Loam vs Notion
Notion is an online workspace for teams, with databases and shared pages. Loam is a notebook for one person that stores everything as Markdown files on disk. Pick Notion to work with a team in one shared workspace. Pick Loam if you want files you own, notes that work offline with no account, and agents that work from the terminal.
Last updated November 3, 2026
Loam vs Notion at a glance
Published capabilities, checked on official sites in November 2026.
| Dimension | Loam | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Where notes live | Plain Markdown files in a folder you choose, called a vault | In Notion's cloud, in its own block format |
| Offline | Always: everything runs on your Mac, with no server | Cloud first, with limited offline support |
| Account | None. Free and open source | Notion account required |
| Teamwork | Single user; share a vault through Git | Built for teams: shared pages, comments, permissions |
| Databases | Collections: tables, boards and galleries over note properties | Full relational databases |
| Plugins | Every feature is a plugin. Install from the catalog or a Git URL; an agent can write one | Integrations and an API |
| Command line and agents | Yes: the loam command runs every action of the app | An API and an MCP server for AI tools |
| Export | Nothing to export: the files are the notes | Export to Markdown and CSV |
| Platforms | macOS 26 or later, on Apple silicon | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android |
| Price | Free | A free plan, and paid plans for teams |
Sources: Notion pricing ↗ · Notion export help ↗
Who owns the notes
In Notion your pages live on Notion's servers, as blocks in a format only Notion reads. You can export them, but the export is a snapshot you convert after the fact.
In Loam every note is a Markdown file in a folder on your disk. There is nothing to export, because the files are the notes: you can open them in any text editor, back them up with any tool, and keep them if you stop using Loam.
Databases and project pages
Notion databases are relational: pages link to other databases, with rollups and formulas. If your work depends on that, Notion is the better tool and Loam does not replace it.
Loam covers the common case with Collections, which show your notes as a table, a kanban board or a gallery, driven by the properties in each note's frontmatter. Projects and Tasks are plain notes and checkbox lines.
Working with AI agents
Both apps can be used with AI tools. Notion offers an API and an MCP server, so an assistant reads and writes your workspace over the network.
With Loam the agent works on files, on your Mac: the loam command line runs every action of the app, and the agent never needs your credentials. See Agents.
Which one to pick
Choose Loam if
- You want your notes as files you own, readable in any editor
- You want notes to work offline, with no account
- You want AI agents to work on your notes from the terminal
Choose Notion if
- You collaborate with a team in the same workspace
- You need relational databases or shared project pages
- You need to open your notes on Windows, Android or the web
Switching from Notion to Loam
- In Notion, export your workspace as Markdown and CSV.
- Open an empty folder as a vault in Loam, as described in Your first vault.
- Run the Notion import as a dry run, then for real, as described in Import notes. It removes the ids from names and links, turns page properties into frontmatter, and turns databases into collections.
Loam vs Notion: questions
Is Loam a Notion alternative?
For personal notes, yes. Loam keeps notes as Markdown files on your Mac and works offline with no account. It is not a team workspace, and it has no relational databases.
Can I import my Notion workspace into Loam?
Yes. Export the workspace from Notion as Markdown and CSV, then run import.notion. Loam imports it as plain Markdown, with a dry run first to show what will change.
Does Loam work offline?
Always. Loam runs on your Mac and reads files from your disk, so it needs no network. Sync is optional and uses Git.
Can I use Loam and Notion together?
Yes. Many people keep Notion for team pages and Loam for personal notes. Notion exports to Markdown, so you can move pages to Loam when you want them as files.