OpenKnowledge

Productivity

OpenKnowledge

A free, local-first Notion and Obsidian alternative built for AI agents

What it is

OpenKnowledge is a free, open-source markdown editor and knowledge wiki built by Inkeep. It stores your notes as plain markdown files on your own machine, uses an embedded model for semantic search and auto-tagging without sending anything to the cloud, and ships native MCP servers so agents like Claude, Cursor, and Codex can read and edit your notes directly. It's pitched as a local-first alternative to Notion and Obsidian, built for a world where AI agents are also reading your notes.

Building a personal knowledge base that AI agents can read and edit directlyReplacing Notion or Obsidian with a local-first, free alternativeWriting specs and docs that stay in sync with coding agentsMaintaining a markdown wiki without a subscription

Price: Free; free tier available
Free tier: Yes; no card required
Platforms: 4; macOS · Web

What you get free vs paid

Verdict

Where it wins and loses

Pros

Completely free and open source under GPL-3.0, no account or subscription
Local-first: your markdown files stay on your machine unless you choose otherwise
Native MCP servers let Claude, Cursor, and Codex read and edit your notes directly
Notion-like WYSIWYG editing without the hosted lock-in

Cons

The native desktop app only runs on Apple Silicon Macs right now
Windows, Linux, and Intel Mac users have to run it as a local web app via the CLI, which needs Node.js 24+
Plugin and template ecosystem is much smaller than Obsidian's, since the project is new

If you already point coding agents at a folder of markdown notes, OpenKnowledge is worth trying since it's free either way and the native MCP support is the real differentiator over Notion or Obsidian.
— QuestLoops verdict

Capabilities

Core features

Local markdown storage you fully own
Embedded model for semantic search and auto-tagging, no cloud calls
Native MCP servers for direct AI agent read/write access
Notion-like WYSIWYG block editor
Works with Claude, Cursor, Codex, and other MCP-compatible agents
No account or cloud sync required

All platforms

macOSWebLinuxWindows

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Common questions

OpenKnowledge · 2 questions

Is OpenKnowledge free?

OpenKnowledge offers a free tier you can use without paying. Browse QuestLoops for verified ways to get more out of it for free.

What are the best alternatives to OpenKnowledge?

You can compare OpenKnowledge side-by-side with similar Productivity on QuestLoops to weigh free-tier limits, pricing, and tradeoffs before deciding.

Community workarounds

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