Thanks to its flexibility and range of customization options, I was a loyal user of Obsidian. However, as my workflow grew, its limitations became quite apparent. I then stumbled upon Capacities, and my world shifted. This isn’t just another note-taking app; it’s a game-changer with a unique organization method, AI features, and more. Capacities not only matches Obsidian’s strengths, but also surpasses them in ways I never thought possible.

Here are the top reasons why I have jumped ship and can’t stop raving about this incredible Obsidian alternative.

7 Cross-platform availability

Since I often work with different operating systems, cross-platform availability is always high on my priority list. This is one of the reasons why I didn’t consider Craft (a powerful note-taking app) since it’s unavailable on Android. Capacities has covered the basics here.

Capacities offers native apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android, with Linux and tablet versions coming soon. Unlike Obsidian, it also has a web app that allows you to easily access your productive studio from any device.

6 Built-in AI assistance

While Obsidian is a feature-packed solution, it lacks trendy AI add-ons to level up your notes. This program lets you summon an AI chat within any note to allow it to understand the context of your current work. If you have used Notion AI before, you will feel right at home with the AI integration in Capacities.

You can type / or + and perform quick actions like summarizing, continuing your writing, listing key takeaways, fixing grammar, and more. Capacities also comes in handy during the object creation process (more on this below). It can fill in relevant properties and even suggest tags to help you create a well-maintained knowledge base. There is also an option to enable your own key from an OpenAI subscription for unlimited AI access.

5 Visually appealing interface

Although Obsidian is quite powerful, the default UI feels a bit outdated. While you can import a dedicated theme from the built-in store, not everyone wants to go through such a hassle. In comparison, Capacities has a sleek, modern design with a clean, uncluttered interface.

4 Intuitive object-oriented approach

While Capacities looks like a Notion and Obsidian clone at first glance, it has a completely different approach to organizing your relevant notes. It uses objects, which are the fundamental building blocks of your knowledge base. Think of them as digital representations of anything you might want to store and organize information about. By default, it comes with Projects, Weblinks, Images, and Pages objects. These objects come with relevant note properties. For example, you will find Status, Time frame, and Collaborators properties in the Project object.

Similarly, you can find icon, image banner, and tag properties for the Pages object. You also have the flexibility to create different objects for your frequent note types - this is similar to making a template for yourself. For example, if you want to keep track of all your Recipes, click + as shown or New Type beside objects and create your own new object with the required properties.

You can give it a relevant name, assign an icon, name, color, and click Create object type. You can now head to the object settings and add in the properties that you want for all of your recipes. You can add an icon, cover image, date/time, checkbox, and much more based on your requirements. Here is what it looks like when you create such an object.

You can also set a custom layout and page layout for your object. For example, if it’s a People object, you can choose a Profile layout that’s easy to edit and read. Check out the screenshot below for reference. The possibilities are endless here, and it’s entirely up to your imagination to create and manage custom objects for your workflow.

3 Project management capabilities

Here is where Capacities’ flexibility comes into play. Obsidian is strictly a Markdown-based text editor. With Capacities, you can create a Project object with relevant properties like status, time frame, collaborators, notes, checkbox, notes, and more and manage your small projects like a pro.

You can also create an object for each project and keep all the relevant notes, documents, and project-related info in a single place. There is an option to explore the graph view to see the relationships between different aspects of your project. You can invite others with different sharing permissions and manage your projects like a pro. Overall, it’s an all-in-one solution for your personal and professional needs.

2 Robust personal knowledge management

Capacities easily beats Obsidian when building a PKM. Allow me to explain why. As I discussed, thinking in ‘objects’ mirrors how we naturally organize information. This makes it easy to structure your knowledge base in the best way possible.

You can connect relevant notes in Capacities, fostering the creation of a knowledge graph without manual effort. For example, if you are working on a client project, you can link project-related pages such as customer information, timeline and budget, and more and create a dedicated view for your project.

Like Obsidian, there is a graph view that creates a visual representation of your knowledge network. In the end, we have tags to categorize and organize our objects and notes like a pro.

1 A capable free plan to get started

Like Obsidian, Capacities has a robust free plan that gives you access to all the essential tools. You can create unlimited spaces, objects, and blocks, enable cross-platform sync, and explore other add-ons without opting for a paid plan. If you want to unlock the AI assistant, task actions, unlimited media uploads, and more, upgrade to Capacities Pro at $10 per month.

Supercharge your workflow

The shift from Obsidian to Capacities felt like upgrading from a trusty old toolbox to a sleek, futuristic workshop. It has streamlined my workflow, enabled hidden connections between my ideas, and made project and knowledge management a breeze. While Obsidian has a special place in my heart for its speed and straightforward approach, Capacities won me over with its intuitive design.

And the best part? The company is just getting started. Capacities has exciting new features like dedicated task management and tablet support in the pipeline. Check out our dedicated guide if you are looking for more such productivity tools to supercharge your day.