Capacities
Object-based PKM where every note has a type, properties, and live backlinks
What is Capacities?
Capacities is a personal knowledge management app built on typed objects (people, books, projects, ideas) rather than folders, so notes connect into a living graph instead of nesting into hierarchies. It's aimed at writers, researchers, students, and indie knowledge workers who want a structured PKM without enterprise overhead.
Markdown-native, local-first, docs, notes, and knowledge tools that are easy for people and AI agents to read.
See the full Markdown & Knowledge guide to compare more tools, buyer criteria, and related workflows.
Use cases to evaluate
Maintaining a reading library where each book object links to highlights and reviews
Building a personal CRM of people, companies, and recurring conversations
Long-form writing research that ties sources, quotes, and outlines together
Daily journaling that converts ad-hoc thoughts into typed objects over time
Fit to evaluate
Independent writers and non-fiction authors managing research over years
PhD students and academics organizing literature notes
Solo founders who want a thinking tool, not a team wiki
Knowledge workers who want full data export and no VC-driven lock-in
Business fit
Right for you if you've outgrown plain Markdown but find Notion too database-heavy and Obsidian too fiddly to set up. Capacities' Related Content feature surfaces places you wrote about a topic without ever explicitly linking it, which is genuinely useful for serendipitous recall. Skip if you need real team collaboration, deep automations, or commercial team plans, because the product is explicitly built for individuals and funded by users rather than VCs.
How to evaluate Capacities
Use this category when knowledge is scattered across chats, private documents, and tribal memory.
Confirm the exact workflow
Map Capacities to one concrete workflow first, such as maintaining a reading library where each book object links to highlights and reviews. Avoid buying before the owner, trigger, output, and success metric are clear.
Check category fit
Compare file portability, linking, search, permissions, and export options.
Compare practical alternatives
Shortlist Capacities against Obsidian, Logseq, Roam Research so the decision is based on fit, effort, and workflow ownership rather than brand recognition alone.
Validate cost and rollout effort
Free core plan that the company commits to keeping free forever. Capacities Pro adds AI, queries, and calendar features, and a Believer tier exists to support the project, but specific dollar amounts are not published on the public pricing summary fetched. Also confirm implementation time, support needs, and whether the easy setup matches your team.
Compare Capacities with alternatives
Use this quick comparison before booking demos or moving data into a new system.
| Primary workflow | Maintaining a reading library where each book object links to highlights and reviews, Building a personal CRM of people, companies, and recurring conversations |
|---|---|
| Best-fit team | Independent writers and non-fiction authors managing research over years, PhD students and academics organizing literature notes |
| Implementation effort | Easy setup and maintenance profile |
| Pricing check | Free plan + paid plans |
| Closest alternatives | ObsidianLogseqRoam ResearchTana |
Capacities pricing
| Model | Free plan + paid plans |
|---|---|
| Snapshot | Free core plan that the company commits to keeping free forever. Capacities Pro adds AI, queries, and calendar features, and a Believer tier exists to support the project, but specific dollar amounts are not published on the public pricing summary fetched. |
| Checked |
Common questions about Capacities
What is Capacities?
Capacities is a personal knowledge management app built on typed objects (people, books, projects, ideas) rather than folders, so notes connect into a living graph instead of nesting into hierarchies. It's aimed at writers, researchers, students, and indie knowledge workers who want a structured PKM without enterprise overhead.
What is Capacities used for?
Common use cases: Maintaining a reading library where each book object links to highlights and reviews; Building a personal CRM of people, companies, and recurring conversations; Long-form writing research that ties sources, quotes, and outlines together; Daily journaling that converts ad-hoc thoughts into typed objects over time.
How much does Capacities cost?
Free core plan that the company commits to keeping free forever. Capacities Pro adds AI, queries, and calendar features, and a Believer tier exists to support the project, but specific dollar amounts are not published on the public pricing summary fetched.
Who is Capacities best for?
Capacities fits Independent writers and non-fiction authors managing research over years, PhD students and academics organizing literature notes, Solo founders who want a thinking tool, not a team wiki, Knowledge workers who want full data export and no VC-driven lock-in. Right for you if you've outgrown plain Markdown but find Notion too database-heavy and Obsidian too fiddly to set up. Capacities' Related Content feature surfaces places you wrote about a topic without ever explicitly linking it, which is genuinely useful for serendipitous recall. Skip if you need real team collaboration, deep automations, or commercial team plans, because the product is explicitly built for individuals and funded by users rather than VCs.
What are alternatives to Capacities?
Common alternatives to Capacities include Obsidian, Logseq, Roam Research, Tana, Reflect, Anytype.