Second Brain Method

10 Best Capacities Note Taking App Alternatives

Looking for a reliable alternative to Capacities Note Taking app? Check out the best note-taking apps that will suit your needs perfectly.

May 8, 2024

Second Brain Method

10 Best Capacities Note Taking App Alternatives

Looking for a reliable alternative to Capacities Note Taking app? Check out the best note-taking apps that will suit your needs perfectly.

May 8, 2024

Second Brain Method

10 Best Capacities Note Taking App Alternatives

Looking for a reliable alternative to Capacities Note Taking app? Check out the best note-taking apps that will suit your needs perfectly.

May 8, 2024

person using Capacities Note Taking
person using Capacities Note Taking
person using Capacities Note Taking

Whether you're a student, professional, or simply someone who wants to enhance their memory and cognitive abilities, the second brain method for Capacities Note Taking could be just what you need. This innovative note-taking strategy builds a 'second brain' to assist you in organizing and retaining information over the long term. Not only does this second brain method help you remember facts and ideas, but it also trains your brain to think in a more organized, logical way. In this blog, we'll explore the benefits of Capacities Note Taking and give you some tips for getting started.

Table of Contents

What Is Capacities?

person working with tab and laptop - Capacities Note Taking

Capacities is an innovative note-taking application with a keen focus on building relationships between your notes, making it an ideal tool for journalling, note-making, and managing personal ideas. Unlike other traditional note-taking apps, Capacities is centered around objects, which serve as the foundation of the user experience. By allowing users to create objects that represent various aspects of their daily lives, Capacities provides a unique way of categorizing, organizing, and connecting thoughts and ideas.

The concept of objects within Capacities acts as a bridge between the digital and physical worlds, enabling users to capture their thoughts in a more tangible and concrete manner. By assigning attributes, relationships, and connections to these objects, users can establish a rich tapestry of interconnected ideas that reflect their cognitive processes. This approach goes beyond the linear nature of traditional note-taking and instead encourages users to explore the multidimensional aspects of their thinking.

Capacities: A PKM Tool with a Note-Taking Twist

Capacities is not just a run-of-the-mill note-taking application; it's a comprehensive personal knowledge management (PKM) tool with a unique twist. While traditional note-taking apps have primarily focused on text, Capacities introduces the concept of object-based note-taking, allowing users to create visual representations of their ideas. This innovative approach not only enhances the user experience but also enables a more holistic view of information and knowledge management.


By leveraging the power of objects, Capacities transforms the way users interact with their notes, offering a more intuitive and immersive experience. Objects serve as the building blocks of the application, enabling users to create, modify, and connect them in a way that mirrors their cognitive processes. This object-oriented approach fosters creativity, exploration, and discovery, making Capacities a versatile tool for personal and professional use.

Capacities in Practice: Real-World Applications and Benefits

The unique features of Capacities make it a versatile tool with a wide range of real-world applications and benefits. From organizing personal thoughts and ideas to managing professional projects and collaborations, Capacities offers a flexible platform for knowledge management. Users can create objects that represent different aspects of their lives, such as work, hobbies, interests, and relationships, allowing them to establish connections and workflows that reflect their unique needs.

By promoting a more visual and interactive approach to note-taking, Capacities enhances creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making. Users can explore various perspectives, connections, and possibilities through the object-based interface, enabling them to uncover new insights and ideas. Whether you're a creative professional, a knowledge worker, or a lifelong learner, Capacities can help you unlock your potential and unleash your creativity.

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Best Capacities Note Taking Features

person exploring apps - Capacities Note Taking

Daily Calendar

One of the things users like about Capacities is the focus on the calendar experience. It feels like the home that organizes your notes and makes them contextual. Daily notes, as Capacities, and many other apps call them allow you to take notes and connect notes up to the correlated day you begin but one of the experiences that you get with Capacities is the focus on the month, week, three-day, day, and other views that you don't get with other tools similar to this one.

Clean Design & Feel

Using this and Notion, you wouldn't notice the speed differences when navigating the application. Of course, there's no databases going on, but this is still notable. Alongside this Capacities offers a clean design that oozes comfort and note organization. Everything from the graph view to the calendar view is well crafted.

Graph Connections

Connections between notes and objects are easy to zoom into, show more or show less. Many graph views can be over-complicated and deliver not as value insights. This is helpful, but practical, without being daunting to use and see how objects connect up. Maybe this super opinionated but we think this is a clean, easy graph mode.

Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner — try Otio for free today!

Limitations To Using Capacities

The learning curve for Capacities is very high. Capacities offers a good experience, but for many objects, daily notes and building structures in object studio (what properties are associated with each object) can be time-consuming and overwhelming to get started with, especially if note skills are basic.

Capacities is a Beautiful Offering, But There's a Lot to Process When You Get Started

Capacities lacks a bulk import feature, making it challenging for users with a significant amount of data saved in other note-taking apps like Notion to migrate their content efficiently. This limitation can hinder the seamless transition to Capacities for users with existing data in other platforms.

While the object-based approach in Capacities can be powerful for structuring notes, it may also be restrictive for some users who prefer a more traditional note-taking method. The concept of creating objects and linking notes to them may not align with the workflow preferences of all users.

10 Best Capacities Note Taking App Alternatives

man in his office solving issues - Capacities Note Taking

1. Otio

Knowledge workers, researchers, and students today suffer from content overload and are left to deal with it using fragmented, complex, and manual tooling. Too many of them settle for stitching together complicated bookmarking, read-it-later, and note-taking apps to get through their workflows. Now that anyone can create content with the click of a button - this problem is only going to get worse. 

Otio solves this problem by providing one AI-native workspace for researchers. It helps them

1. Collect

A wide range of data sources, from bookmarks, tweets, and extensive books to YouTube videos. 

2. Extract key takeaways

With detailed AI-generated notes and source-grounded Q&A chat

3. Create

Draft outputs using the sources you've collected

Otio helps you go from reading list to first draft faster. Along with this, Otio also helps you write research papers/essays faster. Here are our top features loved by researchers: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (Youtube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), Otio enables you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT, as well as AI-assisted writing. 

Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner — try Otio for free today!

2. Obsidian

Obsidian is a note-taking app that emphasizes the creation of a personal knowledge base through interconnected notes. It offers a Markdown-based editor, allowing users to format text easily while focusing on content creation. Obsidian's unique feature is its support for bidirectional linking, enabling users to establish connections between different notes and ideas. 

This creates a network of information, facilitating knowledge discovery and organization. Obsidian supports backlinking, version history, and plugins, allowing for customization and extensibility based on individual preferences.

3. Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that combines note-taking, task management, and collaboration features in a single platform. It offers a highly customizable layout, allowing users to create databases, kanban boards, calendars, and more. Notion's versatility makes it suitable for various use cases, from personal organization to team projects and knowledge management. 

Users can collaborate in real-time, share documents, and create templates to streamline workflows. Notion also supports Markdown formatting, file attachments, and integrations with third-party apps, enhancing its functionality and usability.

4. Logseq

Logseq is a note-taking app that prioritizes privacy and simplicity. It focuses on plain text files and uses Git version control for data management, ensuring data security and integrity. Logseq's main features include bidirectional linking, backlinking, and block-level editing, allowing users to create interconnected notes and ideas easily. 

Its minimalist interface and keyboard shortcuts make it efficient for capturing and organizing information. Logseq supports custom themes, plugins, and extensions, providing flexibility and customization options for users.

5. Joplin

Joplin is an open-source note-taking app that offers end-to-end encryption and synchronization across devices. It provides a Markdown editor for creating and formatting notes, ensuring compatibility and portability of content. Joplin's key features include tagging, searching, and file attachments, allowing users to organize and access their notes efficiently. 

It also supports notebooks and notebooks stacks for hierarchical organization of content. Joplin's synchronization feature enables users to access their notes from different devices, ensuring seamless workflow and accessibility.

6. Evernote

Evernote is a feature-rich note-taking app known for its comprehensive set of tools and functionalities. It offers a variety of note formats, including text, images, audio, and web clippings, allowing users to capture and organize information in different ways. 

Evernote's key features include text formatting, checklists, reminders, and document scanning, making it suitable for both personal and professional use. It also offers cross-platform synchronization, collaboration features, and integrations with third-party apps, enhancing its usability and productivity.

7. Dendron

Dendron is a hierarchical note-taking tool built on top of Visual Studio Code, making it highly customizable and extensible. It allows users to create a knowledge base using a tree-like structure, with the ability to link and navigate between notes easily. 

Dendron supports Markdown formatting, version control, and backlinks, facilitating the organization and exploration of information. Its integration with Visual Studio Code provides access to a wide range of extensions and development tools, enhancing productivity and workflow efficiency.

8. RemNote

RemNote is a note-taking app that combines spaced repetition with traditional note-taking features. It offers a hierarchical organization of notes using a combination of documents, folders, and flashcards. RemNote's unique feature is its integration of the spaced repetition algorithm, allowing users to review and reinforce their knowledge over time. 

Users can create interconnected notes, create flashcards, and schedule review sessions to optimize learning and retention.RemNote supports collaboration, Markdown formatting, and offline access, making it suitable for both individual and team use.

9. Roam Research

Roam Research is a note-taking app designed for networked thought, emphasizing the interconnectedness of ideas. It offers a bidirectional linking system, allowing users to create connections between different notes effortlessly. Roam Research's key features include backlinking, block-level editing, and daily notes, enabling users to capture and organize information in a fluid and non-linear manner. 

Its unique approach to note-taking encourages exploration and discovery, fostering creativity and innovation. Roam Research also supports Markdown formatting, keyboard shortcuts, and integrations with other tools, enhancing its versatility and usability.

10. Workflowy

Workflowy is a minimalist note-taking app focused on simplicity and efficiency. It offers a hierarchical bullet-point list format, allowing users to organize and structure their thoughts and tasks easily. Workflowy's key features include zooming, tagging, and searching, enabling users to navigate and manage their lists effectively. 

Its clean and intuitive interface makes it ideal for brainstorming, outlining, and project planning. Workflowy supports collaboration, sharing, and offline access, making it suitable for both individual and team use.

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Supercharge Your Researching Ability With Otio — Try Otio for Free Today

Otio is designed for researchers, knowledge workers, and students who face content overload daily. These individuals often find themselves using multiple tools to handle the influx of information, creating a fragmented and complex workflow. Otio simplifies this process by providing an AI-native workspace tailored to researchers. 

The platform excels in three main areas: 

  • Collection

  • Extraction

  • Creation

Otio allows users to gather data from various sources like bookmarks, Tweets, books, and YouTube videos. Users can then extract key insights with AI-generated notes and source-grounded Q&A chats. Otio assists in the creation of drafts by leveraging the collected sources, helping users transition from a reading list to a first draft quickly. 

AI-Generated Notes: The Game Changer in Research

One of the standout features of Otio is AI-generated notes. This innovative approach allows users to generate notes for all types of content, such as YouTube videos, PDFs, and articles. By providing detailed notes on each piece, Otio streamlines the research process, ensuring that users can quickly access critical information when needed. This feature is particularly useful for knowledge workers who need to sift through large volumes of information efficiently.

Chat Functionality: Making Communication Seamless

Otio goes beyond traditional note-taking platforms by offering a unique chat feature that enables users to communicate about individual links or entire knowledge bases. This function allows researchers to engage with their content in a conversational manner, similar to how one might interact with ChatGPT. This innovative approach not only improves the user experience but also enhances collaboration among researchers and knowledge workers.

AI-Assisted Writing: Enhancing Drafting and Editing

In addition to its note-taking and chat capabilities, Otio also offers AI-assisted writing services. This feature helps users write research papers and essays faster by providing valuable insights and suggestions during the drafting and editing processes. By leveraging artificial intelligence, Otio empowers users to produce high-quality content more efficiently, making it an indispensable tool for researchers.

AI Research and Writing Partner: Try Otio for Free Today

Otio offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges faced by knowledge workers, researchers, and students grappling with content overload. By simplifying the collection, extraction, and creation processes, Otio helps users streamline their research workflows and improve their productivity. With features like AI-generated notes, chat functionality, and AI-assisted writing, Otio is poised to revolutionize the way knowledge workers approach note-taking and research. 

Experience the benefits of Otio today by signing up for a free trial and discover a new way to manage information overload.

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