Foam vs Logseq
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted notes & knowledge base options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Logseq
Privacy-first outliner for networked thought
| Feature | Foam | Logseq |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Notes & Knowledge Base | Notes & Knowledge Base |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Clojure |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 17,415 | ★ 45,040 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Roam Research, Obsidian | Notion, Roam Research |
What are Foam and Logseq?
Foam
Foam is a personal knowledge management and sharing system built as a set of extensions and conventions for Visual Studio Code. It turns a folder of Markdown files into a linked, navigable knowledge base.
- Wiki-style links
- Graph visualization
- Plain Markdown files
- VS Code integration
Logseq
Logseq is a privacy-first, local-first outliner for knowledge management and networked note-taking using plain Markdown files. It targets users who want a graph-based personal knowledge tool. It runs as a desktop app with optional file syncing.
- Outliner with bidirectional links
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Graph view of notes
- Plugin marketplace
Foam vs Logseq: key differences
Foam is written in TypeScript, while Logseq is built with Clojure. Licensing differs — MIT for Foam versus AGPL-3.0 for Logseq. Logseq has the considerably larger community, at 45,040 GitHub stars versus 17,415.
Why pick each one
Choose Foam if…
- Plain Markdown files
- Graph visualization included
- Git-friendly by design
Watch out for
- Requires VS Code
- Less polished than Obsidian
Choose Logseq if…
- Local-first and private
- Great for linked thinking
- Files stay portable
Watch out for
- Not a hosted server
- Performance dips on huge graphs
Frequently asked questions
Is Foam or Logseq better?
Neither is universally better. Logseq has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Foam and Logseq free and open-source?
Yes. Foam is licensed under MIT and Logseq under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Foam and Logseq with Docker?
Foam: check the project docs for container support. Logseq: check the project docs for container support.