Anytype
Anytype is a privacy-focused, open-source, note-taking application for notes & PKM.
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Our Rating
Last Updated:
Highly Recommended!
This tool stands in the top 5% of tools on Tool Finder. Our ratings for tools factor in design, features, performance, practicality and value to help determine the tool's overall score.
Things we like
Powerful object note-taking types
Comes with a PKM style and feel
Local-first storage of notes
Great offline modes for on-device saving
Open-sourced and markdown note-taking
Things we don't like
Can be harder to learn the features and the best use of the application for managing notes
For some people object based note-taking might be too much upfront work to setup and implement
What we think about the Design of Anytype?
Compared to other PKM apps on the market, Anytype has one of the better designs. The clean, minimal feel feels lightweight and easy to use. Opening Anytype is nice because you can pin widgets on the left-hand sidebar allowing you to save time accessing things that a lot of people like about Anytype. One of the things that people also like is Anytype has a bottom bar that is omnipresent and allows people to quickly open graph view and create new...
Design
Compared to other PKM apps on the...More
Features
Anytype has a decent set of...More
Performance
Offline speed and performance are...More
Practicality
Anytype is available on iOS,...More
Value
The access to 1GB for free in...More
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Anytype (2024)
Top Features, Pricing, Details & Pricing
What is Anytype?
Anytype is a note-taking application that works offline. It is open-source, has markdown, and has local-first storage with E2E encrypted notes. Anytype is available on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Anytype is widely regarded as a popular Notion alternative for those who use it for note-taking.
A studio for your mind | A place to make sense of the world and create amazing things.
Best For
It's free. No credit card required.
What is the use of Anytype?
People use Anytype to take notes and organize notes using object types that allow them to create a structure for each note. An example of an object type could be a book that could be used to take book notes and a human for relationships during your day.
Is Anytype Russian?
The Anytype founders were based in Russia, their home state. However, Anytype Labs is a remote company, with their local GmbH, a subsidiary of the Swiss Association, now based in Berlin.
How does Anytype work?
Anytype works by allowing you to take notes. Notes are stored locally on your Anytype vault and can be accessed locally first, making them more secure and faster.
Many people use Anytype as a customized note-taking app to store their ideas, thoughts, journal entries, notes, and second-brain notes. Anytype works on creating "notes" or pages from objects. Objects allow you to create a note using a template or structure, this gives form to your note which makes it more useful than a traditional note.
Object-based note-taking isn't new; it has been used in apps like Capacities. Many people tend to like this as it allows them to structure their notes more humanly, allowing for note-taking as you would in the real world.
Anytype Top Features
Here are the things that Anytype strives to do for you:
Features | Helpful for |
---|---|
Advanced Note-Taking | Connect notes together in Anytype and bring a sense of brain-like organization to your vault. Many people like how Anytype balances the traditional feel of note-taking apps with the more modern PKM-style tools that can help you organize ideas and thoughts in one place. |
Object-Based Note-Taking | Organize your notes as objects before you begin them; this allows you to save templates and replicate them as you use them throughout your account. It will also allow the Anytype system to be aware you are adding a person, book notes, ideas, bugs, etc. This gives you more customization to your account and speed the more you use it. |
Graph View | See the way your notes connect with graph view in Anytype and also the abilities like flow that allow you to see the relationship and knock-on effect of the notes in your workspaces. |
Anytype Pros
Here are some of the favorite features of Anytype:
Pros | Reasons |
---|---|
Friendlier notes | Object-based note-taking might take some time to get used to, but it is the future of note-taking. Determining each of your notes before you start them helps in the long run. The idea of creating an author you like and having a profile on them allows you to tag a hundred notes, perfect for note-taking with smarter graph views and less duplicated content. |
Peer-to-peer network | This means everyone keeps their notes on their device and shares them directly. This gives more privacy as notes aren't stored on a big server but on the device. This is one of the main selling points for Anytype and many of these note apps. |
Offline speed & function | The offline speeds of Anytype are impressive. As we used them in this test, we found they worked well whenever we opened the app to do small things (open the app) and large things (create new large pages and paste content). This is one of the quickest offline notes apps we've ever used. |
Anytype Cons
Here are some of the things we didn't get along with in Anytype:
Cons | Reasons |
---|---|
Overwhelming for some | For many, Anytype might be too much for them. A lot is going on when it comes to security and offline access, and their mission might not align with yours. Not only this, but the actual software can be overwhelming. If this is the case, look at tools like Evernote or also Anytype alternatives. |
Is Anytype like Notion?
Notion is an all-in-one productivity tool, whereas Anytype is more of a note-taking application. However, many features, such as sets, notes, and the ability to change database views, are similar to those in Notion.
How much does Anytype cost?
Anyype is free, with a limit of 1GB for the network.
The Builder plan upgrade is $99 annually and has 128GB of storage.
Is Anytype free?
Anytype is free to use but has a limit of up to 1 GB of storage that you can add to each networked storage.
Verdict: is Anytype worth it?
Anytype is an interesting note-taking application.
If you're in search of something offline that emphasizes the privacy of your notes and does different things, like object-based note-taking, then Anytype is a very compelling option for you.
Those who fall into this category will like Anytype for its creative nature and more structured way of taking notes, which we can see being incredibly popular with those who use a Second Brain in their daily routine.
For those looking for something more simple and traditional, we'd recommend something like Evernote or Apple Notes, which have a more traditional layout.
Anytype Learning Effort
Intermediate
Best For
Open Source Note-TakingFounded Date
2019
HQ Location
Germany
Last Updated
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Anytype: Notion Like Workspace
Let's Explore Anytype
Why is Anytype.io different?
They want to be like Notion but private, offline-first and customizable beyond what Notion can offer with blocks.
Is Anytype secure?
Yes, according to their site, they are E2E by design and mainly offline-first.
Is Anytype a good Capacities alternative?
These are the closest tools to compare to, Capacities offers a similar experience than Anytype. Anytype presents a privacy focused benefit, but both are object-first note-taking experiences trying to make block making in their apps easier to consume.
Is Anytype a good Notion Alternative?
Anytype can be considered a Notion alternative, offering a range of features and capabilities that overlap with Notion's functionalities.
What is object-based note-taking inside Anytype?
Object-based note-taking in Anytype refers to organizing information into individual objects, each representing a piece of content. These objects can be customized and structured based on your needs.