Loam vs Craft
Craft is a polished, block-based document app that is at home on Apple devices, with sharing and collaboration. Loam is a Mac notebook whose notes are plain Markdown files. Pick Craft for beautiful documents you share with other people, on iPhone and iPad too. Pick Loam if you want files you own, plugins, and an open source app that agents can drive.
Last updated November 3, 2026
Loam vs Craft at a glance
Published capabilities, checked on official sites in November 2026.
| Dimension | Loam | Craft |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Plain Markdown files in a folder you choose, called a vault | In Craft's block-based format, synced through its cloud, with a copy on your Apple devices |
| Account | None. Free and open source | Craft cloud sync |
| Markdown | Every note is a Markdown file | Documents are blocks; export to Markdown, TextBundle, PDF and Word |
| Platforms | macOS 26 or later, on Apple silicon | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android and the web |
| Sharing and collaboration | Single user; share a vault through Git | Share documents by link and collaborate |
| Source | Open source | Closed source app |
| Plugins | Every feature is a plugin. Install from the catalog or a Git URL; an agent can write one | No plugin system; a web clipper and Apple Shortcuts |
| Command line and agents | Yes: the loam command runs every action of the app | An API and an MCP server for AI tools |
| Price | Free | A free plan (1,500 blocks, 1 GB), and paid plans |
Sources: Craft pricing ↗ · Craft MCP ↗
Documents or files
Craft documents are made of blocks, with cards, nested pages and layouts that look good when shared. The result is a polished document, held in Craft's format and synced through its servers.
Loam notes are Markdown files. They are plainer, and that is the point: any editor opens them, Git tracks them, and no company needs to stay in business for you to read them.
Sharing
Craft is good at sharing: you share a document by link, and shared spaces let teams collaborate. Loam is a notebook for one person. You can share a vault through Git, but there is no shared editing.
Extending the app and working with AI
In Loam every feature is a plugin, and the loam command line runs every action of the app, so an AI agent works on your vault through the same commands as you. See Agents.
Craft offers an API and an MCP server, which let tools such as Claude read and write your cloud documents over the network. Craft does not offer end-to-end encryption of documents, and with Loam your notes never leave your Mac unless you set up Git sync.
Which one to pick
Choose Loam if
- You want notes as Markdown files you own
- You want an open source app, plugins and a command line
- You work alone, on a Mac with Apple silicon
Choose Craft if
- You share documents or collaborate with other people
- You want the same app on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows
- You care most about how documents look
Switching from Craft to Loam
- In Craft, export your documents as Markdown.
- Copy the exported
.mdfiles into a folder and open it as a vault in Loam, as described in Your first vault. Loam has no importer for Craft, so copy the files, do not move them. - Check the links and the images. Only standard Markdown links feed backlinks and renames. See Import notes.
Loam vs Craft: questions
Is Loam an alternative to Craft?
For personal notes on a Mac, yes. Loam stores plain Markdown files and is open source. It does not do Craft's shared documents or its iPhone and iPad apps.
Can I move my Craft documents to Loam?
Export them from Craft as Markdown, copy the files into a folder, and open it as a vault. Loam has no Craft importer, so check the links after the copy.
Is Loam free?
Yes. Loam is free and open source, with no account.
Can AI agents use Loam?
Yes. The loam command line runs every action of the app, so Claude Code, Codex or any agent with a terminal can read, search and write your vault.
