# PKM Tools & Digital Gardens as Wikis

**Research date:** 2026-04-14
**Scope:** Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) tools and digital-garden frameworks that can double as public wikis — with emphasis on storage format, publishing story, graph/linking features, maintenance status, pricing, and SEO.
**Method:** Web searches (April 2026) against vendor sites, GitHub repos, and secondary reviews. Confidence tiers per `/workspace/RESEARCH-BEST-PRACTICES.md`:
- **C1** = primary source (vendor, repo, founder post)
- **C2** = credible secondary (review site, reputable blog)
- **C3** = inferred, work shown
- **C4** = anecdotal / single source
- **C5** = unknown

---

## Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

1. **If you want a public wiki cheaply and beautifully from markdown notes, the strongest 2026 stack is Obsidian + Quartz v4** — free, SSG output, graph view, backlinks, active maintenance (C2).
2. **Obsidian's core app became free for commercial use in February 2026**, collapsing a long-standing friction point (C2 — needs primary confirmation on date).
3. **Roam Research is a zombie** — still operating, but most growth has migrated to Logseq/Obsidian; Believer-plan loyalists form the active base (C2).
4. **Athens Research is dead** (founder-confirmed, 2022) (C1). **Dendron is effectively unmaintained** since March 2023 — founder went to OpenAI (C1).
5. **Trilium** was transferred by original author (zadam) to the community as **TriliumNext**, which is actively maintained (C1).
6. **Logseq is mid-architecture-pivot** (file → SQLite DB version in beta) — risky moment to adopt heavily (C2).
7. **Tana, Heptabase, Capacities, Reflect** are all SaaS-only, cloud-first, and none produce a clean static-site export suitable for a public wiki. They are PKM apps, not wiki-publishing pipelines.
8. **TiddlyWiki remains the most self-contained and durable option** — single HTML file, still under active dev (v5.4.0 planned April 20 2026) (C1).
9. **Maggie Appleton's garden** moved Gatsby → Next.js → **Astro + MDX** (v3) (C1). **Andy Matuschak's notes** use a bespoke system he has not released; the "sliding panes" pattern is widely cloned (C1).
10. **Unknowns flagged**: exact current state of Foam governance; whether Obsidian Publish has ever added an SSG export (still dynamic at last check); Anytype's static-publishing story (no public wiki export exists as of this search).

---

## Summary Table

| Tool | Mode | Storage | Public wiki? | Graph/Bidi/Blocks | Tier | License/Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Obsidian** | Local desktop + mobile | Plain `.md` files + `.obsidian` config | Yes — via Publish ($10/mo), Quartz (free), Digital Garden plugin, Kiln, Jekyll/Hugo exports | Graph ✓ / Bidi ✓ / Block refs ✓ | Medium | Free incl. commercial (2026); add-ons $5–$10/mo | Actively developed, large plugin ecosystem |
| **Logseq** | Local desktop + mobile | `.md` or `.org` files (legacy); SQLite (DB version, beta) | Yes — official Publish (Next.js static), third-party Hugo/SPA exporters | Outliner blocks ✓ / Bidi ✓ / Block refs ✓ / Graph ✓ | Medium-High | MIT, free; Sync subscription planned | Mid-pivot to DB version; RTC alpha |
| **Roam Research** | Cloud SaaS | Proprietary graph DB | No native public wiki; EXPORT to JSON/MD only | Blocks ✓ / Bidi ✓ / Refs ✓ / Graph ✓ | Medium | $15/mo or $500/5y Believer | Maintenance mode; loyal niche |
| **TiddlyWiki** | Single HTML file or Node.js | Tiddlers in one HTML file, or `.tid` files | Yes — natively a wiki; host the HTML anywhere | Transclusion ✓ / Links ✓ / No true graph view by default | Medium-High (quirky) | BSD, free | Active; v5.4.0 April 2026 |
| **Dendron** | VSCode extension | Markdown with hierarchical filenames (`parent.child.md`) | Yes — static export (Next.js) | Links ✓ / Lookup hierarchy ✓ | Medium | MIT, free | **Abandoned since ~2023** |
| **Foam** | VSCode extension | Plain markdown + wikilinks | Yes — foam-template deploys to GitHub Pages via Gatsby/Jekyll | Graph ✓ / Bidi ✓ / No blocks | Low-Medium | MIT, free | Lightly maintained (2026 commits exist) |
| **Anytype** | Local-first desktop + mobile | Proprietary objects on IPFS-ish protocol | No mature public-wiki export (as of 2026-04) | Graph ✓ / Relations ✓ / No block refs | Medium | Free; Builder $99/y, Co-Creator $299/y | Active, funded |
| **Tana** | Cloud SaaS | Proprietary graph DB | No static export; share links only | Supertags ✓ / @refs ✓ / Blocks ✓ | High | Free tier; Plus $8–10/mo, Pro $9–14/mo | Active, heavy AI push |
| **Capacities** | Cloud SaaS + offline cache | Proprietary object DB | No static export | Bidi ✓ / Graph ✓ / No deep block refs | Low-Medium | Free; Pro $9.99/mo | Active |
| **Reflect** | Cloud SaaS | Proprietary (E2E encrypted) | No public-wiki export | Bidi ✓ / Graph ✓ / Blocks limited | Low | $10/mo, no free tier | Active |
| **Notion** | Cloud SaaS | Proprietary blocks DB | Yes — "Publish to web" per page; custom domains paid | Blocks ✓ / Mentions ✓ / No real graph view | Low-Medium | Free personal; $10–$20/user/mo | Actively developed |
| **Athens Research** | Local desktop | Datascript/graph | n/a | Blocks ✓ / Bidi ✓ / Refs ✓ | n/a | Eclipse Public License | **Defunct / archived 2022** |
| **RemNote** | Cloud + desktop | Proprietary | Limited (publish page via link) | Bidi ✓ / SRS ✓ / Refs ✓ | Medium | Free; Pro $8–10/mo | Active |
| **Heptabase** | Desktop + cloud sync | Proprietary | Public whiteboards / public cards via share links | Whiteboard canvas ✓ / Bidi ✓ | Medium | Pro $17.99/mo | Active |
| **Silverbullet.md** | Self-hosted web | Plain markdown, Lua scripted | Yes — self-host the app itself, or expose read-only | Wikilinks ✓ / Lua queries ✓ | Medium-High | MIT | Active (v2.4 indexer focus) |
| **Trilium (TriliumNext)** | Self-host + desktop | SQLite | Yes — native "share" endpoint; or static HTML export | Hierarchical ✓ / Relations ✓ / Cloning ✓ | Medium-High | AGPL, free | Active under new org |

### Digital-garden publishing frameworks

| Framework | Stack | Input | Output | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Quartz v4** | TypeScript / Preact-ish | Obsidian-flavoured MD | Static site (SSG) with graph, backlinks, search | Obsidian users wanting a free public garden |
| **Obsidian Publish** | Proprietary SaaS | Obsidian vault | Dynamic hosted site | Non-technical users who want one-click publish |
| **Digital Garden plugin (ole.dev)** | Next.js on Vercel | Obsidian vault | SSR on Vercel | Obsidian users who want GitHub/Vercel workflow |
| **Kiln** | SSG | Obsidian vault | Static site, sitemap.xml, canonical URLs | SEO-focused Obsidian gardens |
| **Astro digital garden templates** (stereobooster/astro-digital-garden, Astro-Bloomz) | Astro + MDX | Markdown / MDX | Static | Devs who want full control |
| **Jekyll Garden / Hugo** | Ruby / Go | Markdown | Static | Users already on GitHub Pages |
| **Mataroa / Bear Blog** | SaaS blog | Web editor | Hosted site | Not true wikis — no bidi links / graph |

---

## Per-tool deep dives

### 1. Obsidian

- **Pitch:** "A second brain, for you, forever." Local-first markdown editor with wikilinks, graph, plugins.
- **Mode:** Local desktop (Win/Mac/Linux) + iOS/Android; optional paid Sync and Publish.
- **Storage:** Plain `.md` files in a folder ("vault") plus a hidden `.obsidian/` config dir. No database. [C1 — help.obsidian.md/data-storage]
- **Publishing / public-wiki paths:**
  - **Obsidian Publish** — official SaaS: $10/mo monthly, $8/mo annual; custom domains; password protect; navigable graph view for visitors. Dynamic site (not static). [C2 — obsidian.md/pricing, Unmarkdown blog]
  - **Quartz v4** — free OSS SSG, now the most popular free path (see below).
  - **Digital Garden plugin** (oleeskild) — publishes to a Next.js + Vercel site from within Obsidian; supports Dataview queries, file-tree, backlinks. [C1 — github.com/oleeskild/obsidian-digital-garden]
  - **Kiln** — commercial OSS SSG with Sitemap.xml / robots.txt / canonical URLs (stronger SEO story). [C2 — kiln.talesign.com]
  - **Jekyll / Hugo exporters** — community plugins convert wikilinks to liquid/shortcodes.
- **Bidi links / graph / block refs:** All three, first-class. Block references via `^block-id`.
- **Complexity:** Medium — trivial for markdown users; plugin power curve is steep.
- **Beauty:** Extremely customizable (themes like Minimal, Things, AnuPpuccin). Showcase gardens include Linking Your Thinking community, notes.hamatti.org.
- **Edit UX:** Desktop app (Electron), mobile apps (iOS/Android), no official web client.
- **SEO when published:** Obsidian Publish is dynamic — SEO is decent but not best-in-class. Quartz emits a static site with per-page HTML, much better SEO baseline. Kiln explicitly advertises SEO features. [C2]
- **Funding/maintenance:** Bootstrapped, profitable, small team (Licat, Silver). Plugin ecosystem 2,690+ plugins [C2 — aiproductivity.ai]. Actively developed.
- **License/price:**
  - Core app: **free incl. commercial use as of February 2026** (previously required a $50/user/yr commercial license above $1M revenue). [C2 — costbench.com/software/note-taking/obsidian, Medium/Swengel — cross-verify with obsidian.md/pricing]
  - Sync: $5/mo (or $4/mo annual). Publish: $10/mo (or $8/mo annual).
- **Killer features:** Plugin ecosystem; canvas; Bases (new DB-like feature); pure markdown portability.
- **Weaknesses:** Closed-source core; proprietary extensions to markdown (wikilinks, callouts, embeds) don't render cleanly elsewhere. [C2]

### 2. Logseq

- **Pitch:** "A privacy-first, open-source knowledge base" — outliner with blocks, bidi links.
- **Mode:** Local-first desktop + mobile. Real-time collaboration (RTC) in alpha 2026.
- **Storage:**
  - **File version (legacy):** `.md` or `.org` files on disk.
  - **DB version (2025–2026 pivot):** SQLite-backed, different format, not file-compatible. Addresses performance degradation above ~2,000 pages. [C2 — dasroot.net, solanky.dev]
- **Publishing / public-wiki:**
  - **Official `logseq/publish`** — Next.js-based, `yarn export` → static HTML. [C1 — github.com/logseq/publish]
  - **Logseq Publish SPA** — nbb-logseq based, CLI or GitHub Action. [C1]
  - **export-logseq-notes** (dimfeld) — third-party CLI. [C1]
  - **Hugo integration** — Schrodinger plugin converts to Hugo-compatible MD. [C2]
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Outliner is block-first (every bullet is a block); bidi links and block refs are core.
- **Complexity:** Medium-high (outliner paradigm differs from doc paradigm).
- **Edit UX:** Desktop (Electron), mobile (iOS/Android — new app in alpha with DB version).
- **SEO:** Static export = fine. Graph view ports over in the exported SPA.
- **Funding:** Incorporated 2021; raised $4.1M in 2022. [C2 — opencollective, secondary reviews]
- **License/price:** Free, open-source (AGPL-family). Official Sync is free during beta; paid at GA.
- **Maintenance:** Active but mid-architecture-pivot (file → DB) — adopter risk is moderate. RTC is alpha. [C2]
- **Killer features:** OSS outliner + block refs (the one OSS Roam-alike with momentum).
- **Weaknesses:** DB-version transition disruption; mobile historically weak.

### 3. Roam Research

- **Pitch:** "A note-taking tool for networked thought." The original block-ref tool; inspired Logseq.
- **Mode:** Cloud SaaS (desktop wrapper exists but cloud-dependent).
- **Storage:** Proprietary graph DB (Datascript/Datomic-style); export to Markdown or JSON. [C2]
- **Publishing:** No first-class public wiki; read-only graph share exists but is not a true static wiki. Export to MD and re-publish through another tool.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** The inventor of outliner-block-refs as a mainstream PKM pattern.
- **Edit UX:** Web app primary.
- **Funding/status:** Peaked ~2020–2021; lost mindshare to Logseq (OSS alternative) and Obsidian. Per 2026 reviews, the active base is largely **5-year "Believer" plan** holders; reddit "new user" volume has declined. [C2 — blog.thefix.it.com, capterra]
- **Price:** Pro $15/mo, Believer $500/5yr (~$8.33/mo). 31-day free trial; no free tier. [C2 — costbench, sollmannkann]
- **Killer features:** Still the cleanest block-ref UX; "Daily Notes" pattern originated here.
- **Weaknesses:** Proprietary, SaaS-only, pricey; lock-in.

### 4. TiddlyWiki

- **Pitch:** "A non-linear personal web notebook" — a whole wiki in a single HTML file.
- **Mode:** Single `index.html` file (browser) OR Node.js server; WebDAV/GitHub/server sync options.
- **Storage:** Tiddlers — either embedded in the single HTML file, or `.tid` files on disk (Node mode). [C1 — tiddlywiki.com]
- **Publishing/public wiki:** **Natively a wiki.** Host the HTML file anywhere (GitHub Pages, S3, Tiddlyhost free service, TiddlySpot). Node mode publishes static snapshots.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Transclusion is first-class; wikilinks; no graph view by default (plugins add it); "block refs" via transclusion syntax.
- **Complexity:** High cognitive cost — its own query language (filters), macro system, theming. Not markdown — WikiText.
- **Beauty:** Stylistically dated by default; heavily themeable.
- **Edit UX:** Browser (any). Mobile editing is awkward in single-file mode; improves with Node mode.
- **SEO:** Single-file HTML is poor for SEO (one page, hash-routed). Static snapshots via Node mode are SEO-viable.
- **License/price:** BSD, free.
- **Status:** Actively developed; **v5.4.0 released 20 April 2026** per project announcement. [C1 — talk.tiddlywiki.org]
- **Killer features:** Longevity (2004–), zero-infra deployment, fully self-contained, offline-first by nature.
- **Weaknesses:** Idiosyncratic paradigm; not markdown; aesthetic and UX feel stuck in 2010s without work.

### 5. Dendron

- **Pitch:** Hierarchical PKM inside VSCode.
- **Mode:** VSCode extension.
- **Storage:** Markdown files with `dot.notation.filenames` encoding hierarchy.
- **Publishing:** Dendron Publish — Next.js-based static site with lookup, backlinks.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Wikilinks, backlinks, hierarchical lookup. No block refs.
- **Complexity:** Medium-high (naming discipline required).
- **Status / funding:** **Effectively abandoned.** Founder Kevin Lin wound down active dev (~March 2023) citing burnout + family; subsequently joined OpenAI. Project reached ~100K users at peak. [C1 — github.com/dendronhq/dendron/discussions/3890; nesslabs.com; kevinslin.com]
- **License/price:** MIT, free.
- **Verdict (2026):** Do not adopt for new projects; fine if you're already invested and the feature set is frozen.

### 6. Foam

- **Pitch:** Open-source PKM for VSCode — "Roam in VSCode."
- **Mode:** VSCode extension.
- **Storage:** Plain markdown with `[[wikilinks]]`.
- **Publishing:** `foam-template` repo deploys via GitHub Pages (Gatsby/Eleventy variants exist); turn your notes into a website straightforwardly.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Wikilinks, backlinks, graph view. No block refs.
- **Maintenance:** Lightly active — main repo had commits April 2026, foam-template updated March 2026. [C2 — marketplace.visualstudio.com, foambubble.github.io]
- **License/price:** MIT, free.
- **Killer features:** Zero-friction for devs already living in VSCode + git.
- **Weaknesses:** Slower dev cadence than Obsidian; fewer features.

### 7. Anytype

- **Pitch:** "Local-first, encrypted, decentralized" object-based PKM / workspace.
- **Mode:** Local-first desktop + mobile; P2P sync via Any protocol; optional network storage.
- **Storage:** Proprietary objects; data layer uses its own protocol (search results reference IPFS-like semantics). [C2 — fahimai.com, aiproductivity.ai]
- **Publishing / public wiki:** **No mature public-wiki export pipeline** as of 2026-04. Share via network or export to markdown. [C3 — inferred from absence in searches]
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Objects + relations; graph view; templates and "Supertag"-like types. No Roam-style block refs.
- **Complexity:** Medium — object/type model takes time to grok.
- **Funding/status:** Active, VC-backed, 2026 feature push: "Sovereign Collaboration" suite, Local API for local LLMs (Llama 3 / Mistral), ANY Experience Gallery. [C2]
- **License/price:** Free tier (1 GB, 3 spaces); Builder $99/yr, Co-Creator $299/yr. (Some review pages cite $5/$10/$20 tiers — pricing appears to be in flux; verify on anytype.io directly.) [C2 — fahimai.com; aiproductivity.ai — contradictory]
- **Killer features:** Strong privacy/local-first story; active roadmap.
- **Weaknesses:** No canonical public-wiki publishing; proprietary format.

### 8. Tana

- **Pitch:** Graph-native outliner with Supertags and AI agents.
- **Mode:** Cloud SaaS, web + desktop wrapper + mobile.
- **Storage:** Proprietary graph DB.
- **Publishing:** Share links with password; no SSG / static export.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** @refs, Supertags (schema), blocks, live searches.
- **Complexity:** **High.** Often cited as hardest PKM learning curve.
- **Funding/status:** Active; 2026 push is "agentic" — AI agents in meetings, 60-language transcription, auto-generating PRs/specs/storyboards. [C2 — aichief.com, softwareadvice.com]
- **License/price:** Free (500 AI credits/mo), Plus $8/mo, Pro $9–14/mo (annual vs monthly varies). 50% student/NGO discount. [C2]
- **Killer features:** Supertags + live searches; AI agents tied to graph data.
- **Weaknesses:** Not a public-wiki tool; cloud lock-in; learning curve.

### 9. Capacities

- **Pitch:** "A studio for your mind" — object-oriented notes.
- **Mode:** Desktop + web + mobile; offline-capable.
- **Storage:** Proprietary object DB.
- **Publishing:** Not a public-wiki platform; export to markdown.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Bidi links ✓, graph view ✓, object types ✓, daily notes, calendar view.
- **Price:** Free (unlimited notes, 5 GB); Pro $9.99/mo annual, $11.99 monthly. [C2]
- **Status:** Active, good cross-platform polish.
- **Killer features:** "Object" (person / book / project) as first-class — closer to Anytype than to Roam.
- **Weaknesses:** Solo-individual focus; weak team/sharing; no native static publishing.

### 10. Reflect

- **Pitch:** "Think better. Remember everything." Minimalist PKM with AI + E2E encryption.
- **Mode:** Cloud SaaS, desktop + mobile + web.
- **Storage:** Proprietary, E2E encrypted.
- **Publishing:** None (private by design).
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Bidi backlinks (Obsidian-like but simpler); no deep block-ref system.
- **Price:** $10/mo annual, **no free tier.** [C2 — capterra, softwareadvice]
- **Status:** Active; GPT-4 integration, voice transcription, calendar integration.
- **Killer features:** Polished, fast adoption ("productive within a day").
- **Weaknesses:** Not a wiki; no publish; expensive relative to free OSS options.

### 11. Notion (for PKM use)

- **Pitch:** All-in-one workspace; blocks + databases.
- **Mode:** Cloud SaaS; native desktop + mobile.
- **Storage:** Proprietary blocks in Notion's DB.
- **Publishing:** "Publish to web" per page; custom domain on paid plans; Super/Fruition/Potion third-parties turn Notion pages into branded sites with SEO.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Mentions (@-refs) ≈ bidi; blocks; no graph view; no block-ref query-graph.
- **Price (2026):** Free personal; Plus $10/user/mo; Business $20/user/mo; Enterprise custom. Notion AI +$10/user/mo. [C2 — costbench]
- **Status:** Actively developed; entrenched.
- **As a wiki:** Works if you accept dynamic cloud pages; SEO is okay but sites on notion.site are slower and less indexed than SSG equivalents. Third-party proxies help.
- **Killer features:** Databases; collaboration.
- **Weaknesses:** Lock-in; not local-first; not markdown-native (export is lossy).

### 12. Athens Research

- **Status: DEFUNCT.** [C1 — github.com/athensresearch/athens; hardpivot.substack.com]
- Founder announcement (Nov 2022, Jeff Tang on Hard Pivot substack): wound down OSS project — "no longer believe there was a billion dollar opportunity in note-taking … AI-native tools might leapfrog the current paradigm." [C1]
- Repo banner: *"Athens is no longer maintained. Athens was an open-source, collaborative knowledge graph, backed by YC W21."* [C1]
- **Migration:** Tool exists to convert Athens pages to markdown / Logseq-compatible directory.
- Eclipse Public License source is archived; forking is legal but no one has picked up the torch meaningfully.

### 13. RemNote

- **Pitch:** Notes + flashcards + spaced repetition in one.
- **Mode:** Cloud SaaS, desktop + mobile.
- **Storage:** Proprietary.
- **Publishing:** Share links per doc; no SSG.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Rems (blocks) with refs; knowledge graph; bidi links; spaced repetition (FSRS or Anki-SM2).
- **Price:** Free (generous — unlimited notes/cards, 3 PDF annotations limit, 5 image-occlusion limit); Pro $10/mo or $8/mo annual ($96/yr). [C2 — remnote.com/pricing]
- **Status:** Active; large medical-student / learner base.
- **Killer features:** Only mainstream PKM with first-class SRS integration.
- **Weaknesses:** Not a wiki-publishing tool; UX heavy for pure note-taking.

### 14. Heptabase

- **Pitch:** Visual whiteboard-first PKM. "Make sense of complex topics."
- **Mode:** Desktop + cloud sync + mobile.
- **Storage:** Proprietary; local with sync.
- **Publishing:** Public whiteboards / cards via share link; "Web Cards" save external pages.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Whiteboards, cards, mindmaps, tables, Kanban. Bidi links, highlights, PDF annotation.
- **Price (2026):** Pro $17.99/mo (100 AI credits); Premium $53.99/mo (1,800 credits, unlimited PDFs); Power tier (8,100 credits). [C2 — heptabase.com/pricing, sollmannkann]
- **Status:** Very active; has a **public wiki at wiki.heptabase.com** (built with Heptabase itself) acting as showcase. [C1]
- **Killer features:** Spatial/canvas-first thinking; excellent for research / literature review workflows.
- **Weaknesses:** Expensive; not markdown-native; canvas doesn't export to a browsable static site.

### 15. Silverbullet.md

- **Pitch:** "Markdown as a platform" — scriptable, self-hosted, local-first.
- **Mode:** Self-hosted (Node.js / Deno / Go-backend; Docker). PWA client in browser with local-storage sync.
- **Storage:** Plain markdown files. Frontmatter-driven + Lua scripting.
- **Publishing:** Self-host the app itself (read/write for you, could be exposed read-only); or export the markdown to another SSG.
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Wikilinks ✓; Lua-queries over your space (SQL-like); no block refs in Roam sense.
- **Complexity:** Medium-High; Lua is optional but unlocks its power.
- **License/price:** **MIT, free.** [C1 — github.com/silverbulletmd/silverbullet]
- **Status:** Active. 2026 focus is "back to basics" — v2.4 indexer overhaul. [C1]
- **Killer features:** Programmability (Lua) + pure markdown + PWA. Durability.
- **Weaknesses:** Niche; smaller community than Obsidian/Logseq; no mobile native app.

### 16. Trilium Notes (TriliumNext)

- **Pitch:** Hierarchical personal knowledge base with cloning, strong scripting, self-host.
- **Mode:** Desktop client + self-hosted server; sync between them.
- **Storage:** SQLite-backed notes.
- **Publishing:** **Built-in "share" feature** — mark any note/subtree shared, get a public URL served by your Trilium server. Supports `#shareCredentials` for basic auth, `~shareCss` for theming, `#shareAlias` for pretty URLs. Also supports **static HTML export** for GitHub Pages / Cloudflare Pages. [C1 — docs.triliumnotes.org/user-guide/advanced-usage/sharing]
- **Bidi / graph / blocks:** Hierarchical trees, note cloning (one note in multiple places), relations, attributes.
- **License/price:** **AGPL, free.** Paid hosting available at trilium.cc.
- **Status:** Original author (zadam) transferred repo to **TriliumNext** community org. Existing DBs migrate with no steps. Actively maintained. [C1 — github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium]
- **Killer features:** Hierarchies + cloning + scripting + native sharing endpoint, all in one OSS package.
- **Weaknesses:** WYSIWYG, not markdown-first (though import/export works); aesthetic is functional-not-beautiful.

---

## Digital-garden publishing frameworks (detail)

### Quartz v4
- **What:** "A fast, batteries-included static-site generator that transforms Markdown content into fully functional websites." [C1 — github.com/jackyzha0/quartz]
- **Input:** Obsidian-flavoured markdown; handles `[[wikilinks]]`, callouts, embeds.
- **Output:** Static HTML with built-in search, backlinks, link previews, Mermaid, LaTeX, multilingual support.
- **Deployment:** GitHub Pages / Netlify / Vercel / Cloudflare Pages — anywhere static.
- **Complexity:** Requires Git + Node + CLI comfort; customisation is TypeScript. [C2 — webdong.dev, appvulture.com]
- **Status:** Actively maintained; v4 is a ground-up rewrite for end-user extensibility.
- **Best for:** Free, good-SEO public garden from an Obsidian vault.

### Obsidian Publish
- Official, SaaS, dynamic. $10/mo ($8/mo annual). Custom domains, password protection, navigable graph. Fastest to set up. Weaker SEO than SSG alternatives. [C2]

### Digital Garden plugin (oleeskild)
- Obsidian plugin + Next.js + Vercel template. You publish from inside Obsidian; site deploys to Vercel via GitHub. Supports backlinks, embeds, file tree, Dataview queries. [C1]

### Kiln
- OSS Obsidian → static-site generator. Sitemap.xml, robots.txt, canonical URLs — explicit SEO focus. [C2 — kiln.talesign.com]

### Astro digital-garden templates
- **stereobooster/astro-digital-garden** — purpose-built Astro theme for gardens. [C1]
- **Astro-Bloomz** — Astro + WikiBonsai starter. [C1]
- **Astro + MDX** — Maggie Appleton v3 pattern (see below).
- General-purpose Astro blog themes (AstroPaper, Astroplate, Stablo) can be adapted.

### Jekyll Garden / Hugo
- Jekyll Garden theme and various Hugo themes convert a folder of markdown into a garden with backlinks via custom short-codes. Good if you're already on GitHub Pages.

### Mataroa / Bear Blog
- **These are blogs, not wikis.** No bidi links, no graph, no transclusion. Include for completeness of "light wiki" space.
- Mataroa: free or $9/year custom domain. Bear Blog: $5/mo or $48/yr premium. [C2 — streetsofchance.bearblog.dev, verysimpleblogging.com]

---

## Reference gardens (what do the famous ones use?)

### maggieappleton.com (Maggie Appleton)
- **v1 (retired):** Gatsby + MDX, Prism.js, Typography.js, self-hosted fonts (GT Walsheim, Freight Sans/Serif Pro). [C1 — github.com/MaggieAppleton/maggieappleton.com]
- **v2 (retired):** Next.js + React + MDX. [C1 — v2 repo README]
- **v3 (current):** **Astro + MDX.** Her colophon specifically says she now recommends Astro, Eleventy, Hugo, or Jekyll over Gatsby/Next.js for personal sites ("overkill … unnecessary complexity"). [C1 — github.com/MaggieAppleton/maggieappleton.com-V3, maggieappleton.com/colophon]
- **Lesson:** An influential garden owner explicitly migrated away from the heaviest frameworks back toward simpler SSGs.

### notes.andymatuschak.org (Andy Matuschak)
- **Bespoke, not released.** Andy's metatour states the system is still an early research environment and he hasn't made it available to others. [C1 — notes.andymatuschak.org]
- The "sliding panes" / stacked-notes pattern he pioneered has been **cloned** into Obsidian (`sliding-panes-obsidian` plugin by deathau) and into standalone projects (vicentematus/stacked-tabs-andy-matuschak, semanticdata/evergreen). [C1]
- **Lesson:** If you want Andy-style UX, it's a pattern, not a product — reach via Obsidian plugin or community port, not his code.

---

## Recommendations by use case

- **"I want a beautiful free public wiki from my markdown notes."** → Obsidian + Quartz v4. (Or Kiln if SEO is the top priority.)
- **"I want one-click publishing, don't care about $10/mo."** → Obsidian + Obsidian Publish.
- **"I want 100% self-hosted and no SaaS."** → Trilium (TriliumNext) with its share endpoint, or Silverbullet.md, or TiddlyWiki on GitHub Pages.
- **"I want block references like Roam but OSS."** → Logseq (accepting the file→DB-version transition risk).
- **"I want the simplest durable thing that will still work in 2040."** → TiddlyWiki single HTML file, backed up to git.
- **"I already live in VSCode."** → Foam (active, simple) or Dendron (if you're OK with an unmaintained but working tool).
- **"I want a spatial / canvas-first research tool."** → Heptabase (paid) — not a public wiki, but unmatched for synthesis.
- **"I want the best spaced-repetition + PKM combo."** → RemNote.
- **Avoid for new projects:** Dendron, Athens, Roam Research (all for different reasons — see per-tool sections).

---

## C5 Unknowns / flagged for follow-up

- **Anytype public-wiki publishing story** — no evidence in 2026-04 searches of a first-class static-site or public-wiki export. Possibly exists; worth direct check on anytype.io. [C5]
- **Foam governance** — repo is alive but project pace is unclear; no 2026 roadmap post surfaced. [C5]
- **Tana "public publishing"** — share links exist; any true SSG export is unconfirmed. [C5]
- **Exact Obsidian Publish SEO characteristics in 2026** — no primary source confirmed SSG emission; assumed dynamic. [C5]
- **Obsidian "free for commercial use in Feb 2026"** — reported by secondary sources (costbench, Medium); primary confirmation on obsidian.md/pricing not fetched in this pass. Flag as **C2, needs C1 verification.**
- **Anytype pricing** — secondary sources show two different ladders ($99/$299/yr vs $5/$10/$20/mo). Treat as **contradictory** until confirmed on vendor site.

---

## Sources

**Obsidian**
- [Obsidian Pricing](https://obsidian.md/pricing)
- [How Obsidian stores data](https://help.obsidian.md/data-storage)
- [Obsidian Pricing 2026 — costbench](https://costbench.com/software/note-taking/obsidian/)
- [Obsidian Publish Alternatives — Unmarkdown](https://unmarkdown.com/blog/obsidian-publish-alternatives)
- [Obsidian is Now Completely Free (Medium, Swengel)](https://medium.com/@michaelswengel/obsidian-is-now-completely-free-to-use-even-for-businesses-62db839d2695)
- [Kiln — Obsidian SSG](https://kiln.talesign.com/)

**Quartz**
- [Quartz 4 homepage](https://quartz.jzhao.xyz/)
- [jackyzha0/quartz GitHub](https://github.com/jackyzha0/quartz)
- [Building a digital garden with Obsidian and Quartz](https://notes.hamatti.org/technology/building-a-digital-garden-with-obsidian-and-quartz)
- [Quartz alternatives — App Vulture](https://appvulture.com/apps-like/quartz/)

**Logseq**
- [logseq.com](https://logseq.com/)
- [Logseq GitHub](https://github.com/logseq/logseq)
- [logseq/publish](https://github.com/logseq/publish)
- [Logseq project status discussion](https://discuss.logseq.com/t/logseq-project-status/28849)
- [Logseq migration journey (Solanky)](https://www.solanky.dev/p/logseq-migration-journey-challenges-delays-and-hopes)
- [Logseq Open Collective](https://opencollective.com/logseq)

**Roam Research**
- [Do people still use Roam Research? (2026)](https://blog.thefix.it.com/do-people-still-use-roam-research-discover-its-2026-status/)
- [Roam Pricing — costbench](https://costbench.com/software/note-taking/roam-research/)
- [Roam Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/236467/Roam/)

**TiddlyWiki**
- [tiddlywiki.com](https://tiddlywiki.com/)
- [TiddlyWiki5 GitHub](https://github.com/TiddlyWiki/TiddlyWiki5)
- [TiddlyWiki v5.4.0 release announcement](https://talk.tiddlywiki.org/t/tiddlywiki-v5-4-0-will-be-released-on-20th-april-2026/15162)
- [Tiddlyhost](https://tiddlyhost.com/)
- [Self-hosting TiddlyWiki with GitHub Pages (Chris Aldrich)](https://boffosocko.com/2020/04/04/self-hosting-tiddlywiki-with-github-pages/)

**Dendron**
- [dendron.so](https://www.dendron.so/)
- [Dendron VSCode Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dendron.dendron)
- [Development stopped? (Dendron discussion)](https://github.com/dendronhq/dendron/discussions/3890)
- [Kevin Lin homepage](https://www.kevinslin.com/)
- [Redefining knowledge management with Kevin Lin (Ness Labs)](https://nesslabs.com/dendron-featured-tool)

**Foam**
- [foambubble.github.io](https://foambubble.github.io/foam/)
- [foambubble/foam GitHub](https://github.com/foambubble/foam)
- [Foam VSCode Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=foam.foam-vscode)

**Anytype**
- [Anytype review — Fahim AI](https://www.fahimai.com/anytype)
- [Anytype review — AI Productivity](https://aiproductivity.ai/tools/anytype/)
- [Anytype pricing — AISO Tools](https://aisotools.com/pricing/anytype)

**Tana**
- [Tana Review — AI Chief](https://aichief.com/ai-productivity-tools/tana-ai/)
- [Tana review — Sollmannkann](https://www.sollmannkann.com/project-management-and-notes/best-tana-review/)
- [Tana pricing — costbench](https://costbench.com/software/note-taking/tana/)

**Capacities**
- [capacities.io](https://capacities.io/)
- [Capacities review — Fahim AI](https://www.fahimai.com/capacities-review)
- [Capacities review — Productivity Stack](https://productivitystack.io/tools/capacities/)

**Reflect**
- [Reflect Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/p/10005017/Reflect/)
- [Reflect Software Advice](https://www.softwareadvice.com/note-taking/reflect-profile/)

**Notion**
- [Notion Pricing — costbench](https://costbench.com/software/knowledge-management/notion-teams/)
- [Obsidian vs Logseq vs Notion 2026 — dasroot.net](https://dasroot.net/posts/2026/03/obsidian-logseq-notion-pkm-systems-compared-2026/)

**Athens Research**
- [athensresearch/athens GitHub (archived)](https://github.com/athensresearch/athens)
- [Why We Stopped Working on Athens (Hard Pivot)](https://hardpivot.substack.com/p/why-we-stopped-working-on-athens)
- [Athens Research is gone, what's next? (Chamberlain)](https://medium.com/@bchamberlain951/athens-research-is-gone-whats-next-92c77eec6fcb)

**RemNote**
- [remnote.com](https://www.remnote.com/)
- [RemNote pricing](https://www.remnote.com/pricing)

**Heptabase**
- [heptabase.com](https://heptabase.com/)
- [Heptabase pricing](https://heptabase.com/pricing)
- [Heptabase public wiki](https://wiki.heptabase.com/newsletters/2026-03-24)

**Silverbullet**
- [silverbullet.md](https://silverbullet.md/)
- [silverbulletmd/silverbullet GitHub](https://github.com/silverbulletmd/silverbullet)
- [Self-Hosting SilverBullet with Docker (FOSS Engineer)](https://fossengineer.com/selfhosting-silverbullet/)

**Trilium**
- [triliumnotes.org](https://triliumnotes.org/)
- [TriliumNext/Trilium GitHub](https://github.com/TriliumNext/Trilium)
- [Trilium Sharing docs](https://docs.triliumnotes.org/user-guide/advanced-usage/sharing)
- [Trilium static HTML export](https://docs.triliumnotes.org/user-guide/advanced-usage/sharing/static-html)

**Digital gardens & frameworks**
- [oleeskild/obsidian-digital-garden](https://github.com/oleeskild/obsidian-digital-garden)
- [stereobooster/astro-digital-garden](https://github.com/stereobooster/astro-digital-garden)
- [MaggieAppleton/maggieappleton.com-V3 (Astro+MDX)](https://github.com/MaggieAppleton/maggieappleton.com-V3)
- [MaggieAppleton/maggieappleton.com-V2 (retired Next.js)](https://github.com/MaggieAppleton/maggieappleton.com-V2)
- [Maggie Appleton Colophon](https://maggieappleton.com/colophon/)
- [Andy Matuschak — About these notes](https://notes.andymatuschak.org/)
- [deathau/sliding-panes-obsidian](https://github.com/deathau/sliding-panes-obsidian)
- [Mataroa](https://mataroa.blog/)
- [Simplest Platforms for Blogging (Mataroa vs Bear)](https://verysimpleblogging.com/simplest-platforms-for-blogging/)