Private Markdown notebook with backlinks, offline sync, MCP access and WebDAV or S3 backups, running on Workers
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Self-hosted alternatives to Roam Research
Roam Research is a note-taking tool built on a graph of linked pages and blocks, aimed at research and networked thought. One listed app does its main job and runs in your own Cloudflare account.
Each answer comes from the app’s README and source code, compared with the features Roam Research describes on its own site.
Roam Research features, app by app
| Feature | Inkstone |
|---|---|
| Bidirectional links with linked references | Yes |
| Daily notes | No |
| Blocks and pages with a sidebar for several notes | Partly |
| Templates, tasks and a command palette | Partly |
| Query, filter, table, Kanban and diagram components | Partly |
| Graph overview and an all pages list | Yes |
| Sharing, import and export | Yes |
| Extensions through roam/js, roam/css and Roam Depot | No |
Private Markdown notebook with backlinks, offline sync, MCP access and WebDAV or S3 backups, running on Workers
- What a Roam Research user would miss
- It has no daily notes, no outline editing, no query language and no extension system.
- What it adds
- Runs in your own Cloudflare account in any browser, with an OAuth MCP server and public note links.
- Yes Bidirectional links with linked references. WikiLinks, bidirectional links and a backlinks panel on each note.
- No Daily notes. No daily note feature found.
- Partly Blocks and pages with a sidebar for several notes. Block IDs, block references, note embeds and two-note editor groups; notes are documents, not an outline.
- Partly Templates, tasks and a command palette. GFM task lists and a command palette; no template feature found.
- Partly Query, filter, table, Kanban and diagram components. Markdown tables and Mermaid diagrams in notes; no queries or Kanban.
- Yes Graph overview and an all pages list. A relationship graph panel and a note list with filters.
- Yes Sharing, import and export. Public note links, Markdown, JSON and ZIP export and Markdown and ZIP import.
- No Extensions through roam/js, roam/css and Roam Depot. No plugin or scripting system found.
Sources:github.com/shuaiplus/inkstone#featuresroamresearch.com/