Best free tier for knowledge-management

Obsidian

★ 30

A local-first Markdown knowledge base built on plain .md files in a folder on your device — free for personal use forever with unlimited notes, unlimited devices, the full plugin + theme ecosystem, links/backlinks/graph view, and canvas/whiteboards. No account required; your notes outlive the app. Sync (encrypted across devices) is ~$4/mo and Publish (share notes as a site) is ~$8/mo as paid add-ons; commercial use needs a license.

Bandwidth
n/a
Requests
Unlimited notes + unlimited devices, local Markdown files
Paid from
$4/mo
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Logseq

★ 29

An open-source (AGPL-3.0) local-first knowledge graph on plain Markdown or org-mode files — free forever with unlimited pages, blocks, backlinks, daily-journal, PDF annotations, whiteboards, and a query system; fully self-hostable (your data stays on disk). Logseq Sync (encrypted cross-device) and Pro are paid add-ons; the local app is unlimited free.

Bandwidth
n/a
Requests
Unlimited pages + blocks, local-first Markdown/org-mode
Paid from
$5/mo
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Capacities

★ 26

A newer object-oriented personal-knowledge-management app where every note is a typed object (book, person, idea) with backlinks — the free plan gives unlimited objects, unlimited pages, daily notes, and AI features with a 100 MB file-storage cap for 1 user. Pro from ~€7/mo unlocks unlimited storage, queries, advanced AI, and unlimited object references.

Bandwidth
n/a
Requests
Unlimited objects, 100 MB file storage, 1 user
Paid from
$8/mo
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Notion

★ 24

The all-in-one blocks-and-database workspace most people recognize — the Free plan gives unlimited blocks and pages for personal workspaces, 10 guest collaborators, unlimited sync across iOS/Android/desktop, 5 MB file uploads, and 7-day page history. The old 1,000-block cap was removed for the Free plan. Plus from ~$10/seat/mo adds unlimited file uploads, 30-day history, and unlimited team members.

Bandwidth
n/a
Requests
Unlimited blocks and pages (personal use), 5 MB file uploads, 7-day page history
Paid from
$10/mo
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