A structured note-taking app for personal use

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A new self-hostable, structured note-taking app has drawn interest from users who like its outliner-style interface but question its maturity, mobile stability, and reliance on a JSON “database” rather than plain text files. Much of the debate centers on long‑term data ownership: many users strongly prefer tools like Obsidian, Logseq, or Joplin that store notes as human‑readable Markdown, are easy to sync or version with Git, and minimize vendor lock‑in. Others argue that databases enable more powerful querying and structure, suggesting a hybrid model, but privacy, end‑to‑end encryption, and openness of formats remain non‑negotiable priorities for many.

Overall reception and positioning

  • Many find the app visually appealing, structured, and robust; example project works.
  • Being a web app that can be self‑hosted makes it interesting as an Obsidian/Logseq‑style alternative.
  • Sharing/collaboration is considered “must‑have”; it is reportedly planned but not there yet.
  • Current web/mobile experience is described as beta quality: UI glitches, broken date navigation, calendar and PWA splash issues.
  • Some criticize the purple branding as too close to Obsidian and note similarities to Logseq/Anytype.

Storage format, lock‑in, and longevity

  • Multiple commenters ask whether notes are stored as plain text/Markdown and whether folder structures are preserved.
  • Strong preference from many for flat, human‑readable text files plus tools like git for long‑term durability and portability.
  • Others argue internal databases (e.g., JSON or SQL) are fine if robust export to simple formats exists, and can offer performance and reliability advantages.
  • There is an extended debate using Joplin as an example:
    • One side dislikes moving Markdown into a DB, seeing it as a “closed silo” and a loss of flat‑file benefits.
    • The other side says a DB is still open (with standard tooling) and mitigates file‑system limitations.
  • Discussion extends to hybrid approaches (flat files as source of truth plus a regenerable index DB).

Comparisons to existing tools

  • Obsidian: praised for Markdown-on-filesystem, fast search, rich plugin ecosystem, multi‑vault separation, and ability to edit with other tools (VS Code, Vim, iA Writer). Main downsides: closed source and separate sync requirement.
  • Logseq: appreciated for daily pages, block‑level structure, tasks, and queries; criticized as overwhelming, “kitchen sink,” pure outliner (hard for free‑form text), and poorly documented/marketed.
  • Joplin: liked for being open source, cross‑platform, self‑hostable, and having plugins like Kanban; criticized for DB‑based storage.
  • Other alternatives mentioned: SiYuan, Foam, Dendron (stagnant), Notion, Zim, Workflowy, simple Markdown + folders with generic editors, Taskpaper, Verbatim.

Architecture, UX, and workflow debates

  • The app is seen as an outliner–database hybrid: hierarchical tree structure with meta‑tags and potential table/DB views, similar to newer tools like Tana/Remnote/Capacities.
  • Some like trees and minimap views; others find enforced hierarchy constraining and worry about cross‑referencing and mixing list items with higher‑level sections.
  • Several users desire integrated Kanban boards; the author indicates Kanban is in progress.
  • A subset finds all such apps overkill and prefers plain text + OS folders to avoid “futzing” with structure.

Privacy, sync, and web3 concerns

  • Privacy and possible end‑to‑end encryption are important to many; some question “privacy first” positioning alongside Google login.
  • Skepticism is expressed about connections to walletconnect.com and any crypto/web3 dependencies, whose purpose in a note app is “unclear.”
  • One commenter warns the hosted demo previously exposed DB credentials via a published .env, though another notes production uses a different database.

Meta

  • Questions raised about the choice of AGPL for a self‑hostable web app (seen as potentially appropriate) and whether such a small project needs a Discord server.