12 Best PKM (Notes) Apps in 2025

PKM apps are basically posh versions of note-taking apps.

They have become trendy recently and stand for personal knowledge management apps. Many people have turned to this as a way to handle the following things better:

• Connect and build relationships between notes

• Visualize your notes in a graph-like structure

• Go deeper with the research collection and recall of notes

PKM apps have become a better way to extract more from your note-taking by allowing you to connect notes using backlinks, create graphs of how notes are connected, and resurface notes for later adoption in practices like Second Brain.

What is a PKM app?

PKM apps are like advanced note-taking apps that connect notes.

This is called networked thought in the PKM world and helps to connect notes and build a graph view for exploring note relationships. PKM apps can help improve your knowledge management process.

PKM stands for Personal Knowledge Management and is a note-taking style. It is an advanced knowledge management system that many people look to as a way to organize and structure their notes better and use them more effectively in the future.

Best PKM Apps for Note-Taking

Here are all of the best recommendations for PKM apps for 2025:

1. Obsidian

Best Value for All Round

Obsidian is a note-taking application that focuses on helping you connect notes using backlinks, graph view, and networked thought. It comes with plenty of features for PKM, like graph view that you can search within using Obsidian's chosen node-based search, powerful backlink, and block referencing abilities that allow you to reference blocks across your account within notes that exist, and a canvas mode that has been added to help you bring ideas in your Obsidian account onto a canvas view to help you reorganize them, Obsidian might not be for everyone, so there are a wide variety of alternatives to Obsidian, many on this list.

Obsidian is the best free PKM solution on the market. If you’re on one device, Obsidian is free forever, meaning you can use it and store those PKM notes on your device without worrying about upgrading.

There is a $4 monthly upgrade to link with the cloud and store your notes on one account across devices. If you're budget-conscious, focus on the desktop, and want your notes stored on a device, Obsidian is a healthy choice. With a good free plan and packed with features for PKM, Obsidian is the best PKM app overall.

Pros:

• Comes with PKM abilities

• Powerful graph view for networked notes

• Obsidian adds new features fairly regularly

• You can switch on and off features

• Free & easy access

Cons:

• Lacks project management

• Does not have database abilities

Pricing:

Obsidian is free to use with no limits; there is a $4 per month pricing for E2E notes & sync.

2. Tana

Best AI PKM App

Tana is one of the more advanced PKM tools and has many powers. Tana is a note-taking app focused on system-based organization. It comes with powerful features like supertags, AI abilities & a growing community of users.

Features like graph view, superstars, and AI abilities help you better organize PKM notes in one place. Supertags are a unique system in Tana that allows you to apply the power of templates to each of the notes you take. They allow you to add critical metadata to notes that you can reuse, which makes things easier with search.

Many people already use the concept of super tags in apps like Capacities; they are object-like tags that help you reuse certain types of notes for powerful resurfacing.

Tana Pros:

• Powerful abilities

• Suitable for individuals & teams

• Designed for PKM

Tana Cons:

• Could be difficult to learn

Tana Pricing:

• Tana is free, pricing starts from $8 per month, per user.

3. Logseq

Best for Flashcards & Community

Logseq is a popular PKM tool as it offers great free access & powerful features. Logseq is a note-taking app focused on connecting notes. It has features like whiteboards, flashcards, and powerful networked thought abilities.

It allows you to take notes, connect them up, and see them within a graph view. People also like that Logseq also has a powerful way to see your notes as flashcards, perfect for students and researchers. Features like whiteboards allow users to bring ideas together in one and daily notes allow users to journal within the app to express ideas.

If you're hunting for a similar tool to Obsidian, whiteboards as part of the experience, and a powerful way to connect up notes, then this is an interesting option. Logseq also has flashcards, which don't work as well as RemNote, but it does offer an additional thing that Obsidian does not have natively.

Pros:

• Powerful PKM application

• Comes with whiteboards for visual thinkers

• Perfect for students making flashcards

• Well-built too that works offline

Cons:

• Can be difficult to learn and implement

Pricing:

Logseq is free to use with no announced pricing.

4. Reflect Notes

Best for Security & Kindle Lovers

Reflect Notes is a note-taking app that handles notes and tasks and organizes your upcoming meetings from Google Calendar as notes for agendas and more. It is also focused on secure note-taking with E2E encryption.

Reflect Notes integrates artificial intelligence to streamline the management of notes, meeting notes, and ideas, making it a smart companion for those seeking efficiency.

Its user-friendly design makes the integration of AI into everyday knowledge management seamless and approachable. The AI's ability to provide smart summaries and insights is a game-changer, allowing users to save time while enhancing the overall productivity of their knowledge management efforts.

As a PKM tool, Reflect Notes sits between a traditional tool and a PKM app, allowing you to have the traditional feel of Evernote but the power of Obsidian.

Pros:

• Balanced design between PKM & note-taking app

• Always adding new features and AI abilities

• Designed for busy professionals

• A much better focus on security

Cons:

• Much pricier option

• Can be overwhelming for more basic note-takers

Pricing:

Reflect Notes is $10 per month, billed annually. No free plan.

5.Heptabase

Best for Researchers & Visual Thinkers

Heptabase is a visual note-taking app designed to help you bring ideas together in a canvas view. It allows you to add and link notes, which is popular with researchers and students. Heptabase is perfect for visual thinkers & those who want to get into PKM.

It balances both worlds very well by having a canvas mode that allows you to add ideas by dragging them together much like apps like Miro and Milanote. Hetpabase even has some project management abilities like Kanban views which people will like if they want more structured ways to manage all their knowledge base. It makes for a different, yet great PKM for visual thinkers and those who like open-plan ways of bringing ideas together.

If you're a researcher, student, or visual thinker, Heptabase is a must-try. The application perfectly bridges the gap between handling notes in a PKM style whilst still being able to express them in a whiteboard fashion.

Pros:

• Good abilities for visual thinkers

• The desktop and mobile app work well

• Works well for connecting notes

Cons:

• Can be overwhelming

• Not suitable for everyone

Pricing:

Heptabase is priced at $11.99 per month, with cheaper annual pricing. There is no free plan.

6. Roam Research

Best for PKM Nerds

Roam Research offers a more traditional and structured way to connect ideas and notes, emphasizing networked thought strongly. Its bi-directional linking feature creates a deep, interconnected web of knowledge, catering to users who prefer a systematic approach to organizing their thoughts.

Roam Research's methodical and thorough knowledge organization style is particularly well-suited for users who seek a meticulous and interconnected system for their ideas and information.

Roam Research is less attractive than many of the options on this list but still is very functional and powerful for PKM management. If you're wallet-conscious, Roam is still one of the more expensive note-taking apps on the market.

Pros:

• Comes on all devices

• Powerful block references

• Supportive community

Cons:

• Might be a bit heavy for some

7. Capacities

Best for Object Note-Taking

Capacities is a note-taking tool for PKM that uses object types to organize how you structure your knowledge base. It is popular with busy professionals and those who want to manage their notes using this system.

Capacities introduce an innovative object-based approach to note-taking and PKM, organizing information around distinct knowledge units or 'objects'. This approach allows for a more flexible and intuitive way of handling data, appealing to many knowledge workers.

Capacities' integrated knowledge framework supports a more holistic view of personal and professional knowledge, making it an ideal tool for those seeking an adaptable and comprehensive knowledge management solution.

Pros:

• Beautiful Notion-like design

• It comes with a calendar mode for daily notes

• Works well offline with near offline functionality

• Comes with AI features for chatting with notes

• Easy to use once you get started

Cons:

• Lacks powerful databases

• It can be complicated for the average note-taker

Pricing:

Capacities are free to use, with a $9.99 per-month upgrade needed to access premium abilities.

8. Anytype

Best for Object Notes

Anytype is a note-taking tool that organizes notes using object types. It is popular thanks to its focus on offline, open-source, and local-first approaches to access. It can be used for project management, note-taking, and journalling.

It is recognized for its focus on graph-based note-taking, offering users a unique way to visualize and manage information. Its object-centric design is tailored to those who conceptualize information regarding networks and relationships.

Anytype's emphasis on graphical representation and versatile data organization makes it an excellent choice for individuals who think visually and seek an innovative way to organize and interact with their knowledge and ideas.

If you're hunting for something offline first, secure, works open source, comes with markdown, and has a generous free offering, then Anytype could be for you. Many people are comparing it to the Notion alternative that can be used offline, with features that are beginning to rival the powers of Notion.

Pros:

• Open-source note-taking

• Local-first and peer-to-peer networking

• Works with markdown and native on desktop

• It comes with sets and collections for set-ups

• Good-rated iOS, and Android on respective App Stores

• Privacy-focused notes with E2E secure notes

• Good community and audience

Cons:

• It can be overwhelming to use

• Limited database abilities compared to Notion

• Still developing features

Quick Questions

How to build a personal knowledge management system?

PKM systems can be built by first adopting an approach. Common approaches could be Zettlekasten, second brain, and Cornell note-taking system that can help you start to build a system, however, many people just start bringing notes together in a PKM tool and connecting them using backlinks to start building their PKM system.

What apps can help your PKM system?

Many apps can help with PKM and serve as PKM tools for you including note-taking apps, email apps, social bookmarking apps, bookmarking apps, to-do list apps, and any tool that helps collect knowledge and stores it for re-use.

How to organize a personal knowledge base?

Organizing a personal knowledge base depends on your strategy. Many people use systems like the second brain that adopt concepts like PARA (projects, areas, resources, archives) to organize the structure of their knowledge base. Looking at how you organize your base can help your knowledge flow better for you.

Are PKM apps good for Second Brain?

PKM tools are perfect for the system of Second Brain as they embrace how CODE methodology very well that is embedded in this process. PKM apps typically make good Second Brain apps.

Why consider a PKM app?

PKM apps are allowing many people to connect notes as they've never done before by introducing relationships between notes and allowing you to see how they connect.