Note-taking tools can look similar until a long-running workflow meets a structural constraint: where the working data lives, whether local work is native, what the content unit is, how relationships work, and what leaving or sharing the system involves. This reference makes those boundaries visible across a fixed sample of 14 representative systems.
This is a source-coded reference, not a ranking, review, test, buyer score or complete market database. It compares documented structure — not prices, AI, security, privacy, feature counts or affiliate status.
How to read the fields
- Primary data location: the documented working source of truth, not an export or a sync copy.
- Local operation model: whether the native model works locally, offline-first, through selected offline content, or primarily through a hosted workspace.
- Primary content model: the native unit that carries the system’s structure.
- Native relationship model: documented built-in ways of connecting or containing information.
- Portability boundary: the underlying data boundary plus the documented export route. Export is not a promise of lossless migration.
- Collaboration model: whether shared work is central, an official option, or a local-primary path.
- Service and deployment dependency: the role of a vendor service in useful core work, with a separate narrow note when an official self-hosting path was reviewed.
Scroll the table horizontally to compare every field. The first column stays visible as you move across.
| Tool | Primary data location | Local operation model | Primary content model | Native relationship model | Portability boundary | Collaboration model | Service and deployment dependency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notion | Vendor-hosted workspace | Hosted workspace with downloaded-page offline use | Pages and databases | Page hierarchy and links | Hosted model; documented HTML, Markdown and CSV export | Hosted collaboration is central | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Craft | Vendor-hosted documents | Unclear from reviewed official documentation | Documents | Document hierarchy | Hosted model; documented document export | Official sharing and collaboration option | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Evernote | Vendor-hosted notebooks | Hosted-primary account model | Notes in notebooks | Notebook containment | Hosted model; documented ENEX or HTML export | Official notebook-sharing option | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Obsidian | Local Markdown files | Local native operation | Markdown files and notes | Folders plus note links/backlinks | Readable local files; files remain usable outside the app | Official shared-vault collaboration option | Core local work needs no vendor service; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Logseq | Local graph data; file or database graph depends on selected model | Local native graph operation | Blocks and graph pages | Page links and block references | Local graph model; documented Markdown, EDN and SQLite export | Official real-time collaboration path | Vendor Sync is optional; official self-hosted Sync path documented |
| Joplin | Local app-managed note collection | Offline-first local operation | Notes in notebooks | Notebook containment | App-managed data; documented export/import path | Official sharing option through Joplin Cloud | Vendor service is optional; official self-hosted server path documented |
| Roam Research | Vendor-hosted graph | Hosted-primary graph model | Nested blocks | Page links and block references | Hosted graph model; documented graph export | Hosted collaboration is central | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Workflowy | Vendor-hosted account document | Hosted-primary account model | One nested outline | Outline hierarchy | Hosted model; documented text, Markdown and OPML export | Official node-level sharing option | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Tana | Vendor-hosted workspace | Hosted-primary workspace model | Nodes and nested outline | References plus fields | Hosted model; documented Markdown/JSON export with an asset caveat | Hosted collaboration is central | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Capacities | Unclear from reviewed official documentation | Unclear from reviewed official documentation | Typed objects and content types | Object properties and relations | Hosted object model; documented export | Official sharing option | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Anytype | Local-first, peer-synced data | Offline-first local operation | Typed objects | Object relations and properties | Networked local data; documented data export | Official shared-space and peer collaboration path | Core local work needs no vendor service; official self-hosting path documented |
| Heptabase | Unclear from reviewed official documentation | Unclear from reviewed official documentation | Cards and visual whiteboards | Spatial card/whiteboard relationships | Unclear from reviewed official documentation | Unclear from reviewed official documentation | Unclear from reviewed official documentation |
| RemNote | Hosted knowledge base with documented local knowledge-base scope | Hosted knowledge base with documented offline use | Outlined notes with native flashcards | Hierarchy plus linked ideas | Hosted model; documented export with native-media caveat | Official sharing and collaboration option | Vendor service is central; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
| Anki | Local app-managed collection | Local native operation | Flashcards and decks | Deck and collection structure | App-managed collection; documented package and text export | Local, single-user primary model | Core local work needs no vendor service; no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation |
What the table can and cannot tell you
A local file, a local app-managed collection and a vendor-hosted workspace are different source boundaries. So are blocks, typed objects, cards and decks. The table does not decide which is better. It helps surface the constraint that deserves attention before a tool becomes a long-term home for work.
“Unclear from reviewed official documentation” is deliberately not a product negative. It means the current official source packet did not directly support a safe category. Likewise, “no official self-hosting path identified in reviewed documentation” describes the reviewed documentation scope; it does not say self-hosting is impossible.
Official source notes
These compact notes point to the official documentation used for the relevant field families. They are not a cell-by-cell evidence database.
- Notion: backup and data location; export your content; offline pages; sharing and permissions.
- Craft: export options; official sharing and export documentation.
- Evernote: export notes and notebooks; share a notebook.
- Obsidian: data storage; sync notes across devices; Syncing for teams.
- Logseq: DB graphs, export and Sync; official project documentation.
- Joplin: offline-first sync architecture; sync targets; Joplin Cloud and Server Business.
- Roam Research: blocks and references; graph export; current in-product help.
- Workflowy: getting started; sharing, collaboration and export; apps and devices.
- Tana: knowledge graph concepts; relationships in a workspace; copy, paste and export; collaboration and sharing.
- Capacities: content types; export documentation.
- Anytype: official FAQ; objects documentation; local-first, peer sync and Business deployment scope.
- Heptabase: official product model; current support documentation.
- RemNote: flashcard basics; exporting notes; current help centre.
- Anki: official manual; exporting; syncing.
Method and maintenance
PickTheTool coded this fixed representative sample from current first-party documentation using a defined structural-constraint protocol. It is original classification and synthesis, not product testing, a ranking, exhaustive market coverage or a security/privacy comparison. The source packet and cell-level traceability are maintained privately.
Last reviewed: 9 September 2026. Review this reference quarterly and after a documented material change to a tool’s storage, offline model, content unit, native relationship mechanism, export boundary, collaboration model or official deployment path.
Choose the next question
The PKM Tool Decision Map helps you choose a workflow territory; this reference exposes the system constraints beneath it. If the key question is where the primary working copy should live, compare local-first and cloud note-taking. If it is about the job of a folder, tag/property or link, read folders, tags and backlinks. For a focused decision among the four existing core outcomes, continue to the Note-taking Apps Picker.