Free Craft alternatives
Top Note-taking & Knowledge Bases like Craft
The most popular alternative to Craft is Notion, which has a free version. Other great alternatives to Craft are Obsidian, Bear, Apple Notes, and Capacities.
Most alternatives to Craft are in the Note-taking & Knowledge Bases category, compared here by price, platform and features.
All Craft alternatives
Notion combines notes, documents, databases and project management in a flexible block-based workspace, with an integrated AI assistant.
17 Notion alternativesPros
- Docs, wikis and databases combined in one flexible workspace
- Large template gallery for roadmaps, trackers and wikis
- Real-time collaboration with comments, mentions and an API
Cons
- Databases and relations take time to master
- Offline access is limited compared with local-first apps
- Large workspaces can feel slow to load
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesObsidian stores notes as plain Markdown files on your device, links them into a knowledge graph and extends with a large plugin ecosystem.
17 Obsidian alternativesPros
- Notes are plain Markdown files stored on your device
- Large ecosystem of community plugins and themes
- Graph view and backlinks for connected notes
Cons
- Official sync and publishing are paid add-ons
- Plugin-heavy setups take time to configure and maintain
- No real-time collaboration on notes
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesBear is a writing and note-taking app for Mac, iPhone and iPad from Shiny Frog, built on Markdown with nested tags, links between notes and a choice of themes. The app is free to use on a single device, while Bear Pro adds iCloud sync across devices, OCR search in images and PDFs, and more export formats.
12 Bear alternativesPros
- Elegant Markdown editor with a choice of themes
- Nested tags and note links keep things organized without folders
- Native, fast apps designed for Mac, iPhone and iPad
Cons
- Apple only, with no Windows, Android or web version
- Sync across devices requires the Pro subscription
- No shared notes or real-time collaboration
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesApple Notes is the free notes app included with iPhone, iPad and Mac, synced through iCloud and also reachable on the web at iCloud.com. It handles checklists, tables, Apple Pencil sketches, document scanning and searchable text in images, plus shared notes and folders, tags, smart folders and locked notes.
9 Apple Notes alternativesPros
- Free and built into every iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Document scanning, Pencil sketches and text search inside images
- Shared notes and folders with real-time collaboration
Cons
- No native apps for Windows or Android, only iCloud.com
- Fewer organization options than dedicated knowledge tools
Cost / LicenseFreeProprietaryCategoriesCapacities is a note-taking app that organizes knowledge as objects such as people, books, meetings and ideas, each with its own properties and templates, instead of folders. Objects link to each other through backlinks and a graph, daily notes collect everyday thoughts, and the Pro plan adds an AI assistant. It is developed by a small team in Germany.
8 Capacities alternativesPros
- Object types like people, books and meetings give notes structure
- Backlinks, graph view and daily notes connect ideas
- Available on web, desktop and mobile with sync
Cons
- The object-based approach takes time to get used to
- The AI assistant and some features need the Pro plan
- Cloud-based storage gives less control than local-first apps
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesEvernote is a long-standing note-taking app, owned by Bending Spoons since 2023, that stores notes, web clips, PDFs, scans and audio in notebooks with tags and full-text search, including text inside images. Recent versions add tasks, calendar integration and AI features, while the free plan has become very limited compared with the paid tiers.
12 Evernote alternativesPros
- Mature web clipper and full-text search, even inside images
- Stores notes, PDFs, scans and audio in one place
- Tasks and calendar integration alongside notes
Cons
- The free plan is very limited compared with paid tiers
- Paid plans are expensive compared with many note apps
- Apps can feel heavier and slower than lighter note tools
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesAnytype is a local-first workspace for notes, databases and collaboration, with peer-to-peer sync and end-to-end encryption.
10 Anytype alternativesPros
- Local-first data with end-to-end encrypted peer-to-peer sync
- Objects, types and relations enable flexible, database-like notes
- Works offline on desktop and mobile alike
Cons
- The object and type model takes time to learn
- No web app, only desktop and mobile clients
- Fewer integrations and plugins than mainstream workspaces
Cost / LicenseFreemiumSource availableCategoriesUpNote is a note-taking app with a clean editor, notebooks, tags and links between notes, available on the web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. Notes are stored locally for offline use and synced across devices, with a web clipper and Markdown shortcuts. The free version is capped at a small number of notes, and Premium can be bought once or as a subscription.
11 UpNote alternativesPros
- Clean editor with notebooks, tags and links between notes
- Apps on every platform, including Linux and the web
- Premium is available as a one-time purchase
Cons
- The free version is capped at a small number of notes
- No shared notebooks or real-time collaboration
Cost / LicenseFreemiumProprietaryCategoriesMicrosoft OneNote is a free digital notebook that organizes notes into notebooks, sections and pages, where text, images, drawings and handwriting can be placed anywhere on the page. It syncs through OneDrive, supports shared notebooks for classes and teams, and works closely with Outlook, Teams and the rest of Microsoft 365.
9 Microsoft OneNote alternativesPros
- Freeform pages for text, drawings and handwriting anywhere
- Free, with OneDrive sync on all major platforms
- Works closely with Outlook, Teams and Microsoft 365
Cons
- The freeform layout gets messy and is hard to export
- Sync can lag or conflict with large notebooks
- No native app for Linux desktops
Cost / LicenseFreeProprietaryCategories
Craft vs its alternatives at a glance
Pricing, platforms and the key features of Craft, compared with its most popular alternatives.
| App | Pricing | Platforms | AI assistant | Bidirectional links | Cross-device sync | Offline mode | Real-time collaboration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Craft | Freemium | Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone | |||||
 Notion | Freemium | Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android | |||||
 Obsidian | Freemium | Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android | |||||
 Bear | Freemium | Mac, iPhone | |||||
 Apple Notes | Free | Web, Mac, iPhone | |||||
 Capacities | Freemium | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android |
Craft alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Craft?
The most popular alternative to Craft is Notion: Connected workspace for docs, wikis and projects. Other great alternatives are Obsidian, Bear, Apple Notes, and Capacities.
Is there a free alternative to Craft?
Yes, 9 alternatives are free or have a free plan, including Notion, Obsidian, Bear, and Apple Notes.
Is there an open source alternative to Craft?
No open source alternative to Craft is listed yet.
Is Craft free?
Craft has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features.
Compare Craft with its alternatives
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